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The Joint Mobility class at ProHealth recently raised $635 for The Shepherd’s House. Instructor Dean Carpenter, right, and the 9 a.m. class presents the Rev. Phil Goble Jr., executive director of The Shepherd’s House, with a check recently.

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In an effort to raise money for the Shepherd’s House, a local homeless shelter that was facing closing its doors due to funding, several local organizations have held fundraisers.

These recent efforts have been particularly beneficial to the Shepherd’s House after the United Fund of Surry County pledged matching funds of up to $20,000 for money raised, a figure that Shepherd’s House Executive Director Phil Goble Jr. said is likely to be surpassed.

Two of the latest organizations are the joint mobility class at ProHealth Center and Kindred Spirits, a local musical group made up of Jewel, Jeremy and Maddie Hefner.

The joint mobility class, with nearly 100 members, recently started collecting donations and pledges for the Shepherd’s House. On Thursday, the class’ instructor, Dean Carpenter, and the class presented Goble with a check for $635.

“This was something we wanted to do,” Carpenter said. “Our group had a desire to help The Shepherd’s House. We saw their story and their need and this was our way of making sure the shelter does not close.”

The class raised $569 by Thursday morning, but made a last minute push before giving the donation to Goble to top the $600 barrier.

“It was amazing to see,” Goble said. “Dean just told the class where they were and, in a matter of seconds, they raised another $66 to jump past the $600 level. They were excited, I was excited. It was fun to see.”

Kindred Spirits will be holding a “night of celebration and worship” at Calvary Baptist Church Sunday, beginning at 6:30 p.m., according to Goble.

The event also will include testimonials from former Shepherd’s House clients, information from Goble, and a closing message by Calvary Baptist senior pastor Rev. Alex Martin.

The donation will help The Shepherd’s House continue a nearly 10-year mission to assist those suffering from homelessness. From April 2003 to April 2012, The Shepherd’s House has helped 1,211 people, including 696 women and 407 children. It has provided nearly 32,000 nights of shelter and more than 95,000 meals in that span. Clients have come from Surry, Stokes, Yadkin, Wilkes and Forsyth counties in North Carolina, as well as Virginia and other states.

“We just wanted to do something to help this great ministry,” Jewel Hefner said. “The work they do is so vital to those in need. Our hearts were touched when we heard that the shelter needed help, we thought this would be a perfect event.”

Goble will open the night with a brief history of The Shepherd’s House, including statistics on those helped and a description of the shelter’s mission. Throughout the evening, former clients will help tell a personal story of how the shelter helped them on their road to recovery. Rev. Martin will conclude the event.

“This is going to be a great night for everyone,” Goble said. “To be able to share what God has done and is doing at The Shepherd’s House is an incredible opportunity. We invite everyone to attend.”

The concert and worship service is open to the public. A love offering will be taken during the evening to help support The Shepherd’s House and its work.

“We are looking forward to joining Kindred Spirits for a great night of music, testimony and fellowship,” said Bob Meinecke, chairman of the board for the Greater Mount Airy Ministry of Hospitality. “We are grateful for Calvary hosting the service and for the Hefners for all their hard work in bringing it together. This should be a great time of learning and seeing just how God has worked in this wonderful ministry.”

For more information on The Shepherd’s House, call 786-1420 or contact Phil Goble at director@gmamh.org or at 710-2530.