WELCOME HOME!
Welcome to our summer update. You can read below the full story for each section of our summer mailer, or just pick and choose what you’d like to learn about more. Thank you for your generosity!
MEET DUSTIN AND FAMILY
Our staff met Dustin a couple years ago at this point. He was at his lowest of lows but always looked on the bright side of things. At that time, our program could not take in another family, but we were able to help find him another program that would benefit him in the long run.
It was roughly 6 months later that we received a call from Dustin, and he wanted to know if there were any openings for him and his son. He called just in time! Paperwork was filled out, and Dustin was back in action!
While Dustin was in Family Promise HCR, he found a stable full-time job and childcare for his son. A little over a year since he graduated from Family Promise HCR, he is working the same job and now has a bigger apartment for his family! We even had a surprise visit from Dustin a month ago! He looked happy and seemed to be enjoying his day off from work. He said that he was also up for a promotion at work! Getting to see Dustin enjoy life and work hard to get stable was a blessing.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
“Volunteers are love in motion!”
Author unknown
While we may not know who said this, that doesn’t make it any less true. From spending time with our families to preparing meals to driving to being on the Board or a committee, it takes almost 3,000 volunteer hours a year to keep our families together! If you are a volunteer, thank you for showing your love to our families. It is their interaction with you that makes the biggest difference in their lives.
As we are recovering from COVID, we need to re-establish our volunteer base. To facilitate that, we have created a volunteer form, which can be found (here) so that we can better advise you of volunteer opportunities with Family Promise. If you currently volunteering through a congregation and would not like to volunteer in other capacities, first of all, THANK YOU. Second of all, we’d like to know that so that we don’t bug you about other opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering outside of your congregation, we’d like to know that as well so we can let you know when those opportunities arise.
We know that you volunteer because you want to make a difference in the lives of the families we serve, and we know that is enough for you because you are amazing! But to show our appreciation for all you do, we are going to do a drawing and will have some prizes to give away. To enter, all you have to do is fill out the volunteer form (Volunteer Form (google.com)). No obligation, no pressure…just our way of saying THANKS! All entries between 4/1/2022 and 7/31/2022 will be eligible. If you have any questions, please contact us at 717-737-1100 or director@familypromisehcr.org.
MEET KYLE
As a 10-year-old, life is hard. Add in being homeless, and you’ve just increased the stress level a huge amount. Not for Kyle, though! Kyle loves basketball and hanging out with his friends after school.
Life took an unexpected turn, and Kyle's family came into Family Promise. During the family's time in FPHCR, Kyle was able to practice basketball in the evenings at the host sites.
We recently spoke with a volunteer that helped host one of these weeks who said, "Kyle was always happy and kind. He met everyone like he was already their friend. I knew a volunteer who had a kid close to Kyle's age, so I asked if they could come along and play basketball for a bit one evening. You should have seen Kyle's face! His smile was huge, and we all loved to hear the laughter coming from the gym."
When Stacey, the program manager, arrived at the Day Center each morning, she would find Kyle sitting at the kitchen table watching his tablet and having a pop-tart. She was always met with a smile and a, "Good morning!" as she went into the building.
While Kyle's family was in FPHCR, he was able to finish out his basketball season and was even able to have some time to spend with his friends after school. Even though his situation may have been different, he still smiled and always had a great attitude toward the world. Soon after they arrived at Family Promise, Kyle and his family could move into their own apartment, and he even got his OWN ROOM!
NIGHT WITHOUT A BED 2022…BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER!
We’re hosting another Night Without a Bed event this year. This event is super fun event and raises money (which goes directly to helping families like Kyle’s and Dustin’s) and awareness around the issue of family homelessness. This event can be done on your own or as a part of our in-person option this year. So, how do you get started?
1. Mark your calendar: October 8-9.
2. Make a plan: will you participate at the church with us (Grace UMC Lemoyne) or at home? Where are you going to sleep that night?
3. Let us know: RSVP on our website so we know you’ll be there.
4. Mention it: spread the word! Invite and tell friends and family – the more the merrier!
5. Recruit a team. Everything is more fun in a group, so recruit a few friends to join you!
6. Raise funds: get sponsors for this event or make a donation yourself to help every child have a home. Once you sign up, you will receive a fundraising packet with more information.
7. Share it: share pictures, videos, etc. on social media, and tag us! (#NWABharrisburg)
Comments