Sock Hop Great Success! – Posted on June 21, 2011
The Sock Hop and Auction held on June 11th at Holy Rosary's Lanigan Gym was a great success. Click here to read Steve Shay's article in the West Seattle Herald. Family Promise is again open providing help and shelter to eleven guests thanks to everyone's hard work and generosity. Thank you for your past, present and future support of this vital program. Keep up the good work.
Join "Club 206" Today! – Posted on June 20, 2011
The continuing economic problems experienced by our nation, including our city, are causing an increase in the number of children and their families without housing. As a result,theservices we provide at Family Promise of Seattle are even more critical. By joining “Club 206” immediate help can be provided for these children and their families. Membership means a donationof $206 a year which translates into $17.17 a month, or $.57 a day. The effect homelessness has on children is simply devastating. The anxiety of not havinga place to call home creates disturbances in all parts of their lives leading to sleep and behavioral problems, difficulty in school, and physical symptoms related to stress.
Your contribution now will provide immediate relief forthese families in the form of shelter, meals and social services that remove the barriers to transitional or permanent housing. You can change the world forthese kids and give them a chance to really succeed. Make a donation now by clicking here. So little can do so much!
October Note from the Board – Posted on October 01, 2010
Thank You to all of the congregations and neighbors that support the mission of Family Promise of Seattle! These past three months since entering hiatus have been difficult as we recognize the desperate need of homeless families in our area. We are grateful to you for your continued thoughts and prayers and your generous donations as we work to build the funds needed to once again do the work of sheltering families in crisis.
In late August, Family Promise was featured on King 5 news and on KOMO 4 local news, and we had a story in the West Seattle Blog. Family Promise also was one of the designated charities for the West Seattle Outdoor Movie Night.
In October, Family Promise hosted its first ever Pins for Pennies Bowling Fundraiser. We had over 50 participants, raising a couple thousand dollars. Thanks to Roxbury Lanes and to Fulltilt Ice Cream in White Center for stepping up.
Another positive step… Family Promise will benefit from Chief Sealth High School’s Halloween Festival on October 30th. It feels great knowing our neighborhood kids are pitching in to open our doors again!
On November 6th, from 5-8pm at St. John the Baptist’s Fellowship Hall, Family Promise will host West Seattle’s first ever Comfort Food Throwdown! The Throwdown is a friendly competition between local cooks. There will be a couple raffles, some fun items to purchase, a small auction, and a game or two as we crown the “Comfort Food Champion of Seattle.” Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. We hope you can make it for the fun, and bring a friend! To purchase tickets, give Board Member Carol Long a call at 206-932-1547.
It’s cold outside, and it’s getting colder. The sooner we can raise the money needed, the better. We’re in it for the children… we’re in it because they matter. No child should wonder if they’ll have a warm place to sleep at night.
June Note from the Board – Posted on June 01, 2010
First and foremost, Thank You for your continued support of this program and of the families that we serve. We are approaching the 2nd anniversary of Family Promise of Seattle, knowing that we’ve helped move 29 families from homeless to housed.
I’m going to make this note somewhat personal. For a profession, I advocate for homeless students and their families for the Highline School District. This year, my numbers have grown from 503 homeless students to over 625. In case you are wondering, this economy is putting children and their families on the street. Families are slow to identify themselves. They don’t typically hold up signs, or stand at the corner begging for money. They hole up in their cars, or move from couch to couch until they’ve worn their welcome out. They’re hungry and scared, and most do not make it into shelter. Families that don’t make it into shelter remain homeless, sometimes for years at a time. It is for this reason that I’m committed to Family Promise of Seattle. We change lives. We hold individuals in high esteem, sitting down to dinner, reading a book to a child, listening to parents pray and complain, and sometimes laugh.
All of us on the Board of Family Promise are committed to seeing this program flourish in the years ahead. With the help of our new Executive Director, Norman Schwamberg, we are making progress!
- We’ve hired a grant writer: 1 grant down, 5 to go.
- We’re holding regular fundraisers: small home parties that bring about awareness and needed funds. Could you host a party? We can help.
- We’re being trained on how to recruit more Host Congregations. We’re going to keep working on this until we have at least 13 on board. (That will mean each Host only has to be on the schedule 4 times a year).
Exciting things are in the works at Family Promise to ensure that we can keep caring for the children that we help…29 families no longer homeless….A pretty good record.If you would like to join the effort, give us a call.And, Thank You!You’re making a Difference.
April Note from the Board – Posted on April 01, 2010
Thanks to all our FP partners for their patience during our period of new staff transition. We are excited by the addition this month of our new Case Manager, Diane Marzec. Diane has experience as a Community Case Manager in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and most recently had a position with the Seattle YWCA.
We currently have two families in our program. Abraham Robles, his wife Susanna and their three children are one family. The other is the Clark family with grandmother Brenda, her daughter Tasha, and her two infant children Steven and Kaiya.
Thanks again to our host partners for all their great support.
February Note from the Board – Posted on February 01, 2010
As February quickly winds down, we at Family promise are gearing up for two fundraisers that will support our continued growth in serving homeless children and their families. On March 20th, the Board of Family Promise is offering a free Brunch and Folk Music Concert to raise funds through our current fundraiser, “Club 206.” The Brunch Fundraiser, dubbed “Simple Gifts,” will feature renowned local humanitarian Craig Rennebohm, author of, “Souls in the Hands of a Tender God.” Craig, along with a panel of former Family Promise Guests and Volunteers will paint a picture of how we can step up and care for the homeless, and how that experience can change lives – the lives of those served, and the lives of those serving. The other fundraiser on the calendar is another private fundraiser in the home of a concerned citizen. We have plugged into a new way of raising funds and awareness by asking business people to hold a home party. These smaller fundraisers allow for great conversation and targeted solicitation of funds! If you haven’t received a personal invitation to a fundraiser yet – Consider Yourself Invited! We need YOU on March 20th from 12-2 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (in the Fellowship Hall). You can RSVP by calling 206-932-1547 or by emailing fundraiser@familypromiseofseattle.org. You are WELCOME and Wanted and Needed!!! If you are interested in hosting a “party,” let us know!
On another note… The Board of Family Promise is excited to announce that we are in the process of hiring an additional employee. We are looking for a part-time Executive Director to shoulder the burden so that we might move from surviving to thriving. It is our intention to retain a ½ time Case Manager position as well. At this point, Elizabeth holds the role of both Executive Director and Case Manager. The Board feels strongly that this additional position will help to bolster the business end of Family Promise, while allowing our Case Manager to focus on caring for families. With measured steps, we are moving in the right direction!
For more news, feel free to explore the Family Promise Website at www.familypromiseofseattle.org.
January Note from the Board – Posted on January 04, 2010
Happy New Year to all of our partners and supporters! As the month of January presses forward, the Family Promise Board wants to let you know how much we appreciate your time and financial support in caring for homeless children and their families. We couldn’t keep going without the generosity of our volunteers. We have some good news to share! Our former guest Lauren had her baby! Baby boy Liam was born 7 lbs 1 oz.! Missy, an earlier guest, also had her baby. Baby Amonte was born 7 lbs, 3 oz. and is doing well too. Lauren and Liam, and Missy and Amonte are great examples of why our work is important. At Family Promise, we give families a safe place to rest at night and the support needed to find stable housing. Because of your work, both of these babies had a home to come to after being born. Thank You!
On another note, this month Family Promise benefited from the hard work of volunteers from the University of Washington. On MLK Day, seven UW students rolled up their sleeves and cleaned out the Day Center’s basement, working side by side with Mark (our FP van driver) and Elizabeth (FP’s Director). It was a sight to see! The students pulled out the myriad of junk that was stored in the basement, they leveled the basement’s dirt floor, tarped the ground, and organized the space. Go University of Washington, and Thank You Volunteers!
Clear your calendars! Family Promise will hold it’s annual Spring Fundraiser on Saturday, March 20th! More information about this will be published in next month’s Note. If you have an idea about how to make this fundraiser more fun and/or more lucrative for the program, feel free to give Laura Bermes, FP Board Member, a call at 219-9173. On the Board, we recognize the need for greater fundraising activities, and an expanded volunteer base. We need your help to move this program forward. Don’t be afraid to step up – we want your ideas!