Answers from April
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Q. Some families only stay a short time with us. Why do they leave and what happens to them?
It was a wonderful Holiday Season with an outpouring of love and help.
April: Some families choose to leave because they believe they will improve their situation, either reconciliation with family members or a spouse or old boyfriend comes back into their lives. Some families are not allowed to stay because they have chosen not to follow our rules or, more commonly, are not working the plan which we have agreed upon. I try to find these families some place else to go if possible and will drive them to a hotel or another shelter. We cannot keep people who do not see a benefit to working a plan since there are so many needy families who will use our help to get ahead.
Thanks to all you Christmas angels out there: All guests had presents on Christmas Day. 10 former guest families had boxes of food for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Santa came to visit on Christmas. 50 guests and former guests attended a fabulous Christmas party at First United Methodist of WP with more presents.
Thanks to a gift from Winter Park Health Foundation *Move-out Basket: cleaning supplies, broom, mop, bucket, kitchen garbage can, paper goods, dish towels. A good project for a group (prayer, bridge, book, scout, golf)!
we now can send 2 children to Day Care for 52 weeks.
Wanted: a few people with trucks or vans to help our families when they move out & up to their new homes. Call Mary Alice to join the list. 407 893-4588
Afternoon: 2:50 April goes to pick up elementary school children. 3:50 April leaves to pick up middle school kids. Old Faithful, the Family Promise/IHN van, drives about 5PM all at the Day Center load into the 1500 miles each month, with an average of 3 families. van, a stop at day care and it’s off to the host Although some families have their own vehicles, they congregation. often choose to ride the van to and from the Day Center Tuesday: Same as Monday. to save gas. Wednesday: Same as Monday except there is Early Sunday: April drives the van from the Day Center to the Dismissal in the schools so in the afternoon the van goes host congregation where the families hop in. After a at 1:50 and 2:50. short stop at a grocery store to pick up after-school Thursday: A parent is ill so everything begins one hour snacks, the van heads back to the Day Center. At 5 PM earlier to take the parent to Health Care for the April drives the van to the new host congregation. April Homeless. Children stay at the Day Center until it is time spends some time there and then returns the van to the to go to school. Day Center. Friday: Same as Monday except Mary Alice drives the Monday: 7AM Oscar or Mark gets the van and arrives at van on April’s day off. host congregation at 7:30 where families board. He Saturday: A day of rest. drives from host to elementary school to drop off kids, (Other trips as needed: move out to new apartment, then to day care, then Good Will Job Club before heading pick up family’s belongings, job shadow, pick up donated back to the Day Center. At 8:50 he takes kids to the items, etc.) middle school. Back again to the Day Center.
A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF THE IHN VAN