Apartment Angels Choose a FP Client Family!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  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

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

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