By By MaryClaire Foster
Staying true to his roots, Atmore native Carl Johnson has made a sizable donation to Atmore Area Christian Care Ministries (AACCM) for the second year in a row.
Johnson made the $10,000 donation out of a fund his company sets up on behalf of its employees for charitable giving.
Johnson said most of the employees make their donations in the Atlanta-metro area where he works, but said he chose to give back to Atmore simply because it is his hometown and he knew of a need.
Monroe Tucker, director of AACCM, said the organization is very grateful for the donation.
Tucker said the donation is one of their largest, but that the ministry is always in need of donations and now with the economy affecting more and more people, even more donations are needed.
Johnson said that he has never known what it is like to go hungry and the thought of people going through that affects him greatly.
Johnson said he takes the time at dinner to speak with his own four children about the hunger problem.
Johnson is the son of Murray and Jean Johnson and has been an attorney with Roswell Capital Partners in Alpharetta, Ga. for 13 years.
Johnson said his firm takes 10 percent to 15 percent of its gross income and divides it into separate accounts for the employees under their names to give donations from. He said previously there was only one large fund and only a select few chose where to donate it, but he and another attorney at the office suggested giving it out to individuals to choose where it goes.
Executives at his firm agreed. The only stipulation was that the money could not be donated to the person’s church, that that giving must be done out of their own pocket.
Johnson said regardless of whether he could give it to his own church that he would be giving it somewhere in the Atmore area.
Johnson has also given to Atmore Area Young Life, a youth ministry for high school students.
Johnson said that despite his donation, it is important for ministries to have numerous contributors and hopes this is only a part of the contributions going towards the ministry.
Johnson graduated from Escambia County High School in 1978 and later attended Auburn University where he played football until an injury sidelined him. He graduated with honors from Auburn with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. He went on to Samford University-Cumberland School of Law where he graduated again with honors with his juris doctorate.