Family Matters March 2015

Ma rc h 2 0 15

OCTOBER 2013

Family matters Spring to bring new beginnings for Bethesda Project With Spring comes new beginnings and new growth and Bethesda Project has seen no shortage of the two in the past couple of months. On March 16, Bethesda Project welcomed its new CEO, Hentzi Elek and at the same time, embraced the organization’s Founder and exiting CEO, Domenic Rossi, with a new position as Director of Mission Advancement.

Staff transitions are not the only new thing happening—Bethesda Project had the opportunity to film two new promotional videos earlier this month with Inkster Cares, a new partnership the organization cultivated last fall. Fresh promotional materials continue to allow Bethesda Project to promote its mission, which is to find and care for the abandoned poor and to be family with those who have none. To view our new video, visit here.

Bethesda Project is excited to welcome new opportunities and new people into its family. We hope you will join us for an exciting next couple of months as we prepare for our 18th Annual Gala & Auction on May 6th, as we start planning the 2nd Annual Sweet & Savory: Battle Against Hunger and as we continue to cultivate and grow as an organization.

Get ready for a night full of laughs at this year’s Gala & Auction!

Get ready for a night of fun with legendary Philadelphia Flyers goalie, Bernie Parent.

Hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies, the 2015 Gala will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6 at the Diamond Club at Citizens Bank Park. Guests will enjoy a party with a purpose, filled with delicious food and drinks, exciting silent and live auctions with auctioneer, comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Joe Piscopo, and entertainment by famed comedian Jeff Norris! This year's Honorary Gala Chairman is former Pennsylvania governor, The Honorable Ed Rendell, with special guest appearance by legendary Flyers goalie, Bernie Parent.

You can still show your support by being a sponsor of the Gala & Auction. Sponsorships support variable operating costs that can fluctuate from year-to-year, such as extermination fees, training, facilities improvements, furniture (especially bed bug resistant varieties, which can be costly), and operating supplies like linens, mattress covers, paper products and cleaning supplies needed at each of our shelter and housing sites. Sponsorships of all levels are still available! For more information, visit here and remember, to be included in our program book, all ads are due by April 6 to Angela Thomas at athomas@bethesdaproject.org.

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Sponsorships are not the only way to support the Gala & Auction! We are currently still looking for items for our live and silent auctions! Consider donating one of the following…   

Dinner Packages such as a private dinner party with a renowned chef.

Fine jewelry such as diamonds.

All inclusive luxurious vacations with airfare.

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One-of-a-kind Experiences such as concert tickets with backstage passes or lunch with a celebrity.

Designer-label merchandise, including handbags, sunglasses, apparel, etc.

Electronics such as TVs, tablets, e-readers, etc.

For the first time this year, Bethesda Project will also feature a 50/50 raffle, where the winner will take home 50% of the amount received from all tickets sold and the other 50% will benefit Bethesda Project—it’s a win-win, right? Raffle tickets are being sold for $100. There will also be a separate raffle for a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 bundle (168 GB). For more information, please email Angela Thomas at athomas@bethesdaproject.org or visit www.bethesdaproject.org/ Gala2015.

Join us—buy a ticket for all the fun!

Community Service Opportunity: Wallets!

Pictured above: Photo of a makeshift wallet used by a guest at Our Brothers’ Place.

Sometimes we take the smallest details for granted, like say, where we store our personal belongings. For some of us, it is so simple just to throw our keys, wallets and other documents into a purse or briefcase and keep them there until we need them. Imagine having to carry around your money, identification and important documents inside of a plastic bag with only a rubber band to keep it enclosed. Bethesda Project is in need of wallets for the guests at Our Brothers’ Place and the Church Shelter Program. The homeless individuals who visit the site on a daily basis often come to the organization with nothing but a sandwich bag full of important and confidential documents. If you belong to a school, community group, or feel like reaching out through your workplace, please consider hosting a wallet drive. For more information, please contact Community Life at communitylife@bethesdaproject.org.

Volunteer Spotlight: Jen & Wayne Rickert For long-time volunteers, Jen and Wayne Rickert, it wasn’t just the opportunity to volunteer at Bethesda Project that pulled them in—it was the mission.

Jen and Wayne first started volunteering for Bethesda Project five years ago when they were searching for an organization where they could invest their time. Having already volunteered at Old First Reformed Church, which is a part of Bethesda Project’s entry-level programs, the two learned about the organization and its various programs.

“When it got to the end of the year, we still had vacation time left and needed to use it up. We went asking around to different organizations to see if they needed help,” Jen said. “We were just so struck by Bethesda Project’s mission to be family with those who have none.”

Wayne and Jen Rickert

Jen and Wayne started out volunteering at Mary House, subsidized independent living for 4 men. The pair would go to Mary House every day to help out with cleaning and minor repairs.

At the end of their first week volunteering at Mary House, the Rickerts asked the residents if it was alright if they came back every week to have lunch with them and help out with chores.

“We’ve been going back every month since then to have lunch and hang out and get a few things done around the house,” Jen said.

Jen said her and Wayne’s involvement grew from there as they continued to learn more about Bethesda Project.

The two have gone to Our Brothers’ Place on Saturday mornings to help with breakfast and have also made dinners for the guests at our church shelter at Old First Reformed Church on Thursday nights.

Jen said she has made many connections with a lot of the residents and guests at Bethesda Project and even said some that have moved on to more permanent housing still come back to visit.

“When we started going to Mary House, there were four gentlemen living there and one of them moved out into his own place and he did that after two years of living at the house. For the past three years, he still comes back and still has lunch with us and the residents,” she said.

Jen and Wayne’s time at Bethesda Project will come to an end this spring as they relocate to Johnson City, Tennessee to volunteer and work for the Appalachia Service Project (ASP), a Christian volunteer organization specializing in home repair for low income households.

“I have been leading youth trips and started doing adult trips through ASP,” Jen said. “Through a series of small steps and invitations that God has orchestrated, we are making the commitment so I can be more available to volunteer full time with them and so Wayne can pursue a staff position with them,” Jen said.

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Volunteer Spotlight (continued from page 6) Jen said it is to no surprise of the pair that their ending time at Bethesda Project has come with extreme sadness.

“There is a lot of stuff that goes into making this transition and the hardest part is what I described as untying the bows on my heart strings to everybody at Bethesda Project.”

Jen served as the Director of Education for her church and Wayne will leave his position as an IT Manager prior to the move.

Jen said the companionship and support Bethesda Project residents receive from staff and volunteers has been something that has truly resonated with her throughout the years.

“Bethesda Project is recognizing that families come in all shapes and sizes with all kinds of history,” she said.

“Bethesda Project is an opportunity for people to come alongside someone as a companion.”

Best of luck to Jen and Wayne! Bethesda Project will truly miss these long-time volunteers and friends. We are grateful for their service, time and talents.

Eliminating food waste with Bethesda Project Thank you to The Huffington Post for their wonderful article on Bethesda Project’s partnership with Drexel Food Lab. Together we can eliminate food waste in our shelters and residences.

“Students Devise Way To Feed Homeless Meals, Cut Food Waste All At Once”

By Robbie Couch, The Huffington Post One Philadelphia homeless shelter used to have a major pea problem.

Bethesda Project's My Brother’s House had an abundance of smooth Alaska peas for its clients, but demand did not match supply, Drexel Now reported.

"One of the problems we struggle with is how to be creative with food that was clearly designed for quantity and not quality," Larry Russock, program coordinator at My Brother’s House, told Drexel Now, explaining that not too many diners had an appetite for the “heat and serve” canned vegetable. The facility was often forced to throw away foods, like the peas, that are less popular but affordable and available in bulk.

My Brother's House serves three meals and a snack every day with just a $600 monthly food budget, so frugality is essential.

Russock found answers to his problem at Drexel Food Lab — a student-run group out of Drexel University’s Center for Hospitality and Sport Management. The program has used food to solve real-world problems since launching in January 2014.

To read more, please visit The Huffington Post here.

Calling all monthly donors!

Bethesda Project provides emergency shelter, housing and supportive services for thousands of homeless individuals in Philadelphia. By providing a home and a safe environment in each of our 13 sites throughout Center City Philadelphia, homeless men and women are able to stabilize and regain their dignity and self-worth. For 37 years, Bethesda Project has worked to provide a caring family for Philadelphia’s homeless and today, you can become a part of our family.

A monthly donation helps form a predictable source of income we can count on to provide supportive services and housing to Philadelphia’s most chronically homeless individuals—those in the margins of society. It’s the easiest way to give and ensure that Bethesda Project receives your ongoing support. For just a small amount, your donation can help:

$10

Provides a packet of tokens for guests and residents to travel throughout the city to get to doctors’ appointments, go grocery shopping and run errands.

$25

Provides a resident or guest with bedbug resistant mattress cover.

$50

Provides three healthy meals for three days to 1 resident at Bethesda Project’s Safe Haven.

Together, we can provide them a caring family...

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1630 South Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 Tel: (215) 985-1600 Fax: (215) 732-8214 www.bethesdaproject.org

Thank you to our friends at St. Norbert’s Parish!

Michele Howard, Father Carl Braschoss and Marianne O'Neill

The Parish at St. Norbert’s helped raise over $50,000 for Bethesda Project at their annual Mardi Gras Magic fundraiser event!

Attendees enjoyed a night of music from the Chatterband and dancing at the beautiful Desmond Hotel in Malvern—even our new CEO, Hentzi Elek, came to show off his dance moves! All proceeds from the event support the operations and programs of Bethesda Project.

Long-time Bethesda Project volunteer and parishioner of St. Norbert’s, Michele Howard, said the night wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the staff at St. Norbert’s and the large number of volunteers who turn out every year to make Mardi Gras Magic a huge success.

“For the first time in 16 years, we heard only positive comments from everyone—they loved the venue, the food and the music. We were all very pleased,” she said.

Mardi Gras Magic was also able to provide Bethesda Project with the following items from The Giving Tree: toiletries such as lotions, deodorants, disposable razors and soap, laundry detergent, subway tokens, bed pillows, accessories such as hats and gloves, bath towels, blankets, etc. Individuals also donated towards major appliance replacements, mattresses, movein kits, kitchen appliances, and other vital projects.

A special thank you to the Planning Committee for Mardi Gras Magic for putting on a successful event!

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and connect with us on LinkedIn!

1630 South Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 Tel: (215) 985-1600 Fax: (215) 732-8214 www.bethesdaproject.org