Helping Homeless Children and Families

January 2012 Family Promise Newsletter

2012-01-24T13:23:00.000-05:00

You can access our January 2012 Newsletter at the following link:

Family Promise NNCC Newsletter Jan 2012.pdf

This newsletter is in PDF form, and suitable for printing/use in church bulletins.

Thanks you again for your support of homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County!

We extend our deepest gratitude for your support in 2011!

2012-01-24T08:46:00.001-05:00

Merci” to supporters of our Annual Appeal. The financial contributions support our families to achieve lasting independence through our hospitality network and case management services.

“Gracias” to those who donated their time and services! Interested in reaping the reward of volunteering through our Day Center? Contact us for more info! info@familypromisede.org.

“Mahalo” to all the in-kind donations! Our families received a new washer machine at the Day Center, one family received a donated car and another received much needed brake repairs.

Keep the support coming!

Our families are blessed because of your hospitality, help and hope!

Action! Action! Read all about it! Family Promise on Action News!

2012-01-24T08:43:00.002-05:00

Channel 6 ABC News visited us! Our affiliate was one of five nationally to receive 200 comforters to give to a homeless child. This was part of their Buy One , Give One campaign which has been extended through March! For every comforter purchased, one will be donated to Family Promise. Enter BOGO20 at www.thecompanystore.com and save 20%! We shared our blessings and gave comforters to Ministry of Caring, YWCA and Salvation Army!

Mission Milestones! In 2011...

2012-01-24T08:38:00.002-05:00

80% of our families transitioned onto permanent or transitional housing!
18 families served through our network and graduate services; 26 adults and 30 children.
Employment includes Christina School District, Wells Fargo, ManorCare, Christiana Hospital, WalMart and LaZBoy!

Celebrate with us…Two Years of Promises kept!

2012-01-24T08:33:00.004-05:00

2nd Annual Luncheon & Silent Auction

When:

Saturday, February 25th, 2012

11:00am - 2:00pm

Where:

Westminster Presbyterian Church

1502 W. 13th St.

Wilmington, DE 19806

Tickets are $20 and you can get them in a few ways:

- visit our website, www.familypromisede.org

- email us at events@familypromisede.org,

- or mail a check to 2104 St. James Church Road Wilmington, DE 19808

November & December Donations Appreciation

2011-12-28T07:21:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in November & December - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed:

Artisans' Bank
DuPont
Fidelity
Hockessin United Methodist Church
Limestone Presbyterian Church
Marshallton United Methodist Church
Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Trinity Community Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

Open House & Opus One

2011-11-19T08:25:00.002-05:00

Meet the New Executive Director

You're invited to a Holiday Open House to meet Carolyn Gordon, our new Executive Director. If you haven't been to the Family Promise Center before you can also take a tour. Punch and cookies will be provided! Please come welcome Carolyn to the family!

WHEN: Sunday, December 11, 2011 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm
WHERE: The Family Promise Center - 2104 St. James Church Road, Wilmington

Opus One Concert

After the Open House, consider attending the Opus One concert at St. James Episcopal Church - right next door to the Family Promise Center! It's recommended that you purchase tickets in advance. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit Family Promise. Thank you, St. James! Here are all the details!

Opus One Christmas 2011 Concert

A Musical Christmas Story

2011-11-19T08:24:00.001-05:00

“Sing Joy,” a musical rendition of the Christmas story using contemporary music selections, will be presented on Sunday, December 18, at 7:00pm at White Clay Creek Church, 15 Polly Drummond Hill Road, Newark. The program is free and open to all. A love offering will be taken for Family Promise, a local ministry to homeless families. Handicapped accessible. Contact the Church Office at (302) 737-2100 with questions.

New Congregation!

2011-11-19T08:23:00.001-05:00

We welcome Skyline United Methodist Church to the Family Promise network! In the words of congregational coordinator Vicki Gordon-Stith:

"Skyline takes great joy in joining the Family Promise team! As a congregation, we emphasize Radical Hospitality and Vital Spirituality and hosting families in our facilities allows us to live that radical hospitality in a way that we trust will nurture us spiritually. We look forward to learning the process and growing in faith through this life-giving mission."

New Executive Director For Family Promise!

2011-11-11T13:16:00.003-05:00

Carolyn Gordon has joined Family Promise as our new Executive Director! She comes to us with tremendous experience, capability and enthusiasm for our mission. Carolyn can be reached by calling the FP center or email: carolyn.gordon@familypromisede.org.

Please feel free to stop by the FP Center during working hours to say hello. She also will be reaching out to meet others in the community and the wonderful volunteers in our congregations.

We also would like to thank Merrie Bailey who has served as interim ED for much of 2011. She has provided tremendous contribution to FP during this period, with particular strides in increasing the successful housing & job placement of our families. Thank you Merrie!

Carolyn Gordon Bio:

Carolyn Gordon is bringing to Family Promise over eight years of experience working in the non-profit sector. She has held a variety of roles including manager of a regional crisis hotline, direct care for adults with developmental disabilities, and case manager for at-risk youth. She has a MSW and an undergraduate degree in Psychology.

For the past four years she has created and managed Social Enterprise programming. Social Enterprises are small businesses that have a double bottom line: to hit earned revenue benchmarks while having a social mission. Her particular enterprise experience involved managing a retail and online bookstore, farmers market and a café that all served as job training for at-risk young adults. As a result, not only did she generate positive outcomes and receive political and media attention, she prides herself in making a mean latte and has an extensive personal library!

Under her leadership, youth served doubled and over 80% of the clients transitioned on successfully to full time employment and/or education endeavors. Additionally, funding was secured for the next four years and earned revenue increased each month. The outstanding outcomes she witnessed were due, in part, to supervising a tremendous group of volunteers and garnering resources from local congregations, businesses and schools.

She is very excited to bring her program development and evaluation expertise, case management experience and enthusiasm to Family Promise. She looks forward to helping the families of Family Promise achieve self-sufficiency.

September & October Donations Appreciation

2011-10-30T09:48:00.001-04:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in September & October - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed:

Grace Lutheran Church
Hockessin United Methodist Church
Limestone Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church of the Covenant
St. John the Beloved Catholic Church
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
Trinity Community Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

Thank you Reybold Self Storage!

2011-10-30T08:41:00.001-04:00

"Family Promise has acquired some storage space through the generosity of Reybold Self Storage of Newark! So if you are looking to donate some furniture that is in good to great shape, we now have the ability to store it until the next families graduate. So feel free to contact the Day Center at 998-2222 if you'd like to donate any furniture items. Please take a picture of the items and email to us at info@familypromisede.org." We still need all the help we can get transporting items to the storage unit."

Community Thanksgiving Service - Wednesday Nov 23rd, 7:30pm

2011-10-30T08:38:00.003-04:00

Join us for a

Community Thanksgiving Service

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

at White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

15 Polly Drummond Hill Road, Newark

Rev. Steven Brundage (First Presbyterian) will preach from

Deuteronomy 26:1-11, sermon title “Family Stories”

Two offerings will be received:

Non-perishable food donations to benefit Delaware Food Bank

Monetary donations to benefit Family Promise

Participating churches:

Church of the Resurrection

Ebenezer Methodist Church

First Presbyterian Church, Newark

White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

FLYER

Box City 2011 A Great Success!

2011-10-07T23:31:00.010-04:00

Thank you to everyone that supported Box City 2011! $9000 was raised for Family Promise in the first year of this event. Eighty-six participants attended from 14 organizations (plus 36 volunteers) and many slept outside, despite the rain. People of all ages and faiths joined together to help homeless families. We think the event was a great success and thank Hockessin United Methodist Church for use of their facility!

The program consisted of:
• Comments by Senator Chris Coons, Representative John Carney, and Secretary of Health Social Services Rita Landgraf. They talked about the importance of what Family Promise does. NCC Council President Tom Kovach attended as well.
• Entertainment provided by Ray Seemans and Ross Troy, Kiki Marshall, and Lori Citro. Kiki is in 9th grade and attends Presbyterian Church of the Covenant; her peers were dancing the whole time she was singing!
• The youth of Grace Lutheran leading a worship service with a candle lighting ceremony and everyone saying their version of the Lord’s Prayer together.
• Awards given for the box decorating contest and the group that raised the most money. Congrats to Hockessin United Methodist for raising the most money! The individuals that raised the most money were Jon and Nicole Coady of White Clay Creek Presbyterian. They were named the Mayors of Box City!

By 11:00pm the rain had stopped and although our boxes and bedding were a little soggy, we braved the night. When we told Claas Ehlers of Family Promise national about our weather he said that inclement weather is the best way to experience a Box City! Although most Family Promise clients haven’t slept outside in a box, many have slept in their car or the floor at the houses of friends and family. It goes without saying that we are all more thankful for our warm, dry, quiet homes and soft beds. We hope you’ll join us next year to bond with others in God’s family and “Give up your bed… to change a child’s life.”

Family Promise "Box City" video starring Kymm Hockman & Ken Grant!

2011-09-13T06:10:00.002-04:00

United Way Information

2011-09-13T06:07:00.000-04:00

This time of year we are putting a major emphasis on United Way giving. If you give through the United Way at your employer, please consider designating Family Promise of Northern New Castle County as a recipient. Our United Way of Delaware write-in code is 12433. We also have a flyer for posting at this link access the file directly by clicking this link.

Family Promise "Box City" Information & Links

2011-09-11T05:35:00.000-04:00

Cardboard Box City Sets Up In Delaware - Sleep Out For The Homeless

A Cardboard Box City event will be held by Family Promise of Northern New Castle County from September 30 at 6pm to October 1 at 7am at Hockessin United Methodist Church. Anyone with a heart for homeless families may attend, however registration and payment of the registration fee is required by September 19. The event is being held as a fundraiser and in an effort to bring awareness to the problem of family homelessness. Each participant is asked to raise at least $100 for Family Promise. The event will consist of sleeping out in cardboard boxes, a box decorating contest, live music, games, an interfaith worship service, and a Soup Kitchen. Participants may only bring their box, sleeping bag, pillow and toothbrush. Sleeping in a box might not be for everyone. As such, "virtual residents" can register, attend for the evening activities and not sleep out. Go to www.familypromisede.org for details and to register.

WHAT: Cardboard City Event - sleep out for homeless families

WHEN: Friday September 30 - Saturday October 1

WHERE: Hockessin United Methodist Church

The event Chairperson, Kim McWatters, states, "We are planning for hundreds of participants to sleep out for the homeless. Although other Family Promise affiliates have held Box City events before, this is our first year doing so. We are very excited to have so many people pull together to fight family homelessness. It should be a safe, fun, and rewarding event for everyone that participates!"

Family Promise of NNCC helps homeless families with children move toward lasting independence, by providing a safe place to eat and sleep, intensive case management, life skills training, support, and encouragement. Family Promise is a community of faith-based congregations, volunteers and homeless families. The organization is an affiliate of the national Family Promise organization, with 165 affiliates in 41 states. There are approximately 6,000 individuals in Delaware who are homeless each year and 2,700 of them are children.

If you'd give up your bed for a night, to help a homeless child, consider joining in the Cardboard Box City event for Family Promise of NNCC on September 30^th in Hockessin. Go to www.familypromisede.org before September 19^th for details and to register.

IMPORTANT LINKS:
Flyer for Box City
Consent form

Cardboard Box City 2009

Family Promise 3rd Quarter Newsletter

2011-09-04T17:33:00.000-04:00

Our 3rd Quarter Newsletter is out! Here you'll find updates on staff, new Board members, new Congregations, updates on Families, Box City and more! All in a convenient printable flyer suitable for Church bulletin inserts. You can find the new Newsletter here.

July & August Donations Appreciation

2011-09-01T08:38:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in July & August - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed in July & August:

Bank of America
JP Morgan Chase
New Castle County
New Castle Presbytery Speer Trust
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
Trinity Community Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

May & June Donations Appreciation

2011-07-05T10:01:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in May & June- you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed in May & June:

New Castle County
Prudential Foundation
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

Would you give up your bed for one night?

2011-06-29T18:02:00.000-04:00

Many volunteers and supporters of Family Promise will be! Join us for a "Box City" event. We'll be sleeping in cardboard boxes to shine light on the plight of homeless families, and to experience just a taste of it ourselves. Please join us!

Flyer attached at link here

Would you give up your bed for a night…
If doing so could change a child’s life?
… What if it could change yours?

Who
Anyone who has a heart for homeless families: individuals, families, youth groups, etc. Youth under the age of 18 must have a chaperone that is over age 21.

What
Each participant raises at least $100 in contributions and sleeps overnight in a cardboard box “home” as a resident of our Box City in order to raise awareness of homeless families in our community. There will be activities, entertainment, and food for participants.

“Virtual” residents can participate as well – raise $100, enjoy the evening activities, leave at 10 pm and sleep at home.

There is also a $20 registration fee for all participants.

When
Friday, September 30th at 6 pm until Saturday, October 1st at 7 am.

Where
Cardboard Box City will be held in the parking lot of Hockessin United Methodist Church, 7250 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707.

Questions?
More information and forms will be available on our website soon. www.familypromisede.com
Or contact us at info@familypromisede.org

Family Promise Newsletter

2011-06-26T20:32:00.002-04:00

Here is the latest Family Promise Newsletter. Thanks to all who live our their faith to serve our homeless children and families!

Click on this link for the newsletter

Congregations helping Family Promise Hosts

2011-05-20T10:29:00.001-04:00

Chippey AUM Church participated in the Hockessin United Methodist Church's recent hosting week by preparing & serving a meal to the families.
Presbyterian Church of the Covenant’s youth group is helping White Clay Creek Presbyterian with dinner & activities on during their May hosting week.

New Support Congregation

2011-05-20T10:28:00.002-04:00

We welcome a new support congregation: Impact Family Worship Center. Pastor Sean Lee of Impact Family Worship Center, Inc. They will be supporting Hockessin Baptist Church. Welcome aboard!

Transportation Help Needed

2011-05-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

Family Promise has a need for “On Call” drivers to drive clients to job interviews and appointments. Please contact them at 998-2222 or info@familypromisede.org if you can help. They’ll call as needed and if you can help, great… if not, maybe next time.

Speaker's Bureau

2011-05-20T10:27:00.003-04:00

We love sharing the Family Promise message in the community! A Board member recently spoke at all three services at Hockessin UMC. We’ve also been invited to speak at a Quota Organization meeting in June. Please contact us at info@familypromisede.org if we can speak to your congregation, missions committee, or community organization.

Box City Event - Save the Date!

2011-05-20T10:27:00.000-04:00

Family Promise of NNCC will hold our first Box City Event on September 30^th at Hockessin United Methodist Church. Participants will sleep out all night in cardboard boxes in an effort to raise awareness about homeless families, as well as raise funds for our network. We encourage all of our congregations to participate and community organizations will also be invited. We are planning for at least 200 participants. Additional details will be provided as the event gets closer. If you have any questions or want to get involved with planning the event, please contact us at info@familypromisede.org.

Apartment Angels Choose a FP Client Family!

2011-05-20T10:25:00.003-04:00

The Apartment Angels Program has awarded the Broomer Family SIX months of rent, free of charge. The Program was created so that families selected who may have been affected by a particular crisis in their lives, will have time to reposition themselves financially.

The Broomers came to Family Promise last February after they experienced a fire which destroyed literally everything they owned. They came to us with the clothes that their church had given them and nothing more. You could say, it was a “blessing in disguise” when they arrived on our doorstep. They came to us with innate leadership and parenting skills. Also, as can happen, when families who did not ask to live with each other have disagreements, the Broomers are always able to stay neutral and do not get involved. I have often heard them say, “We treat others as we would like to be treated”. In essence, the Broomers have been a role model since day one.

Mom, Charyce Broomer, is the House Manager at Family Promise “buttoning down the hatches” every night before the families leave for the churches. Larry, Sr. is the “floor guy” keeping both the kitchen, and wood floors spotless. Of course, Larry, Jr. (4yrs) and little Nevaeh (1yr) are a delight. We all adore Nevaeh’s little Miss America hand-wave as she goes past our offices. She also closes our doors if we look busy, pretty perceptive for a 1yr. old! What is most admirable is that they are always appreciative for anything, no matter how small or how large it is, and they make sure you know. So, we will miss this little family when they leave Family Promise in the next couple weeks. Keep them in your prayers that God will continue to support them in the days ahead.

Merrie Bailey, Interim ED

April Donations Appreciation

2011-04-30T17:31:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in April - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed this month:

Hockessin United Methodist Church
JP Morgan Chase
New Castle County
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
Trinity Community Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

Executive Director Job Posting - Deadline Extension

2011-04-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

Family Promise is searching for an Executive Director. If you know someone who is interested & qualified, let us know!

Executive Director Job Objective
To coordinate the program components of the Family Promise Network—host congregations, volunteers, referring and supporting agencies, Family Promise Center, and transportation—for the effective provision of services to homeless guests and to provide case management to homeless families.

Detailed job description is available at this link
(note: deadline referenced in job description is extended until Friday, April 29th)

Application Instructions
Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Joann Temple, Program Assistant, via email at joann.temple@familypromisede.org. This posting closes on Friday, April 29th at 5 pm EDT. All applicants will be notified when the position has been filled.

New Castle County Community Band Concert

2011-04-10T21:12:00.000-04:00

Sunday, May 1 @ 3pm. White Clay Creek Church, 15 Polly Drummond Hill Road, Newark. Free and Open to the Public. A Goodwill Offering will be taken for Family Promise of Northern New Castle County, a local non-profit that assists homeless families. The New Castle County Community Band, under the direction of Carroll Humphrey, is comprised of 60 musicians – from teenagers to those in their 80’s.

Click here for the flyer.

March Donations Appreciation

2011-04-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in January - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed this month:

Hockessin United Methodist Church
New Castle County
St. John the Beloved Catholic Church
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
Trinity Community Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

Serve Family Promise on a Committee

2011-03-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

Family Promise of Northern New Castle County has six committees that report into the Board of Directors: Development, Case Management, Personnel, Congregational Coordination & Recruiting, Finance, and Planning & Evaluation. Currently, we have openings on the Development Committee. Would you be willing to serve on this committee? You don’t have to be an expert! This is an excellent opportunity to gain skills that can be applied to work or life.

Development Committee

- Serve a minimum of one year

- Attend regular meetings held via conference call

- Assist in any of the following areas: grant writing, leading fundraising events, writing/sending mass appeal letters, networking with corporations or funders.

Please contact Kim McWatters, Board Member and Development Committee Chair, at kjmcwatters@comcast.net if you’d like to discuss this opportunity further. If you’d like to find out more about other committees or any opportunities with Family Promise, please contact our office at info@FamilyPromiseDE.org.

1st Quarter 2011 Newsletter

2011-03-30T12:22:00.000-04:00

Our 1st Quarter 2011 Newsletter is available! Just click on this link here. It is in a form suitable for printing and inserting into church brochures.

Annual Luncheon and Silent Auction

2011-03-10T09:16:00.001-05:00

Thank You for participating in our Annual Luncheon and Silent Auction on February 26th. Over 130 people attended and learned how Family Promise® has improved the lives of local homeless families in its first year of operation. The event brought in $16,500 of support for our programs! The support of the auction donors, attendees, and volunteers was absolutely wonderful!

Volunteer Role Call

2011-03-10T09:14:00.002-05:00

We need to assemble a list of people that we can call for help with rides, child care, fixing things, and moving furniture. Can you be on this list? We’ll contact you and if you can’t help this time, that’s fine… we’ll call the next person on the list. Maybe you can only help once a month or once a quarter, that’s OK! Services are generally needed Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm. Please contact us at info@familypromisede.org if we can put you on the list!

Rides: Provide rides to doctor appointments, State Service Center appointments, job interviews, etc. Last week a guest had to take 4 buses to get to an appointment! Giving in this area is a blessing during a stressful time.
Childcare: Watch a child at the Day Center while their parent attends an appointment or interview.
Handyperson: Fix little things that break- a bed, a door, a chair, a toilet. We want the Center to be nice and safe.
Moving: Do you have a truck and can you help when a family moves into a new home? That’s a day you want to be a part of!

Tackling the Tough Skills

2011-03-10T09:12:00.000-05:00

We’ve invested in a Life Skills training course for our guests. Please contact us at info@familypromisede.org if you would be interested in helping lead a portion of the course. We plan to hold it at the congregations, on a week night, and all guests would attend. Here’s an overview of the topics. Maybe one of them is calling to you?

Attitude: A state of mind, Humor, Self-Talk, Strengths, Stress

Responsibility: We have a choice, Respect, Commitment

Communication: Listening, Body language, Conflict resolution, Anger management

Problem Solving: Be creative, Working together, Time management

Preparing for the Workforce: The career path, Job search, Interview

1st Anniversary Luncheon Silent Auction Merchants

2011-02-25T14:15:00.003-05:00

Please support these merchants who graciously provided goods and services for today’s auction.

AGN Leather
AmberShader Photography
Bella Vista Trattoria
Benincasa Gallery and Gift Shop
California Pizza Kitchen
Colombo Studios
Corrective Chiropractic
Curt Zang, Accountant
Homeowners Helping Hands
Lincoln Oil
Madeline’s Italian Restaurant
National Income Tax Service
Newark Tire and Service
Newark ToyataWorld
Paws Aboard, LLC
Pike Creek Roasterie
Soffritto Italian Grill
Temptations
TGIFridays

1st Anniversary Luncheon Sponsoring Businesses

2011-02-25T14:14:00.002-05:00

Thanks to these businesses that have helped to make our 1st Anniversary Family Promise Luncheon a success!

Pike Creek Roasterie

Allston Stiles Design

Homeowners Helping Hands

Prestige Paper and Equipment Company

February Donations Appreciation

2011-02-25T14:10:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in January - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed this month:

Limestone Presbyterian Church
St. James Mill Creek Episcopal Church
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
Westminster Presbyterian Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

Berea Presbyterian Church joins as 13th host congregation!

2011-02-24T21:16:00.000-05:00

We are excited to announce that Berea Presbyterian Church has officially joined the Family Promise network as our 13th host congregation! This now provides our homeless children and families with 13 host congregations that fill out our hosting schedule (13 congregations, each hosting 4 times per year complete the 52-week cycle).

Welcome Joann Temple

2011-02-19T08:38:00.000-05:00

I began my administrative career at DuPont in the Photo Products Department. Here I enjoyed streamlining operations and providing quality customer service. Troubleshooting problems and developing innovative solutions seem to be part of my nature. I have always liked challenges.

My spirit of volunteering began at DuPont Pharmaceuticals. I volunteered for various opportunities within Special Olympics. Through United Way, Days of Caring, I had the opportunity to work with the Emmaus House and other non-profit agencies. I am a volunteer at Kelly Heinz Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation. I am currently on the Board of Directors at Freedom Center for Independent Living. I am also an active member of Immanuel Episcopal Church On The Green in New Castle, DE.

My husband, Joe, is employed by Siemens as a Production Specialist. We have 1 daughter, Kirsten, who is a stay-at-home Mom, and is actively involved with the Kelly Heinz Grundner Brain Tumor Foundation. Our beloved daughter, Elizabeth, passed away in 2007 from Brain Cancer, at the age of 27. She is sorely missed. We have four beautiful grandsons, with a new grandbaby on the way.

I am very excited about my being selected as the Program Assistant for Family Promise. It is impossible not to be inspired by the families. I can’t wait to research all the things they need to get back on their feet. It will be my pleasure in this job to support the existing programs for the families, but also to create some new ones that will bring lasting improvements to their lives.

Meet Merrie Bailey

2011-02-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

My career began in social work which included being a community organizer involved with employment issues focusing on targeted hiring legislation, housing for the poor and medical benefits for the elderly.

For the last 25 years I was Executive Director of First State Project With Industry (FSPWI) providing career development and job placement for Delawareans with disabilities. As a start-up ED, I assembled a Board of Directors from Delaware’s top-notch businesses, universities, and government agencies. I spearheaded the development of all fund raising, program development, grant writing, and public relations for the agency. We opened three offices statewide.

I was head of Pastoral Care establishing an outreach program in the Episcopal Church after our parish received a bequest of $3 million. I was also honored to be elected member of the Diocesan Council of the Episcopal Church in Wilmington.

For over 25 years I have been a Eucharistic Minister at the Christiana Care Hospital both in the Episcopal Church and most recently in the Catholic Church. My church involvement has consisted of primarily of hands-on social ministry. I established a 24/7 Telephone ministry for the “poorest of the poor.” Other ministries included an Advocacy Network for the poor and supporting the church’s participation with Emmanuel Dining Room, Friendship House, San Marco ministry in Guatemala and Journey to Justice/Voices without Borders in Wilmington.

My husband is currently a Deacon at St. John the Beloved Church, retired from DuPont. We have 3 children. The eldest, who lives in New Zealand, is a nurse and is studying to be a nurse practitioner. Daughter #2 works for JPMorgan Chase and lives right behind the parking lot of St. James Church with our 2 beautiful grandsons. Our son is also close by in Newark. He is a mason and his avocation is playing guitar in a band called “Fat Daddy Has Been."

Family Promise Organization Announcement

2011-02-19T08:35:00.002-05:00

The Board of Directors of Family Promise of Northern New Castle County has named Merrie Bailey as Interim Executive Director. Merrie is on the Board of Directors for Family Promise and has many years of non-profit leadership experience. We thank Tamikah Gowans for her service at Family Promise during this very busy start-up year and wish her well in her future endeavors. We are in the process of searching for a new Executive Director.

Also, we welcome Joann Temple as Program Assistant for Family Promise. She comes to us with a wealth of experience both in the corporate world and as a volunteer with nonprofit agencies.

January Donations Appreciation

2011-01-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in January - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed this month:

Grace Lutheran Church
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
Trinity Community Church
Wells Fargo Advisors LLC
Westminster Presbyterian Church

Celebrate A Year Of Promises Kept

2011-01-19T13:59:00.005-05:00

Please join us for the Family Promise of Northern New Castle County Annual Luncheon & Silent Auction.
Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 11am - 2 pm

Schedule:
11:00 Hors d'oeuvres & silent auction
12:00 Luncheon
1:00 Program including Keynote Speaker Claas Ehlers from the national Family Promise organization

Location:
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Community Hall
1506 W. 13th Street (parking in lot at 13th & Rodney Streets), Wilmington DE - Enter at blue doors

Reservations required by February 18
Purchase tickets for $20:
- At our website: www.familypromisede.org (click on button in top/left and pay via Paypal)
- Via email/mail: Email us at info@familypromisede.org and they send a check to Family Promise of NNCC, 2104 St. James Church Rd, Wilmington, DE 19808

Contact us at 302-998-2222 with any questions.

DuPont Diversity Choir Concert of Spirituals & Community Potluck Dinner

2011-01-19T10:58:00.001-05:00

DuPont Diversity Choir Concert of Spirituals

& Community Potluck Dinner

Saturday, February 5th

6:00 p.m. Potluck Dinner & 7:00 p.m. Concert

Limestone Presbyterian Church,

3201 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE

A Benefit Concert (freewill offering) for

Family Promise’s Ministry for Homeless Children & Families

The DuPont Diversity Choir was formed in 1991 by volunteers to sing for the DuPont celebration in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 45 choir members differ in age, ethnic and religious background, and occupation, but have in common a desire to make a joyful noise in support of Dr. King's dream. Please invite your family and friends to this wonderful evening concert of spirituals starting at 7:00 p.m. in the newly refreshed sanctuary of Limestone Presbyterian Church.

You are invited to come early for a community potluck supper at 6:00 p.m. Bring a main dish, salad or dessert to share and enjoy a feast with friends and neighbors.

A freewill offering at the concert will go to support Family Promise’s work for the homeless children and their families in New Castle County. You can learn more about this group supported by 17 area churches at http://familypromisede.org/

Since its formation the DuPont Diversity Choir has sung for numerous corporate events, as well as at community events sponsored by organizations like the Music School of Delaware, the Festival of Spirituals, the Kennett Symphony of Chester County and the City of Wilmington. The choir is under the direction of C. Lawler Rogers, Sr. who has had a distinguished career as a music educator, arts administrator, performer, conductor, and organizer and promoter of multicultural activities. He is familiar to many in this area as the Supervisor of Fine Arts for the Brandywine School District until his retirement in 1998. He has conducted numerous groups, including The Ardensingers, The Brandywiners, Ltd. and OperaDelaware, and conducted the composition “Hallelujah Handel” with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra. He was honored with the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in the category of Arts Education in 2000 and the Christi Award for outstanding achievement in Arts Education in 2005.

Family Promise Luncheon - Requests for Donations

2011-01-13T16:53:00.002-05:00

An invitation will be forthcoming for the Family Promise® of Northern New Castle County’s Annual Fundraising Luncheon and Silent Auction, which will be held on Saturday, February, 26, 2011 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington.

In the meantime, would you, a group you are involved with, and/or your business be able to help us with this event by providing a donation for the Silent Auction and/or financial support to defray auction expenses?

Donate an Item

A product or service donated could represent hundreds of dollars in auction funds raised. Please fill out the attached form and return to us. Be sure to include any details about the item and the market value so we can include an accurate description for potential bidders.

· Contact Kathy Hunsicker at fampromauction@yahoo.com with any questions

· Return the attached form and notify Kathy of any basket themes by Feb 1 @ fampromauction@yahoo.com

· Donations can be dropped off to the Center Feb. 7-18. If items need to be picked up by Kathy please contact her with specific needs.

Provide Financial Support

Would your business provide financial donations of $100 to $1000 to help defray the costs of the event? All merchants that provide financial support to defray auction costs, or donate an item for the auction, will receive recognition in our event Program as well as on our website and blog. Please fill out the form at this link and return to us.

The proceeds from this event will be used to support the Family Promise program. Family Promise is a 501(c)(3) entity; your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. We thank you in advance for your support.

December Donations Apprecation

2011-01-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of the individuals and organizations that donated to Family Promise in 2010 - you are making a difference for homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County! Here is a list of the organizations that contributed in December:

Grace Lutheran Church
The Leoni Family Foundation Fund
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
The Chichester duPont Foundation
Trinity Community Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church

Avondale Presbyterian Church Joins Family Promise!

2010-12-18T13:06:00.001-05:00

We are delighted to announce that Avondale Presbyterian Church has joined Family Promise as our 5th support congregation! Welcome Avondale Presbyterian!

Family Promise receives grant from Ohio Casualty Foundation!

2010-12-03T07:15:00.000-05:00

THANK YOU to the Ohio Casualty Foundation for the generous grant / check! There are 37 insurance agents within a 10 mile radius of the Family Promise Center that offer Ohio Casualty insurance products. A very nice holiday gift!

Hockessin Baptist Hosts our Families

2010-12-02T07:25:00.001-05:00

This week our families are at Hockessin Baptist Church, enjoying the hospitality of the many volunteers including congregational coordinators Mark & Lynette Russell. Thanks HBC for taking care of our families!

Stephanie Eastham (center) & daughters along with congregational coordinators Mark & Lynette Russell

Stephanie Eastham with daughters Melissa & Emily Provided Dinner

FP 4th Quarter Newsletter / Bulletin Insert

2010-11-30T21:02:00.002-05:00

Here is the 4th Quarter Family Promise Newsletter. It is suitable for printing and inserting into typical church brochures.

Click here to open

Donations Appreciation & Thank You!

2010-11-30T07:37:00.002-05:00

We would like to thank the following congregations & organizations for donating to Family Promise in the month of November:

Claneil FoundationHockessin United Methodist Church
Limestone Presbyterian
Ohio Casualty Foundation
St. Mark's United Methodist ChurchSt. Philip's Lutheran Church
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Trinity Community Church

White Clay Creek Presbyterian

Thank you for your support of homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County!

St. Marks UMC Hosting

2010-11-25T07:53:00.002-05:00

Spirits are high at St. Marks United Methodist Church! They have well-organized hosting with experienced volunteers who are focused on helping our homeless children & families. They also are preparing a Thanksgiving celebration for the families since they are hosting this holiday week. Thanks to all of our St. Mark's volunteers!

Congregational Coordinator Patti Weaver with husband Alan (also a van driver)

Linda Edler & June Wright preparing dinner

Congregational Coordinator Denise Lawton

Denise's husband George & daughter helping out

Aldersgate Hosting Week

2010-11-20T07:04:00.001-05:00

The congregation of Aldersgate United Methodist church is thoroughly energized in their Family Promise ministry. On Friday, Executive Director, Tamikah Gowans, Pastor Paul and guests enjoyed their hospitality of food, fellowship and fun. Home-made chocolate cookies brought the evening to a happy conclusion.

In the picture is congregational coordinator, Judy Evans (first row in the right) is with cooks and visitors, Jill and George McKeown (middle), Pam and Ken Wright (left).

Thanks Aldersgate for your commitment to homeless children & families!

Family Promise Holiday Giving

2010-11-16T17:42:00.000-05:00

Financial gifts support Family Promise in a variety of ways: rent, utilities, van expenses, insurances, and defray other operating expenses. A contribution, no matter what the size, will allow Family Promise to help homeless families move toward independence. If you feel led to support Family Promise during this holiday season, your donation would be greatly appreciated. Checks made out to “Family Promise” can be sent to Family Promise of NNCC at 2104 St. James Church Rd, Wilmington, DE 19808.

California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser Dec. 14th

2010-11-16T16:59:00.000-05:00

While you are doing your Christmas shopping, here is a fun, easy way to help support Family Promise! Just take a copy of the attached flyer with you to the California Pizza Kitchen, located in Christiana Mall, between 11:30am to 10:00pm on Tuesday, December 14th. When you do this, 20% of the proceeds from you order will go directly to Family Promise. Thank you for your support!

Click here to get a copy of the flyer.

Jazzy Christmas Celebration at St. James Mill Creek Supports Family Promise!

2010-11-16T07:50:00.003-05:00

Opus One, a Vocal Jazz group, presents "A Very Jazzy Christmas" on Sunday, December 5th, 7:00pm. The location is St. James Mill Creek Episcopal. We encourage you to come out and listen to this extremely talented group which also features the Rev. James Bimbi of St. James Mill Creek, one of our host congregations and also the location of our Family Promise center. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Family Promise (thank you Opus One!). Here is a printable flyer for the Jazzy Christmas Celebration.

Shown below is a picture from a prior Opus One concert in May, featuring Rev. Bimbi up front and center - You can hear what they sounded like on this YouTube video (they sound even better in person!).

Rev. Bimbi of Opus One sings at a May 2010 Concert

Grace Lutheran Hosting Week

2010-11-08T22:17:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all of the volunteers at Grace Lutheran Church who are helping with the Family Promise hosting week! We caught a few of them Monday evening. Josh Kelly, Director of Youth & Family Ministry (recently married - congrats!) and Kathy Hunsicker were there. Kathy was driving the families during the early part of the week and Josh was working late and having dinner with the families (he's also staying overnight later this week). We met the Lertola family who were on hand to join the dinner with the families as well as provide evening entertainment. And finally we met again Erika Wolf and Susan Sweeney, who showed up again to prepare dinner and take care of the families. Thank you again!

Josh Kelly and Kathy Hunsicker

The Lertola Family: Annie, Jim, Carol & Matthew

Erika Wolf & Susan Sweeney in background, Lertola children in foreground

Donations Appreciation - thank you!

2010-11-04T13:06:00.000-04:00

We would like to thank the following congregations & organizations for donating to Family Promise in the month of October:

Limestone Presbyterian Church
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
JP Morgan Chase
St. Philip's Lutheran Church
White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church
Trinity Community Church
Christiana Hospital

Thank you for your support of homeless children and families in Northern New Castle County!

White Clay Creek Family takes care of our families!

2010-11-02T21:17:00.001-04:00

We stopped by and visited with members of White Clay Creek Presbyterian this evening. They were just finishing dinner and helping the families to get comfortable in their excellent facilities. Shown in the first picture are a group of volunteers who regularly make meals for Hope Dining Room once a month, serving up to 70 people at a time. They now also provide a meal for our Family Promise guests each time WCC hosts. Also shown are the Crawleys who were on hand to provide evening entertainment. According to volunteer Barbara Jones - the people at White Clay Creek are like a family to them. It is wonderful that they have opened their "home" to our homeless children and families. Thank you!


Front Row: Barbara Jones, Charlie Jones, Rose Rainey Back Row: Ruth Chase, Mel Chase, Barb Concord, Edie Moore

Crawley Family: James, Rachel, Katie & Steve

Bethel AME Joins Family Promise!

2010-11-01T17:40:00.001-04:00

We are delighted to announce that Bethel A.M.E. Church joins Family Promise of Northern New Castle County as our 4th support congregation effective January 2011. Thank you Bethel A.M.E. and we look forward to partnering with you in support of homeless children and families!

Grace Lutheran party for our families

2010-11-01T17:32:00.000-04:00

Grace Lutheran volunteers held a halloween party for our guests last Friday night. Thanks to the Grace Lutheran volunteers for this extra effort to have an enjoyable time for our familes, adults & children. (please remember that we only show pictures of the volunteers/volunteer family members and not our current guests as a matter of policy).

Good Shepherd Hosting Week

2010-11-01T17:29:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of the volunteers at Good Shepherd Lutheran for taking such good care of our families last week! Special thanks goes out to congregational coordinators Ralph & Lee Klesius! Thank you!

Volunteers Step in to Meet the Need

2010-10-21T21:00:00.001-04:00

We have had an interesting hosting week this week. We will have 13 host congregations in the network beginning January 2011, which makes for a full hosting schedule with no gaps. However, this week, we have had a "gap" in our schedule with no host congregation for our families. There are a number of organizations and individuals who have stepped in to fill the gap and we would like to extend a special thanks to these people:

Westminster Presbyterian Church picked up an extra hosting week, handling overnight accomodations. Trinity Community Church, Grace Lutheran Church, Wilmington West Rotary Club, volunteer Susan Sherry of Hockessin UMC & her book club, and Ralph & Lee Klesius of The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd all stepped in to provide meals to our families.

A special thanks goes out to everyone who has worked together to make this week a success!

Theo Krapels of Westminster Presbyterian meets Ted Foschi of Wilmington West Rotary Club

Wilmington West Rotary feeds our families!

2010-10-21T20:38:00.003-04:00

Thanks to the volunteers at Wilmington West Rotary Club who spent two nights this week providing meals for our families! They were recruited by Board member Kymm Hockman who spoke at one of their meetings. We caught a group of the Rotary club members this Thursday evening as they brought & prepared dinner, and enjoyed the company of our families. The Wilmington West Rotary supports a number of good causes (beside Family Promise!) including: Ronald McDonald House, Salvation Army, Boys & Girls Club of America, and the BTL Foundation which, among other things, provides Thanksgiving meals to families in need. Thanks Wilmington West Rotary!

Doug Kook, Jill Gordy, Nancy & Ted Foschi with daughter Natalie, and Jamie Kegerise

Ebenezer UMC has a smooth sailing first hosting week!

2010-10-12T20:18:00.003-04:00

We visited Ebenezer United Methodist Church during their first hosting week - things were very organized and running smoothly, thanks to the great organization of their co-coordinators Kristin Moser & Brooksie Pruden, along with many dedicated volunteers. Ebenezer joined Family Promise as our 12th host congregation this July, and was trained by Board member Kymm Hockman and ready to host just in time to help fill out our Fall schedule. Ebenezer recently completed a major renovation and facilities upgrade, providing wonderful facilities for our families.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal and fellowship, with the volunteers and the clients who were obviously enjoying themselves.

Pastor Ted Day and missions chair Gretchen Fort were among the early supporters of Family Promise. They worked through various teams to prepare the church to join our network. Since the decision to join, the response to serve has been fantastic with 60-80 people coming out to serve this first hosting week. Pastor Ted commented that one of his members came by this morning, with tears in his eyes, and said "this is what the church should be doing." Pastor Ted noted, however, that he had trouble finding a place to serve this week - he just had to stay out of the way of his eager church members!

Thanks Ebenezer UMC for your service to homeless children & families!

Laurel Wirtz, Jean Harlan, Kristin Moser, Gretchen Fort, Mary Anderson & Kathy Gibney

Congregational Coordinator Kristin Moser & Jean Harlan

Missions Chair Gretchen Fort & Pastor Ted Day

FP Playground is complete!

2010-10-10T07:23:00.001-04:00

On a beautiful Saturday, volunteers completed the Family Promise playground. The team of Pastor Paul Lundmark & Dave Smith (Grace Lutheran), David & Michael Glasscock (Hockessin Baptist) completed the playset and spread the rubber mulch. They built on the work completed by the Prudential Fox & Roach team a couple of days earlier. Thanks again to our many volunteers and to a donation from St. Albans Episcopal Church that made all of this possible!

New fence at the FP Center

2010-10-08T16:19:00.000-04:00

Along with our new playground, we have a wonderful new fence along one side of the backyard at our Family Promise center. This was constructed by Tom Guider of Hockessin United Methodist Church and is a wonderful addition to enhance safety for our younger clients. Thanks Tom!

Family Promise Website has a new look!

2010-10-07T22:13:00.001-04:00

Take a look at our website www.familypromisede.org - it has a completely new (professional) appearance. Thanks to Andy Clark of WCC Presbyterian Church who used his IT expertise to enhance our web presence. Thanks Andy! (here's a picture of Andy from one of the White Clay Creek hosting weeks).

Prudential helps build the Family Promise playground!

2010-10-07T21:51:00.010-04:00

Prudential Fox & Roach’s Hockessin/Pike Creek Office volunteers have done a tremendous service for Family Promise, coming out in force to help us build a new playground for our families.

Eyewitness account from Board member Pastor Paul Lundmark who organized the operation: "At one point on Thursday, I counted twenty volunteers from Prudential Fox Roach Realtors helping to put together the new playset at the Family Promise Center. They were awesome -with an A+titude - clearing the playground, hauling away two pickup loads of brush and clutter and assembling the lion's share of the playset which we'll finish up hopefully this coming Saturday. Thanks guys!"

Prudential Fox & Roach and its affiliate, The Trident Group, has over 64 offices in the region with an established charity to focus its energy on supporting the communities they serve. Annually, Prudential Fox & Roach Charities participate in Community Service Day which is its day of giving back to the community. On this day all offices are closed to business and employees work with a non-profit on a service project. This is a formidable amount of manpower! Since Prudential Fox & Roach’ s Charity mission statement is “committed to addressing the needs of children and families in stressful life circumstances,” Prudential is especially enthused to participate in a program which directly reverses the movement of families from homelessness into safe housing while keeping the families in tact. Fox & Roach Charities has given over $3,000,000 in donations to over 350 community organizations since 1995.

Have a look! Here you will find a complete photo album of events during the day:

SJMC Hosting Week

2010-10-07T21:44:00.003-04:00

This week our families are at St. James Mill Creek enjoying the hospitality! Take a look at some of our caring volunteers, and special thanks to the SJMC congregational coordinators Jennifer Idell & Alison Jessup! Here's Pastor Paul Lundmark's (FP Board Member) account: "After having dinner with the good folk at St. James Wednesday evening, I suggest we adopt a new metric: APG, average pounds gained. WOW what a great dinner of pulled pork, beans, salad and home baked desserts. Pastor Jim's dog, Rascal, definitely added personality to the evening."

St. Philip's Lutheran has a full house!

2010-09-20T20:45:00.008-04:00

St. Philip's volunteers getting dinner ready for our families

St. Philip's Lutheran is hosting a full complement of 4 families (including our first single father family!). St. Philip's was one of the very first congregations that launched our network, with full support of Pastor Patrick Downes who was one of the startup team leaders. When we arrived, we met Jane Newcomer, Pam Brenneman, Lori Bowles, Ruth Bowles, Leona Schechinger and Ellen Lenker hard at work getting dinner ready for the families, and they were gracious enough to take a minute out for a picture.

Nancy & Brandon Zinnato

The St. Philip's Family Promise crew is led very capably by Brandon Zinnato, shown here with his mother Nancy Zinnato, both of whom have been very supportive of launching our Family Promise network. Brandon is part of the social ministry committee that first considered bringing Family Promise to St. Philip's. Brandon says: "At first, I thought it looked a little odd and alot of work, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized Family Promise was something we had to do!" The whole social ministry committee was on-board after only one meeting and St. Philip's church council unanimously approved to join in 20 minutes - they moved quickly! Brandon credits Aldersgate UMC pastor Beverly Lewis with encouraging him early on, and then goes on to paraphrase Matthew 25 where Jesus said "when you are serving the needy, you are serving him."

Brandon Zinnato & Jason Kaul

All told, over 60 people at St. Philip's have come together to support Family Promise, including Pastor Patrick who likes to spend overnights with the families with his 3 children. Brandon says: "I'm the coordinator, but it really is a team effort" and being a good son, Brandon makes sure to credit his mother Nancy with being one of his most reliable volunteers! Kris Dierks, Steve Furguson, Sharon Kittle, and many others have been essential to the work at St. Philips. Another volunteer we met is Jason Kaul, who is driving the van this entire week. Jason has been coming to St. Philip's for 18 months now and stated unequivocally: "St. Philip's is the warmest & friendliest congregation I've ever walked into!"

How was the dinner? Quite good. Brandon asserts "In my experience, Lutherans are the best cooks." Well....we're staying out of that one...but perhaps a Family Promise cook-off challenge might be brewing?

Up this week is also a trip to Old Country Buffet, thanks to the contributions of St. Philip's members. The families really enjoy a night out and getting the opportunity to select what they get to eat - so it's a nice treat!

Thanks St. Philip's volunteers!

What We Have Accomplished

2010-09-20T07:16:00.000-04:00

A summary of highlights and history in pictures of what we have accomplished this year. Thank you to all of the volunteers who have made 2010 a success! click on the link: What We Have Accomplished

HUMC Muscular Dystrophy Fundraiser - and Family Promise!

2010-09-18T18:26:00.004-04:00

Hockessin United Methodist hosting week is coming to an end. Before it does however, the students took an opportunity to wash the Family Promise van at their annual Muscular Dystrophy fundraiser. Shown here is Anne Marie Wilkinson hard at work. Congregational Coordinator and FP Board Member Kymm Hockman notes: "Anne Marie has been here almost every night this week." Thanks Anne Marie!

Speaker's Bureau for Family Promise

2010-09-18T15:41:00.000-04:00

Family Promise has a Speaker's Bureau that can speak to congregations, civic groups and other interested organizations about our mission. We have already spoken at Rotary Clubs, a Diocese meeting and Mom's clubs. If you are interested in hearing from us, please contact Board member Kim McWatters (kjmcwatters@comcast.net).

Kind to Kids donates tickets to Family Promise

2010-09-18T15:31:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Kind to Kids for donating tickets to Family Promise so our families could enjoy the Blue Rocks game! (and thanks to the volunteers at Hockessin Baptist who took our families to the game as well as Board member John Clatworthy who made this connection). This is yet another example of how we have benefited from partnering with other fine organizations in our area to provide services to our homeless children and families! Kind to Kids is a nonprofit fund managed by the Delaware Community Foundation.

Hockessin United Methodist Church Hosting Week

2010-09-12T20:09:00.009-04:00

Cyndy & Bill Brown with children Julia & Evan

A number of members of Hockessin United Methodist church were ready Sunday evening to greet our families and enjoy dinner. The Brown family (Bill, Cyndy, Evan & Julia) have made meals for 3 hosting weeks, working with Cyndy's Ladies Circle. When we arrived, Bill was hard at work at the stove preparing turkey, dressing and the rest. The Browns feel they have been very blessed, and think this is a great way to give back to the community. It's important to them that their children are involved so they can learn about the world around them, and appreciate what they have.

Ken & Jane Buddenbohn, Anne Marie Wilkinson

Jane & Ken Buddenbohn have also assisted with the hosting now for their 3rd week. In addition to supporting Family Promise, Ken is also helping to launch a new Cub Scout Pack 51 at HUMC (now's a good time to let him know if you want to get involved!). Ken says this is part of the mission-orientation of their church, just like supporting Family Promise. Both of these ministries have received strong support from Pastors Laura Martin & John Mitchell. Jane works as a psychologist in the Christina school district where she sees the direct impact of homelessness on children: problems with homework, lack of stability, difficult schedules with busing, etc. In addition, she has definitely noticed the sharp increase in the numbers of homeless children in her years at the school district. Also shown pictured is Anne Marie Wilkinson, a young lady who particularly enjoys entertaining the children during the host week.

Kymm Hockman talks to families while Ted Brown looks on

Ted Brown and Kymm Hockman were preparing to be the overnight hosts. In addition to volunteering with Family Promise, Ted leads adult Sunday School, is on the Board of Trustees, and provides leadership coaching for senior leadership of the church. Kymm serves as the congregational coordinator of HUMC, and also is extremely active as a member of the Board for Family Promise, training new congregations and setting the hosting schedule.

All-in-all, it looks like the families will have a great week with a caring group of volunteers. Thank you HUMC!

Congregational Coordinator & Board member Kymm Hockman

FP 3rd Quarter Newsletter

2010-09-10T10:37:00.001-04:00

By popular demand, we are continuing to publish a quarterly newsletter that is suitable for printing / inserting into church bulletins. Just print double-sided, cut in half and you have an insert. Please help spread the message of the efforts in our network to assist homeless families! and thank you! Just click on this link to bulletin

Grace Lutheran volunteers speak with passion for their Family Promise ministry

2010-09-07T20:46:00.006-04:00

We interviewed several dedicated volunteers, sitting clockwise around the table: Josh Kelly, Nancy Goyda, Kathy Hunsicker, and Erika Wolf. Josh is Director of Youth and Family Ministry at Grace Lutheran. Nancy is one of the original founders of our network and "the spur of Family Promise at Grace Lutheran" according to Erika. Kathy Hunsicker is a member who often drives the van and is also starting a GriefShare ministry at Grace (for those who have recently lost a close friend or loved one). Erika was making dinner this evening after serving the day at ContactLifeline, a crisis prevention helpline. These 4 very dedicated volunteers are part of the 50 or so people at Grace Lutheran who have been taking care of our families.

When we asked them why they got involved in Family Promise, aside from the encouragement of Nancy and Pastor Paul Lundmark, they each had their own reasons: Erika believes this is an effective way to help those less fortunate. Based on her experience with other ministries as well, she says "you can't tell people what to do, but give them options and help them explore what is right for them." Kathy feels a strong personal connection: she believes she would have been homeless had she not had strong family support after her husband died (many of our families don't have the blessing of family support to help them in their difficult times). Josh believes that God has blessed him richly, and he feels called to reflect that blessing to those that are struggling. As Josh says: "Christ set an example of helping those that the world ignores."

When we asked what impact Family Promise has had at Grace, Kathy states: "our congregation made a commitment to Family Promise, and as a member of our (church) community, I need to do my part." Josh references I Corinthians 12 where the apostle Paul states that the church is One Body, with Many Parts that work together in a mission. Kathy and Erika both feel this is an important part of evangelism, with congregations working together and demonstrating their faith through action. Josh summed it up nicely: "In the first years of Christendom, it was the homes where people met and grew in community. The buildings are the tools, but it is the people living out their faith that is important."

Thanks again to all of the volunteers at Grace Lutheran!

Mark & Lynette Russell of HBC talk about their Family Promise experience

2010-09-04T20:42:00.002-04:00

Mark & Lynette Russell are long-time members of Hockessin Baptist Church, and are currently serving as the Congregation Coordinators. They have particularly enjoyed the Family Promise experience at HBC, and see it as a ministry that brings different age groups within the church together in a common mission. Over 60 HBC members and attenders have volunteered at FP over the past several host weeks. In addition, the Russell's have been blessed with several other families who have taken on large tasks, including John & Jan Schoff who organize meals as well as Dan & Jewell Boulet (parents of pastor Jon Boulet). Over the week Pastor Jon & his wife Andrea also took the opportunity to host the families by staying overnight When we asked Mark & Lynette what they think of their Family Promise experience, Lynette say "I appreciate the opportunity to reach out to people we wouldn't normally meet." Mark added "there is a Biblical commandment to care for the poor, and Family Promise is a good program that allows us to do this within the walls of the church." Thank you to all of the volunteers at HBC for your efforts!

Hosting Week at Hockessin Baptist Church

2010-08-31T15:40:00.002-04:00

We arrived at Hockessin Baptist Church to find a flurry of activity, from dishes being cleared to lunches being packed for the next day to active conversations and games being enjoyed.

Pictured here from left to right are: Dan and Jewell Boulet, Lynette Russell, and Marcia and Wayne Logan.

In addition to this group, dozens of volunteers are helping out this week - co-ordinating, providing transportation, cooking meals, and helping in many, many other ways.

If Hurricane Earl doesn't cause too much trouble in the area, the group is looking forward to going to the Wilmington Blue Rocks game on Thursday - but if the game is called for weather, then we can expect more engagement back at Hockessin Baptist Church.

UPDATE: The weather held up nicely and the 3 of the 4 families enjoyed attending the Blue Rocks game with congregational coordinators Mark & Lynette Russell along with their son Grant. At the same time, Ken & Kristen Grant stayed overnight and also hosted one of our families with a small child that wasn't up to attending the game. Thanks to these dedicated volunteers!

Westminster Host Week going smoothly with St. Stephen's Help!

2010-08-24T21:28:00.006-04:00

This week we visited Westminster Presbyterian Church in the middle of their 3rd hosting week. Everything seems to go quite smoothly as the families are enjoying the hospitality. Upon arrival, we met Charlie McDowell who had just driven the families in our van from the Family Promise center. Charlie and his wife Mary Lou McDowell, shown here, were with the families at dinner and settling in to be overnight hosts.

It was great to see the volunteers from St. Stephen's Lutheran making a wonderful dinner for the families. St. Stephen's is one of our support congregations that is located very close to Westminster Presbyterian, so they have partnered to help provide this service to our families. Shown here are volunteers Sally Dudderar, Sue Culley, Lynn Splittorff, and Sharon Potter. Thank you for the wonderful dinner!

Rev. Anne Ledbetter has been a strong supporter of Family Promise (you may recall her testimony from the Cathy Carpenito dedication earlier this year). She is shown here with the McDowells and Theo Krapels (co-coordinator with his wife Janet).

We can't leave without mentioning Jeanne Checkel (pictured here with Theo). Jeanne runs the kitchen at Westminster Presbyterian and made sure everything was cleaned up and ready for the next day of hosting!

We are very appreciative of the support from Westminster Presbyterian to Family Promise. Westminster members have made significant financial contributions, including the Cathy Carpenito Memorial fund, which were used to refurbish and prepare the Family Promise center during our launch phase. Much of the furnishing for the center came from Westminster members. Significantly, Theo Krapels has spent countless hours at the center adding a bathroom in the basement, building a new stairway to the basement, helping us to overcome a significant plumbing challenge, and is now building permanent shelving for our families to store their belongings. Thanks to everyone for your support!

United Way Campaign

2010-08-20T08:56:00.002-04:00

The United Way 2010 Campaign season is upon us. Family Promise^® is an approved write-in agency of the United Way, and our United Way of Delaware write-in code is 12433. So, if you give through United Way, please remember us!
Here is a flyer that can also be posted in your workplace.

St. Mark's UMC Hosting Week

2010-08-18T18:08:00.007-04:00

St. Mark's is having a great hosting week! Currently they are hosting 3 families as one of our families just moved into their new home in Middletown and we await the arrival of the next family. On Tuesday evening, we met Congregational coordinators Patti Weaver and Denise Lawton. In addition we met Denise's husband George Lawton and volunteers June Wright and Linda Edler. June and Linda met and became good friends while attending the Alpha Course (a 10 week introduction to the Christian Faith) that is offered at St. Mark's.

Denise has been involved with Family Promise since 2008, during the formative stages. We asked her if she could see herself doing this 5 years from now - her answer was an unequivocal: yes! Denise recalls a dream she had about homeless families on the street and the church getting involved in some way to help them. A friend of hers asked: " why don't you join the missions team?" After Denise attended an organizing meeting at Aldersgate UMC, she said to herself "this is my mission."

St. Mark's has about 30 volunteers involved in some capacity this hosting week, with a few new people joining in as they have learmed more about Family Promise. They have volunteers come in to do crafts with the children, the families love the playground and basketball court, and the folks at St. Mark's do their best to make their church feel like a home. As Denise says about St. Mark's culture: "The first day you come here, you're a guest. After that, you're family."

Success for the Graham Family!

2010-08-18T10:53:00.001-04:00

We're delighted to highlight the Graham family now that they have successfully graduated from the program and have agreed to speak publicly about their experience! They have successfully found a home in Middletown, DE. Shown in the picture here is Tanya with her sons Anthony, Corey and Maurice. Also shown below is Anthony helping Michael Glasscock remove weeds at the Family Promise center on his last day there. Volunteer and Aldersgate UMC Congregational Coordinator Judy Evans transported the family to their new home this Saturday using the Family Promise van. Here's a few quotable quotes from Tanya's open letter to Family Promise (paraphrasing):

"I will miss all of you. I am still available. If you need help, I'm available. Please work the program. And be successful. See all of you at the Family Promise Reunion! Friend to Friend, Tanya Graham.

Aldersgate Youth Group Tops off a great hosting week!

2010-08-14T20:51:00.004-04:00

The Aldersgate UMC's youth group turned out in force Saturday night to make dinner for our families! Shown here are the youth with Student Ministry Director Dave Ingalls (and Congregational Coordinator Judy Evans in the doorway). Shown just below is Giselle preparing the spaghetti dinner. Over the course of the weekend, the youth group is participating in it's "Feeding of the 5000" weekend, which consists of: feeding our FP clients, collecting cans of food for distribution to those in need, camping out at church, then working at the Sunday Breakfast Mission Sunday morning. Sounds like a busy weekend! By the way, Judy Evans handled all of the driving on Saturday, and took the Graham family to their new home in Middletown, DE (thanks Judy!).

Interview with the Klesiuses and Ieriens

2010-08-04T23:02:00.003-04:00

Shown in the picture here are Ralph & Lee Klesius surrounding (co-)Pastor Kathy Ierien with her children Rachel & Megan. We had a chance to talk to these committed Family Promise supporters about their experience with Family Promise at Good Shepherd. Pastor Kathy had much to say about the impact Family Promise has had on their church. For starters, she believes that their involvement in Family Promise has raised awareness of homelessness and provided an opportunity for ministry right in their own church, locally. In addition, she has observed that a number of people in their congregation have become involved - engaging a broader cross-section of than they would normally see in a ministry opportunity. This has gone so far as some of their members raising interest to support Family Promise with their neighbors (we should also mention that a number of people at Good Shepherd are talking to other congregations about Family Promise and have a visit from another prospective congregation later this week). Pastor Kathy quotes the Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in. She strongly believes that not only does Family Promise help us better understand homelessness and teaches us about hospitality, but also broadens our perspective on what it means to be the Church.

Ralph Klesius is always thinking about the schedule and ensuring operations run smoothly. He tells us that this 2nd time is much easier! (the first time hosting was a real learning experience for all of us!). It is encouraging, he notes, that we are seeing new volunteers come on board with the 2nd rotation of hosting. Ralph & Pastor Kathy both commented that Good Shepherd "won the lottery" with the opportunity to host Christmas week. In fact, Pastor Kathy says she views this as a wonderful opportunity to provide this outreach during one of our most sacred times of the year. On a related not however, Ralph commented that he would like to see us expand to include more congregations, including Jewish Synagogues, as we continue to expand our network. In fact, this is one of the aspects of Family Promise that they find most appealing: congregations of different denominations and faiths coming together in a common cause to care for homeless families. Lee Klesius agrees: it is the ecumenical aspect of Family Promise that she finds most appealing - getting to know those from other congregations.

After Ralph gave us a tour of the expansive facility of Good Shepherd, we ran into (co-) Pastor Bob Ierien in the office preparing for a meeting. Pastor Bob has been a strong supporter and driver to bring Family Promise to Good Shepherd and is also helping to spread the word to other congregations. Pastor Bob summed it up well: "Our congregation has received much more from Family Promise than we have sacrificed for this ministry." He then went on to conduct his business meeting and prepared to spend the night at church, hosting our families!

Visiting The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd

2010-08-04T22:35:00.001-04:00

This week our families are at The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. This church has gone through a number of additions and building renovations, with so many Sunday School rooms and meeting rooms that one has to be careful not to get lost! It is definitely a congregation blessed with a tremendous capability to support Family Promise through the volunteers and the wonderful church facility. The volunteers there, led by congregational coordinators Ralph & Lee Klesius, are highly organized. Just take a look at the entire section of their entry with a thorough display for volunteers to find information about Family Promise & sign up for volunteer opportunities.

We had a chance to meet with several volunteers who were busy preparing dinner for the families (did we mention we are running at full capacity?). Shown in the picture are: Ralph Kelsius, Pastor Kathy Ierien (co-pastor with her husband Pastor Bob Ierien), Joann Hasse, Betty Setterquist, Lee Klesius and Bob Hasse.

Interview with Jennifer, Allison and Dick of St. James Mill Creek

2010-08-04T21:54:00.001-04:00

Shown in the picture here are St. James Mill Creek congregational coordinators Allison Jessup and Jennifer Idell, along with Dick Prettyman who has been our point-person for key matters related to the upkeep and enhancements of the Family Promise center. Dick is a DuPont retiree who enjoys his time with family and fly fishing. He has also spent many hours leading the renovation of the Family Promise center before we took occupancy.

Jennifer and Allison have been involved with Family Promise as members of our organizing core team many month before we launched. Jennifer is also on our communications team and set up our Facebook page. Both of them serve on the Vestry at SJMC. When they heard about the opportunity to join Family Promise at a Vestry meeting, Jennifer raised her hand - feeling compelled to do something for those less fortunate. Allison then soon followed, saying she would be glad help however she could. Little did they realize at the time that they would become so involved with serving homelessness through Family Promise!

What impact has Family Promise had on the congregation at SJMC? All three stated that they have had the opportunity to not only serve our families, but get to know and develop deeper friendships with other members of SJMC. It seems that about 40% of the congregation at SJMC is involved in serving during a typical Family Promise week, each person doing their part. Jennifer states: "everybody who served wanted to do it again." An observation about their experience with this second Family Promise rotation: "everything is much more 'laid back' this time around." This is something we have been hearing from a number of congregations as they have worked through the learning curve.

While we didn't catch them this time, we must add that Father James Bimbi and Susan Winward of SJMC were both instrumental in working with us to establish the SJMC Rectory as the site of the Family Promise Center (along with Board member Andy Taylor, also a member of SJMC). Again, thanks to the wonderful people at St. James Mill Creek for your support of Family Promise and the relationship we have developed through the use of the SJMC rectory.

SJMC Hosting Family Promise

2010-08-04T21:54:00.000-04:00

This week we visited St. James Mill Creek Episcopal Church which is hosting our families at their activity center, across the street from their beautiful historic church building. Shown in the background just behind the activity center is...the Family Promise Center! We have developed a wonderful relationship with the congregation at SJMC during the months we have occupied the Family Promise Center. It is a wonderful facility for Family Promise, and SJMC enjoys having Family Promise as the occupant of its Rectory.

When we arrived, we found a number of volunteers in the kitchen delivering and preparing meals for the families. Allison Jessup, one of the congregational coordinators, states "this is one of the perks of Family Promise - getting to enjoy the great meals people bring to the center" as she was preparing to stay overnight with the families. Shown in the picture are: Mack Conaway, Paul & Sue Haefner, Kate Brewer, Carole Leach, Allison Jessup, Jennifer Idell, David Perry and Valerie Bragg.

David Perry serves as the dinner coordinator. He evidently keeps pretty busy not only coordinating the dinners, but cleaning up dishes as well (at least he looked like he was hard at work while we were there!).

Update from the Director Tamikah Gowans

2010-07-24T10:53:00.001-04:00

We have some exciting new developments & enhancements under way at Family Promise!

We received a grant from the Laffey-McHugh Foundation and also recently received a significant unexpected gift from St Albans Episcopal Church! We are so appreciative of these financial gifts!

We have built a new relationship with a new transitional housing program being launched in Middletown, DE. This program will hopefully be taking in one of our families quite soon and is part of our strategy to work cooperatively with homelessness service providers available in our area.

We have formed a new partnership with YWCA on Kirkwood Highway. The network families will be able to take advance of their wonderful facilities.

We have plans under way to upgrade our Family Promise Center, including a playset for the children and a ramp for handicapped access to the center.

We still have some needs at the Family Promise center for in-kind donations and volunteers:
Weeding & flowerbed work around the FP center
Air conditioner (window unit)

An Interview with the Gillettes and Millers

2010-07-21T22:12:00.003-04:00

We sat down for a few minutes to talk with Jen & Marty Miller and Pastors Bruce & Carolyn Gillette of Limestone Presbyterian (the Gillettes are seated in the center). Fun fact: Pastor Carolyn is quite the accomplished songwriter - you can find her music on www.carolynhymns.com!

Jen & Marty have been active in Family Promise since early 2009 as part of the Core Team to help launch the network (Jen is also a deacon at Limestone Pres). They are both very busy with their careers, Marty in finance and Jen in education, also working on her doctoral degree. Despite their schedules, they enjoy their key role in Family Promise. As Marty states: "we are so busy in our 'normal life' but we make time to for Family Promise."

Pastor Bruce has been familiar with Family Promise since 1993. In fact, two of his former congregations in New Jersey have been actively hosting homeless families as part of their local Family Promise networks.

Limestone Presbyterian has a history of involvement in homelessness causes, with strong ties to both Elkton, MD-based Meeting Ground and the Delaware-based Friendship House. Pastor Bruce clearly sees Family Promise as complementary to these tremendous organizations, as volunteers become directly engaged with homelessness in the comfortable environment of their own church. In fact, he believes this will motivate more members to be involved with other homelessness organizations. Another of Pastor Bruce's motivations for joining Family Promise is found in the biblical passage John 17, where Jesus prays for the unity of believers. When we asked what advice our Limestone Presbyterian members would have for prospective congregations, Pastor Bruce stated "the best way for us to be closer to God is to what God calls us to do."

Limestone Presbyterian & St. John The Beloved Catholic Church team up for Family Promise

2010-07-21T21:25:00.003-04:00

This week we visited host congregation Limestone Presbyterian Church who teams up with supporting congregation St. John The Beloved Catholic Church to care for our families. Shown in the picture is Limestone Presbyterian featuring the first solar power installation on a church in Delaware, their contribution to stewardship of the environment.

On our way in, we caught Tim Jooste of Limestone Pres hard at work helping with the major renovation of the Limestone Pres sanctuary.

When we arrived, Joann Paupe (SJBC), Jen Miller (Limestone) and Sister Kathleen Ruszkowski (SJBC) were busy getting dinner ready for the families. Generally, SJBC provides the meals and Limestone Pres provides the hosting space - so it is a great partnership between the two churches. Jen & Marty Miller were part of the organizing core team early in 2009, and Sr Kathleen was one of the original organizing members of Family Promise from 2008. Fun fact: the Limestone Presbyterian volunteers give the SJBC cooks an A+!

George Alicknavitch of SJBC is new to the Family Promise volunteer team, having just safely completed his first time driving the Family Promise van!

Case Support Team to increase our client services

2010-07-20T16:55:00.003-04:00

The Family Promise Case Support team has been formed and will be meeting monthly. The volunteer team consists of 2 credentialed mental health counselors, a medical and family social worker and a primary care physician: the team will be meeting monthly and also serve in an advisory role with the Executive Director in a confidential, peer review capacity to identify unmet needs of and identify services for our family/guests.

An Interview with Andy Clark (co-coordinator at WCC Pres)

2010-07-18T11:59:00.002-04:00

Andy Clark is one of the co-coordinators for Family Promise at WCC Presbyterian. He has had a passion for the homeless for quite some time, especially as winter would hit and he would think about homeless people out in the cold. He contacted a homeless shelter, but couldn't find quite the right way to "plug in" and help. Andy was thinking "in this bad economy, there has got to be a way for our church to help the homeless directly." However, the challenges were deep, how to even get started?

Andy heard about Family Promise through another church that was joining, Limestone Presbyterian Church, and came to an information session we held there in early 2009. After hearing about Family Promise, Andy worked with his pastor, (soon to be) co-director Bev McFarland, and others at WCC Presbyterian to bring Family Promise to their church. Andy feels that Family Promise is a way to involve a large group of people at their church (~50), each in their own small way, to help homeless families directly.

What would Andy say to other potentially interested congregations? "It's easier than you think to get involved" he says, "with the program design, roles outlined well and a good division of responsibilities." He also says "this is a very rewarding opportunity, for the volunteers and the families. What I enjoyed most is seeing the laughing of the kids and the lifting of the guests' burdens. This has been a very rewarding experience for the volunteers with a relatively easy time commitment."

Incidentally, Andy has an IT consulting firm and has provided his expertise to Family Promise - notably in setting up the computer system at the FP center. Andy - thank you!

Bev McFarland is the other co-coordinator at WCC Pres. She was traveling in Alaska when we visited (sounds nice!) so we didn't catch her. Here's a "stock photo" of her from the WCC Pres website. Thanks Bev for everything you are doing!

White Clay Creek Presbyterian Host Week

2010-07-18T11:40:00.002-04:00

White Clay Creek just finished hosting our families in their beautiful "Nurture Center" - which houses the offices, Sunday School rooms, full kitchen, dining hall and a well-equipped youth activities room.

We arrived early Sunday morning (7:00) and caught some of the volunteers for a few minutes to get some pictures and ask a few questions about the week. Shown here are Bill Hall, Vern Kincaid, Donna Kincaid, Melissa Clark and Wendy LaManna. Bill commented how friendly everyone has been. Donna helped with setup & takedown. Melissa is the supplies coordinator (she got everything on sale!). Wendy has been busy organizing - her only regret that she would have liked to have spent more time with the families. She did get good feedback from the other volunteers.

Harold Rowland and Bill Hall are rolling up the beds. We use inflatable beds that move from congregation to congregation. It really is moving along pretty smoothly now that the congregations have worked out their logistics.

Nikki Vella and Harris Aungst were the overnight hosts. Nikki was a bit sleepy but had a great time hosting the families, and provided dinner Saturday evening. Thanks to everyone at WCC Pres who volunteered to take care of our homeless families!

Ebenezer United Methodist Church becomes our 12th host congregation!

2010-07-09T20:54:00.002-04:00

Ebenezer United Methodist Church just became our 12th host congregation! We welcome Ebenezer to the network of congregations in northern New Castle County living out our faith serving homeless families!

Graduation, new families coming and a couple of needs

2010-07-09T18:13:00.000-04:00

Family Promise friends, we are pleased to announce that we have graduated 2 more families from our network. However, we have a backlog of families waiting to join and expect 1-2 more families to join the network this coming week.

We have a couple of needs: It is hot! If anyone has a spare window air conditioning unit in good condition, please let Tamikah know (tgowans@familypromisede.org). The more we can rely on in-kind donations of goods, the more we can directly utilize your contributions directly to providing services to our clients. Additionally, we need a dehumidifier for the basement.