Each of the families we have served recently has let us know how blessed they feel to be participating in Family Promise. They tell us each volunteer, from van driver, to overnight host, to day center helpers, has made a difference in their lives. Your service makes a difference!
So far, we have admitted four families in 2010, most recently a mom and her 6-month-old daughter. That mom will join another mom in the WorkFirst program later this month. WorkFirst is a 30-day pre-certification program for the Job Readiness Program at Goodwill. Participants are required to have good attendance and submit five job applications per week. Days are split between the employment lab and job hunting.
One of our families was transferred to an agency in Greensboro that could provide more of the services they needed. Another family moved into an apartment this past week—the mom’s first place of her own! She was so excited!
A Day in Life of Our Guests
| 6:30-6:45 a.m. | Van leaves the congregation |
|---|---|
| 7:00 a.m. | Arrive at the day center |
| 7:15 a.m. | Bus arrives to pick up children for day care |
| 7:30 a.m. | School system bus arrives for elementary age children |
| 8:00 a.m. | Parents without transportation are taken to the PART bus stop to head into Winston-Salem for the WorkFirst program |
| 4:10 p.m. | Parents are picked up from the PART bus stop and children are collected from day care. |
| 4:45 p.m. | Arrive back at the day center |
| 5:30 p.m. | Van leaves day center to go to congregation |
| 6:00 p.m. | Arrive at congregation |
| 6:30 p.m. | Dinner |
Congregations provide breakfast, packed lunches, dinners and evening activities.
Each week the families meet with our case manager to review goals, determine the chores they are going to be responsible for handling at the day center, and schedule their laundry days for the week.
Register Now for Cardboard Box City. This is an experience you don’t want to miss!
Now’s the time to register your organization for Cardboard Box City 2010: Friday & Saturday April 23-24 at Kernersville Elementary Athletic Field.
Cardboard Box City is a fundraiser in which people spend the night in a cardboard box to increase awareness about homelessness and raise money to support Family Promise of Forsyth County.
Each participant raises at least $50 in “rent” (pledges) and then stays in Cardboard Box City for one night. At the inaugural Kernersville event last spring, more than 130 people participated, mainly youth groups from area churches and organizations, but any group or family is invited to participate. See brochure for complete information.
Click here for a complete copy of the informational brochure, with photos from last year’s event.
For additional information or to receive printed copies of the brochure or registration forms, email boxcity@familypromiseforsyth.org.
Volunteer & Grant Help from Disney & Pepsi
Family Promise has registered several volunteer opportunities that qualify for a 1-day, 1-theme park ticket to the Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort, free, courtesy of Disney. Congregational volunteers can register for the Community Volunteer position. All volunteers must pre-register and sign up through www.disneyparks.com to volunteer and complete your service.
Pepsi is awarding 10 grants of $5,000 to $250,000 to people, businesses and non-profits making a positive community impact. Then the world gets to vote! The ideas with the top 10 votes in each grant category are awarded the Refresh grants. Each month Pepsi accepts 1000 grants. Family Promise is submitting our Interfaith Hospitality Network Program in March for the April vote.
We will update you in March on how to vote. For more information, go to www.refresheverything.com.
How Big Is the Need for Family Promise?
The City of Winston-Salem conducts Point in Time Counts of the homeless. The January 27, 2010 count totaled 547 homeless persons, compared to 485 people on January 28, 2009, an increase of more than 10%. Even more alarming, 105 of the homeless were children, compared to 75 last year, a 40% increase.
We hold the promise for those children and their parents.
Community Meeting
March 9, 6:30 p.m., Location: Kernersville Wesleyan Church,
930 N. Main St., Kernersville
Fellowship Sunday
School Room
Come hear about our progress in the community and learn some interesting facts about the framework of poverty within economic classes.
REGISTER NOW!
Cardboard Box City 2010 April 23-24, 2010
Make plans now to attend Cardboard Box City 2010, our annual fundraising event where members of the community camp the night in cardboard boxes to increase awareness about homelessness and raise funds for Family Promise.
