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News and Events |
April 2008 The most recent Family Promise of Monmouth County newsletter is available here as a PDF file. November 2007 Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth Family Promise of Monmouth County invites you to join statewide child advocates and the New Jersey Children and Families Commissioner Kevin Ryan for a candlelight vigil for homeless youth on Sunday, November 18th, at 7pm on the steps of the Church of the Nativity, 180 Ridge Road, Fair Haven in Monmouth County to remember the plight of homeless youth in our State. We will hear from youth advocates, homeless and formerly homeless youth and local leaders committed to promote awareness, hope and action for the many homeless children and youth who are living onthe streets and need our advocacy, care and protection. The vigil is sponsored by the NJ Department of Children and Families and the Church of the Nativity, Fair Haven, NJ. Family Promise of Monmouth County is co-sponsoring this event along with other related agencies. The focus of this vigil will be on children who experienced homelessness and/or who have “aged out “ of the system and left homeless. Hope you will be able to attend!
October 2007 The most recent Family Promise of Monmouth County newsletter is available here as a PDF file. Looking Forward and Looking Back by Chuck Payette, President, Family Promise of Monmouth County Board of Trustees Congratulations! We are well into our seventh year of serving families that, without us, would not have the basic necessities of life – safe shelter and food. There are over 100 Networks like ours all over the country; however, I believe ours is truly unique. For one, our Network has NOT been empty for a single day since we have opened! This is a sad but true statement reflecting upon the dire housing situation in Monmouth County for low income families. In fact, we have served over 100 families and 300 individuals since July 2001. Another amazing characteristic about our Network is that not one Host Congregation has withdrawn from the Network. This really speaks to the dedication of each and every coordinator and volunteer. The need is great and you are helping to meet it! The need is indeed great and, as Bill Davis so eloquently pointed out in the previous newsletter, the network must grow! We are turning away far too many families that need our help! So we embarked on this process; progress has been slow but steady. The basic components we need to make this happen are:
We will be looking for people very soon to help us make this a reality. Please stay tuned. However, our work does not end there. The Board of Trustees recently held a strategic planning retreat to help us look beyond the immediate future. Allow me to give you the highlights in the form of the strategic directions we have rallied around:
We have already begun to grow our board with some very talented and passionate people; Laura Tendler from the Real Estate industry, Jennifer Mendez, a business owner with a finance background and Karen Hinds, a co-founder of the Hope for Children Foundation. We are very excited about these strategic directions because we see the positive impact we can have in Monmouth County. I hope you continue to partner with us on this journey! Changes in the Network by Tara Maffei, Director of Network Operations I drive the parkway each morning on the way to work and can see the changes in the leaves. Fall has always been my favorite season because it reminds me that change leads to beautiful opportunities for growth. I’m amazed that six months have passed since I began this position as the Director of Operations, and I continue to be awed by the dedication of our volunteers, the tenacity and strength exhibited by our families, and the acts of kindness extended to families in our program each and every day. So far this has been a busy year for us, and as of September we have already broken the previous year’s count for families served by our network. The reasons are many, but can be narrowed down to a weakening economy and a shrinking number of affordable housing and rental options. Fourteen families have passed through our network this year, and we still have some of the hardest months ahead. There’s a lot of work to be done, and I’m thankful for the volunteers and caring people waiting to rise to the challenge. To accommodate the demand for shelter and the needs of the families, we have made a few internal changes with our programs. Our new program, “Family Promise of Monmouth County: A Hand Up” is working to improve the lives of families both while in the network and after they move into their own housing. This program replaces the previous Housing First model, and is created to serve more families with greater flexibility and creativity. It has enabled us to move families through the network at an improved pace, shortening the length of stay from an average of 106 days last year to less than 70 this year. In the coming months, we will be working diligently to double the capacity of our network so that we can serve twice the number of families stretching the length of Monmouth County – also known as our southern rotation. This will be a major change to our network, as we will be adding more than a dozen new congregations and their volunteers, new staff members, and most importantly will have twice the impact on homelessness in the county. I hope that all of you who contribute to the network feel a measure of pride in the changes as they unfold, so much of what we do is a direct result of your feedback and support. Continue to work with us as we move through the next months, help us meet the many opportunities forHope for Children Foundation Gala This year’s semi-formal event will be held at The Ocean Place Spa and Resort in Long Branch, on Friday, November 2nd at seven o’clock in the evening until midnight. The evening will include cocktails, dinner, live entertainment, exciting silent and live auctions and a grand raffle. Once again we are going to benefit from the same energetic and generous people who put together the fantastic dinner dances in the Fall of 2005 and 2006. Eric & Karen Hinds, Marybeth Walz, Steve Coltrain and many of their friends banded together to put on two super events that raised $150,000 for our organization. This year they are back as the Hope for Children Foundation (HFCF), a group of young professionals, entrepreneurs and parents in Monmouth County working together to raise funds with the end result of making a significant positive difference in the lives of children in our local community. This year’s fundraiser will honor Luke Walz. Luke is a 4 year old boy from Middletown that has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Luke is scheduled to undergo treatment for the next three years at the Valerie Center at Monmouth Medical in Long Branch. To find out more about Luke please visit his website at www.LukeWalz.homestead.com Family Promise of Monmouth is truly honored to be included in this year’s gala and we express our utmost hope and encouragement for Luke and his family. HFCF will split this year’s proceeds evenly between these two organizations. Funds Family Promise receives from HFCF have been designated to help remove the financial barriers our families face in finding permanent housing and to improve the quality of life for the children in our program. These funds enable us to provide security deposits, help secure safe and reliable childcare, obtain job training and certifications for better living wages, buy low cost automobiles, and provide activities for children they might never have had the opportunity to experience. This new program is called “Family Promise: A Hand Up”, and we hope you all share our excitement about the difference it will make in so many lives. The funds the Valerie Fund receives will go towards an extreme makeover of the waiting area for the children undergoing treatment at Monmouth Medical Center. It will be enhanced with video games, a home theater, furnishings, games and other toys to help make the time the children and parents spend there as pleasant as possible. We really hope to see you there! Tickets are $300 per couple or $175 per person. You may also want to place an ad or well wishes in our ad journal - $300 for a full page, $150 for half and $75 for a quarter page. For additional information, event reservations, raffle tickets and sponsorship opportunities please contact 732.687.8317 or 732.996.3369. Please send email inquires to Karen Hinds at kbher@comcast.net. Information and forms can also be found here. Raffle Ticket Section – Can’t make the event? Then buy a raffle ticket at $50 per chance. Maybe you will win one of the following great prizes:
Interested? Call the FPMC office and we will make arrangements – 732-495-1050. IHN of Monmouth County Becomes Family Promise of Monmouth County After careful consideration, the board of IHN of Monmouth County has decided to adopt as our new name “Family Promise of Monmouth County”. The words “Family” and “Promise” better articulate our promise to help families gain access to the resources they need to achieve lasting self-sufficiency. We remain committed to our interfaith alliances and to the practice of hospitality. As you may know, the national organization of which we are an affiliate changed its name from “National Interfaith Hospitality Network” to “Family Promise” in 2003. We believe that we will benefit from closer identification with a national organization that has a reputation for results, a reputation that is based on the dedicated and purposeful work of Family Promise affiliates across the country. Being known as part of a strong national organization conveys stability and long-term commitment to the cause—and this in turn inspires confidence and encourages support from potential donors as well as volunteers. Many good reasons exist for this name change, but perhaps, like me, you hesitate to let go of the words that have become so dear to us – “interfaith” and “hospitality.” After all, extending hospitality to the weary and homeless is a basic tenant of our faith; our hosting of guest families becomes for many of us an act of devotion and holiness. Of course, with our name change, we will not lose these values. We remain deeply committed to our interfaith partnership in the mission of offering hospitality to those who need it most. Bill Davis Leaves Family Promise of Monmouth County Bill Davis, Family Promise of Monmouth County Director of Community Development has decided to return to school to get his bachelor degree in Theology. His last day in the office was October 5, 2007. Bill has been with IHN-Monmouth, now Family Promise of Monmouth County, since it opened in July 2001. He started with us as a van driver transporting guests from the host congregation to the day center offering a listening ear and sound advice to our guests. His passion for helping families grew such that when then director, Linda Stahl left, Bill was invited to fill her position. Mr. Bill, as the children call him, has been a friend and father figure to our guests over the years. He is well known in the community and has often been called the “face of IHN”. We will miss his positive attitude, his easy going style, and his passion and commitment for helping homeless families. We wish Bill success and fulfillment in his new endeavor. -The Family Promise of Monmouth County Board of Trustees What Can You Do To Help? Frequently we hear from interested parties, like yourself – “What can I do to help?” There are many ways you can help us! We are always looking for enthusiastic, motivated individuals to join our Board of Trustees. If a commitment to be a Board member is beyond your reach at this time, we have committees that are structured in a less formal manner. For example, we have committees devoted to community development, fund raising and public relations. Serving on a committee does not suit everyone…. there are lots of us who prefer a more hands-on approach! The Day Center can always use help with maintenance and clerical assistance. We can also use volunteers to collect and organize donations. If you are a member of a host congregation or a support congregation, please consider volunteering when the guests’ rotation involves your congregation. Help is always needed to prepare meals or to visit with guests in the evening or to move beds to the next host congregation. If you are not affiliated with a congregation, contact the Day Center and we can locate one for you to assist. As you can see, there is something here for anyone who wants to step in and help our guests. Although we will be very grateful for any financial support you can give, we can also use your ideas, your enthusiasm, and your hard work. Please consider joining us in our effort to eliminate homelessness in Monmouth County. - Jill Niehaus
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