Welcome to 2012
Happy New Year! We have a lot of New Year Resolutions, how about you? First and foremost we are resolved to update this page more regularly and to show our appreciation for those that help us. There are many and we don’t say Thank You often enough. So before moving forward let’s start by thanking some of the greatest supporters that anyone could have. Rev. Brian Akamine and Partners for Families in Norristown planned and supplied our Thanksgiving day meal. They had a lot of help. Shoprite in East Norriton donated the turkeys; Kristi and the students from Central Montco’s Technical High School prepared the food; Chic-fil-a in Audobon supplied the beverages; Fairview Village, Valley View, and Victory Christian Churches all helped serve. Around 65 people were served that day including some family members and friends of the residents. Pearl Shuckers stopped by the night before with dinner and their friendship, earlier in the year they donated us some much needed office desks.
Christmas was no less spectacular. Cornerstone Church graced us with a dinner and music on December 3rd. Victory prepared and served dinner on Christmas day. Haley came in on Christmas Eve with gloves and cupcakes for all, she is 6 and wanted to make sure that everyone had warm hands for the Holidays. The Youth group from Epiphany of Our Lord Parish came to serve… they are also planning to return in 2012.
Berta is still with us a long with her peer support interns and Neen still runs out Women’s Group. NAMI still stands with us.
Cabrini College is still supporting us. This year we had and semester long class and it went really well thanks to Nick Rademacher and his Faith and Justice Class. Part of the class was at the shelter and the other part was at the college. We also had a fund raiser/ art show at the college thanks to a senior student, Meghan, and her needing a senior project. We’ll be partnering for another class in January and will be getting some assistance from other departments as well.
There ia always much, and many people, to be thankful for and a few were mentioned above. Certainly we are also thankful for our staff, funders, and community partners. Certainly we are always thankful for our residents; they teach that people are resilient and strong, that they are funny, caring , giving, and unique. This is true of everyone. ‘
Most of our resolutions center around those we serve and we are resolved to offer more opportunities to grow and be enriched through our partnerships, and this year through arts and creative expression. We are resolved to help lessen the amount of time that people stay with us. We are a shelter, with problems, not HOME. We tried, but failed, to acquire a third wing so we could spread out and offer separate space for men and women. We’ll try again but make all of Montgomery County that wing until we do.
Happy New Year Everyone. Our hope is that yours and ours is filled with joy, surprise, and enrichment, that we get some (but not too much) snow, and that the economy settles before homelessness becomes a reality for more people.
