February 28, 2019, Atlanta, Georgia: During the opening night reception of Domotex USA, Hannover Fairs USA presented a $10,000 donation to the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) to further the 501(c)3 charitable non-profit organization’s outreach to floor covering industry workers when they are battling life-altering and catastrophic medical conditions.

Dalton, GA - 2018 was record-setting both for grants and donations at the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF), according to Andrea Blackbourn, executive director.

“Over 100 families applied for assistance in 2018 compared to 63 the prior year. In addition, we had a very successful donation drive, the Helping My Fellow Man campaign, chaired by Larry Nagle. We are getting very close to our goal to raise an additional $150,000 to meet the increase need we are seeing for families battling catastrophic medical obstacles.”

The Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) is there when its needed most. Just ask Rene Peterson who worked for Taylor Carpet One for 10 years as a sales consultant, store manager and most recently sales manager. Her husband of 14 years Robert Peterson (who also worked for Taylor Carpet One for a few years) was diagnosed with lung cancer and a brain tumor — the shocking diagnosis left him with decreased mobility and unable to work.

Meet James. At age 48, James Marx, a single father of two teenage girls, had a severe heart attack that left him in the hospital for days and scrambling to make ends meet. Overnight he accumulated $13,000 in medical bills, even with a discount from the hospital. Marx is a veteran of the flooring industry, where he has dedicated 26 years of service.

The Floor Covering Industry Foundation—or FCIF, as it is often referred. I think many of us on the FCIF board take for granted the number of people who do not fully understand the scope and importance of this nonprofit organization. In a nutshell, when an unexpected catastrophic medical event impacts a family, the FCIF is there to help. And to put things in perspective, no industry in the U.S. has anything even close to the FCIF—aside from the charitable work done by the Screen Actors Guild to help those in that profession.

[Dalton] After 22 years of operation, the Nebraska Iowa Floor Covering Association (NIFCA) board voted to disband their organization, a local affiliate of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA).

Chris Nordin, president of the organization, said, “NIFCA was established in 1995. To have a local association for that long would not have been possible without the support of our members and from the World Floor Covering Association. I would also like to thank all the past and present board members which have worked tirelessly to make this organization a success.” 

The Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) has been assisting members of the flooring industry since it was chartered in 1981. It serves as a helping hand to those who are battling medical conditions and financial crisis. Over the years, FCIF has aided many of the industry’s own, including Ararat Torabyan of Tujunga, Calif.

Andrea Dobbins — the first executive director the Floor Covering Industry Foundation (FCIF) has ever had — described the foundation as a “reset button.” Chartered in Washington D.C. in 1981, its members have been helping those in the flooring industry overcome medical and financial crises for 36 years.

“The foundation assists people who have life altering and catastrophic medical events,” Dobbins explained.

There are three criteria that must be met for an individual to apply for funds:

We have new faces in town everyday — engineers, educators, medical associates, business professionals and others choosing to make Dalton their hometown. To our new friends, there are several local groups which can connect you to area leaders, offer cultural and volunteer activities, and entertain you with social and networking events.

There’s nothing special about 36. I am at that stage of life that is past young adulthood. I don’t know if I identify with ‘middle-aged’, but I guess I’m there. Somewhere along the way, I must have grown up. Here are a few lessons that I learned.