From Our House To Yours June 2011
302 E Roosevelt Rd; Little Rock, AR
www.ourhouseshelter.org
4 Dinner on the Grounds raises record funds. Cover: detail of painting by Matt McLeod, painted on location at the event.
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Our House resident LaShondra uses the Learning Center’s resources to prepare for her future career.
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Top Volunteer Opportunities: The Learning Center
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Our Club volunteer Sean Morell wins Arkansas United Way’s Volunteer of the Week.
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Keller Williams chooses Our House for this year’s RED Day.
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ASID’s Wine and Design show raises money for Our House for a second year.
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May donors
All photos by Amanda Woods, an Our House VISTA, except: page 2 (top) and page 5 photos by Grant Harrison, page 16 photo by UALR, pages 8 (right) & 15 photos by unknown
12 VSP Mobile Eye Clinic’s bus rolls onto the Our House parking lot with complete eye exams and glasses for residents.
2011 Dinner on the Grounds raises record funds By Manon Jacob, Development VISTA Dinner on the Grounds is our annual summer fundraiser, hosted in the beautiful gardens of the Governor’s Mansion. In addition to the 425 Our House supports in attendance at the event, Governor Mike and First Lady Ginger Beebe came out to enjoy the party. The weather was perfect for this southern-style supper where we dined on food donated by Ben E. Keith and Tyson and prepared by the Mansion’s staff. We also had Gary Parrish frying catfish (donated by Pride of the Pond) and delicious dessert provided by Hunka Pie. While the band Lagniappe filled the air with incredible jazz music, local artist Matt McLeod captured the evening on canvas. Several danced to the wonderful music and enjoyed a signature cocktail by Donnie Ferneau. Glazer’s Distributors of Arkansas was kind enough to donate all of the wine and spirits for the event, adding to the relaxed atmosphere of the evening. At the conclusion of Dinner on the Grounds, Matt’s beautiful artwork (featured on the cover) was sold by silent auction to the highest bidder. His donation of proceeds from the artwork in addition to sponsorship and ticket sales helped raise over $100,000 for the programs at Our House. When the gates at the mansion closed, the party continued at the Capital Hotel where our sponsors enjoyed donated libations and excellent music. Oxford American sponsored the band True Soul Revue, which drew many guests to the dance floor. This year’s Dinner on the Grounds has been the most successful event that Our House has ever held, and we are incredibly grateful to all of the generous community members who made it possible. The money raised from the event will go a long way in giving hope to the working homeless.
Learning Center prepares residents for employment By Michelle Salgado, Education and Workforce VISTA LaShondra, a 27-year-old resident at Our House, remembers her first day at the shelter vividly. She had no idea what to expect and little hope for a brighter future for herself and her four children. When a case manager walked her through the programs and resources available at Our House, she found herself “realizing there are great people here waiting to help.” That was six months ago. Today LaShondra takes advantage of the resources in the Learning Center and the Moving Up Education Program. Our House provides a range of professional and educational support to our residents including mock job interviews, resume reviews, WAGE certificate training, and college search assistance. Our House is also very fortunate to have in our Learning Center two full-time teachers from the Pulaski County Special School District Adult Education Program.
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I can’t put into words the satisfaction that you have when you leave Our House. The residents are ready to learn and you can see with certainty the appreciation they feel for your help. You can take joy in knowing that the feedback and time you give the residents is invaluable to them.
To make progress towards achieving her long-term goals of finding employment and obtaining her GED, LaShondra is a job trainee in Our House’s Little Learners Child Development Center. She recently completed her third practice interview with Jennifer Williams, a member of the Central Arkansas Human Resource Association (CAHRA). This mother of four made such an excellent impression that she received a business card with an invitation to call Jennifer when she is ready to pursue a job in her chosen career field.
I was pleasantly surprised at how organized the experience was. It was a very relaxed and encouraging environment, not only for me as a volunteer, but also for the residents. I was impressed by just about every aspect of the process, including how prepared the residents were and the format Our House uses to evaluate them. - Jennifer Williams, Central Arkansas Human Resource Association
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Top volunteer opportunities Learning Center
Practice job interviews Each month we hold practice job interviews to help our clients hone their interviewing skills. We are looking for hiring managers and HR professionals to help us with this effort. The practice job interviews are on the second and third Thursday of each month. We are particularly interested in recruiting managers and HR professionals from these types of businesses: Restaurants and food service providers Hotels (maintenance and housekeeping) Hospitals and nursing homes (maintenance, housekeeping, nursing assistants) Warehouses and distributors Large retailers
Kishina Thomas, HR Generalist at the Little Rock Airport; Michael L. Smith, Workforce Readiness Committee liaison and member of CAHRA; and Jennifer Williams from CAHRA volunteer to help residents practice job interviews.
Job skills training
Hiring from Our House
We hold hard-skills trainings for our job trainees who live and work at the shelter. These job trainees work and train in the fields of child care, security, housekeeping, food preparation, and customer service. Correspondingly, we are looking for contacts with managers in: Security firms Housekeeping Professional cleaning services Day care and child care centers
If you are a recruiting manager or HR professional searching for great employees, consider Our House’s residents! The Learning Center team is always available to pre-screen our residents to find qualified candidates based on your job description and to schedule multiple interviews at our site to save you time.
Job-finding skills Many of the residents who come to Our House are unemployed and looking for a job. One-on-one help finding a job, using online resources, and writing resumes are very relevant for our clients. CAHRA has done a wonderful job providing those services to Our House residents.
To volunteer in Our House’s Learning Center, contact Michelle Salgado at education@ourhouseshelter.org or 501-374-7383 ext. 234
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Our Club volunteer wins United Way Volunteer of the Week By Amber Hood, Volunteer Relations VISTA I get more out of volunteering at Our Club than I give. The whole Our House organization is just amazing and a true step in the right direction for this community. It is just people helping people, nothing more and nothing less, just the way it should be. - Sean Morell
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Heart of Arkansas United Way chose Our House volunteer Sean Morell as their Volunteer of the Week for the week of May 16. He was presented with a plaque in Our Club and was announced as Volunteer of the Week on KSSN 96FM. Even though Sean is a busy medical school student, he finds time to dedicate to the kids of Our Club, the after-school program at Our House. Sean is dependable, kind, and always willing to take initiative. He helps with homework, leads games and activities, and volunteers extra time during school holidays. Last Christmas, Sean helped with Our House’s Adopt-a-Family program to make sure every child had a special Christmas. Sean builds meaningful relationships with the children at Our House. Our kids see that, and they love Mr. Sean!
10-year-old resident Kaleb had been having trouble seeing close objects, such as his school books and homework papers. VSP gave him the right lenses to see his
homework, and Kaleb carefully chose his own cool frames.
VSP Mobile Eye Clinic visits Our House By Rebecca Zimmermann, Community Engagement VISTA On April 29th, the Vision Service Plan Mobile Eye Clinic bus rolled onto the Our House campus to provide comprehensive free eye exams and glasses to our residents. During the one-day clinic, doctors Megan and Jacob Moll conducted eye exams on 40 residents. They took special care to check for signs of chronic conditions such as diabetes. The impact of the mobile clinic, which visited Our House for the second year in a row, continues even after the bus departs. In partnership with Dillards, VSP left us 100 vouchers which residents can exchange for high-end glasses. William, a former resident and a diabetic, said that receiving glasses helped him study better for his GED. Uninsured and unemployed, William would have continued to suffer from poor vision without the help of VSP. Because of the on-site exams and vouchers provided by VSP, over 100 residents received glasses that they otherwise could not afford. The Mobile Eye Clinic fills a critical gap in our residents’ health care, and we were pleased to welcome them to our campus. Video
Keller Williams RED Day
By Amber Hood, Volunteer Relations VISTA Every year, Keller Williams Realty participates in RED Day. Named for the signature red logo, as well as for the acronym Renew, Energize, and Donate, RED Day is a one-day volunteer event that happens all across North America. This year, Keller Williams wanted to show their support for Our House on RED Day, reflecting their year-round commitment to serving and bettering Central Arkansas. Twenty-five Keller Williams associates, led by Juanita Patton and Tracy Rice, arrived at Our House with a generous donation and an enthusiasm to serve our residents. They organized the food pantry in the shelter kitchen, spent time with the children in Little Learners, and put down new mulch in flower beds around the Our House campus. Their simple yet incredible acts of service left an impact on our campus. Keller Williams was a joy to have on campus and an impressive team of volunteers.
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Wine and Design benefits Our House By Manon Jacob, Development VISTA In 2010 the South Central Chapter of ASID helped furnish the Our House Family House with the funds raised at their annual Wine and Design event, and they were excited to benefit Our House again this year. Hosted at Next Level Events in Union Station, the evening was a combination of an interior design trade show and a creative fundraiser. With designer vignettes provided by local retailers, it was a place to view new materials and trends in home dĂŠcor fashion while meeting Central Arkansas interior designers. Though the event serves as a trade show, it also provides a fun evening for all in attendance. Delicious Italian, Greek, and Californian cuisine was available for all guests, and Pool Boy from Alice 107.7 was there to DJ live. He was also the announcer for the runway contest that took place during the evening. This friendly competition hosted models in original pieces designed by Little Rock interior designers that were fashioned from various construction materials such as tile, carpet, and upholstery fabric. With limitless wine served throughout the evening, Wine and Design certainly lived up to its name. The organization was generous enough to donate the full ticket price from each guest to Our House, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support.
All clothes in the fashion show were made of construction materials such as tile, carpet, and upholstery fabric.
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May Donors Individuals Katrina Alewelt Maureen and Robert Burnham Sarah and Theodore Hood Martha and H. Rance Perkins Chris Schaffhauser Bridget and Andrew Upchurch C. Mike White Rev. Donn and Amelia Walters Lawrence Young
Congregations Cathedral of St. Andrew Christ the King Catholic Church Church of the Immaculate Conception St. Anne Catholic Church St. James United Methodist Church St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Corporations Dillard’s Entergy Tanmark, Inc. Grants and Foundations AR Dept. of Workforce Services AR Special Nutrition Program City of Little Rock: HPRP Dollar General Literacy Foundation HUD: Supportive Housing Pulaski County
UALR Greek Week This year’s Greek Week raised over $2,500 for Our House.
Dinner On The Grounds Sponsors Presenting Sponsor Chester Phillips Gold Sponsors Entergy Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc Southwest Power Pool Vestcom Silver Sponsors Arkansas Democrat Gazette Bank of the Ozarks Barbara Graves and Barry McDaniel Delta Dental Edward Jones Investment—Kirk Bradshaw & Kevin Kordmeier JPMS Cox / Jennifer & Clay Glasgow Law Office of Danyelle Walker PLLC Law Office of Peter Miller Mitchell Williams Selig Gates and Woodyard Summit Bank UPS USAble In-Kind Ben E. Keith Capital Hotel Custom XM Ferneau Restaurant Glazer’s Distributors of Arkansas Grant Harrison Photography Hunka Pie Oxford American Pride of the Pond The Nicholson Agency Tyson
Bronze Sponsors Advanced Cabling Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield AT&T Baptist Health CDI Contractors Christie and Steve Bardwell City of Little Rock Darrin Williams Delta Trust Democratic Party of Arkansas with Rebecca Gwatney Dr. Jason and Robyn Stewart Dr. Mary Good East-Harding Hadidi Rug Company Hosto Buchan and Prater PLLC IBERIABANK Karen Flake and Associates Law Office of C. Michael White Marriott Wealth Advisory Mendel Capitol Management PDC Construction Sherwood Beverage Sol Alman Company VCC Wren Law Firm Wright Lindsey & Jennings LLP
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