From Our House To Yours May 2011
302 E Roosevelt Rd; Little Rock, AR 72206
www.ourhouseshelter.org
4 In September 2010, the Our Club kids started a new garden. This spring, they’re still working in (and eating from) their own garden.
8 The Clinton School of
13 Spring cleaning?
Public Service has deep connections with Our House.
Unload items you no longer need at My Favorite Thrift Store’s Big Spring Clean.
10 Top Volunteer
14 A Bryant Boy Scout
Opportunities: AmeriCorps VISTA
earns his Eagle rank by providing transportation to Our House residents.
11 One of our VISTAs talks about why she likes serving at Our House.
15 April donors
12 Local artists and
16 Photo Album:
UALR’s smART Show raise
Easter in Little Learners
money for Our House.
All photos by Amanda Woods, an Our House VISTA, except: page 9 photo by Georgia Mjartan, page 12 top right photo by Rebecca Scissors
6 “I had never lived on my own and did not know how to take care of myself and my children.� A single mom uses Our House’s programs to make a better life for herself and her kids.
Garden Club Week By The Kids of Our Club
For the last several years, the kids at Our House have grown fruits and vegetables in their own edible garden. Ben Goodwin, Our House’s Grants Manager and an organic farmer, spends time each week educating the Our Club kids in the garden.
Our Club spent last week learning where our food comes from. We started by visiting Damien at Dunbar Garden. We learned that bees are the reason plants continue to grow all over a garden. When bees eat from the flowers, they spread seeds. We got close to the bees, and they did not bite. We learned that bees only bite when their home is threatened. They buzzed all around us. We also learned about the role of chickens on a farm. They eat and fertilize the farm so plants can grow large. We learned that real eggs are all colors, even green, and that eggs from a farm are not white. When we returned to our own garden, we picked what we had been growing.
This week we picked lettuce, cleaned it, and made salads. It tasted delicious with all those vegetables. Some of us liked the salad even more than chips! We love working in our garden every Wednesday. We have been growing so much we needed to add a whole patch. We covered Ms. Katy in dirt, and she was black from head to toe. It was really fun. Heifer also taught us about gardens and communities during Garden Week. They came to Our Club to talk about the role that animals have in impoverished countries. Now we are hoping that Our Club’s garden can get some chickens. Maybe we can have a whole farm!
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Putting Her Life Back On Track By Ty Stacey, Shelter Manager
Portia Jordan arrived in our shelter in fall 2010. At the time, she did not have any clear goals or the ability to live independently. She was trying her best to take care of her 2-yearold son, Tyrique, and her 8-month-old daughter, Katelyn. Portia’s mother helped sometimes by keeping the children in the evening so Portia could spend more time looking for a job. After some hard work, she finally found a job in an elementary school
cafeteria. She was initially hired on a temporary basis but was later hired as a permanent employee. Since Portia has been in our program, she has paid all of her outstanding bills and purchased a car. She has also completed her 10-key WAGE certificate and has taken a proactive stance to overcome educational barriers. Recently she became a mentee in Our House’s Women at Work program.
When I first came to Our House, I had never lived on my own and did not know how to take care of myself and my children. Now, thanks to this program, I feel like I can make good decisions and am able to live on my own. - Portia Jordan Women at Work is a mentoring program that helps female residents set and accomplish short– and long–term goals and improve self esteem. As a mentee, Portia has worked very hard setting goals and meeting them. Even when her mentor is busy, Portia has taken it upon herself to get the resources she needs to reach her goals. She has learned to manage the stress of being a single mother and has begun to build strong, healthy relationships with her children.
Portia has used every service Our House offers. She is a great example of what our program can do for those who are willing to keep an open mind. Throughout her journey, she has remained open to suggestions and has remained willing to try. That effort has produced the beginning fruits of a hopeful life. Our House is very proud of Portia!
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Documentary about Our House By Georgia Mjartan, Executive Director University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service student Jack Lofton will debut his documentary film This is Our House on May 10th at 5 pm at the Clinton School. The event is free and open to the public. Jack embed-
ded himself at Our House—visiting on nights and weekends—to capture an inside view of life in the shelter for the working homeless. Jack’s film completes his degree in Public Service and serves as his capstone project, the last of three
Clinton School Partnership with Our House has Deep, Lasting Impact Jack is not the first Clinton School student with a connection to Our House. Joe Ballard, a graduate of the 2006 Masters Program, partnered with Our House on his capstone project as well. Joe’s project involved identifying Our House’s existing needs and writing a grant to meet those needs in a lasting way. The successful application resulted in Our House receiving four AmeriCorps VISTA members. AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) has greatly multiplied Our House’s impact. From four members, Our House’s VISTA site has now grown to 11 year-round members and 15 summer associates. VISTAs serve as full-time volunteers in roles that would otherwise have to
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be filled by staff members that Our House could not afford on our limited budget. For example, at Our House, the person who coordinates all mealservers is a VISTA. The people who plan children’s after-school and summer programs, coordinate fundraising events, and recruit volunteers are also VISTAs. VISTAs receive a living stipend and education award for their service. All costs associated with VISTAs serving at Our House are paid through this federal grant that Clinton School student Joe Ballard wrote. Four years into the program, the value of the AmeriCorps VISTA grant to Our House is over $500,000, and the impact of the VISTAs is many times greater than that.
Premiers May 10th at Clinton School large projects involved in the two-year Masters program. Jack has plans to enter the 28-minute documentary into film festival competitions, and Our House will use the film to give new residents and potential partners and
supporters a deeper understanding into the comprehensive program that is Our House. Jack Lofton, a concurrent Clinton School and UALR Law School student graduating in May is also the Director of the Little Rock Film Festival.
The coordinator of AmeriCorps VISTA members at Our House – a VISTA herself – has recently been accepted to the Clinton School of Public Service. Rebecca Scissors will complete her year of service at Our House in July and will begin studies at the Clinton School in August. Rebecca has dedicated many years to service, first spending a year as a City Year Little Rock member, then as a VISTA with the SOAR Network, and now leading members in service at Our House. Rebecca recently completed an extensive post-graduate course in volunteer management through the Arkansas Public Relations Consortium. She is now a Certified Volunteer Manager.
Moksheda Thapa, a current Clinton School student, served as a Summer VISTA at Our House in 2010. During her two months as a VISTA, Moksheda helped develop a volunteer training and orientation for people interested in teaching or tutoring in the adult education and workforce training center at Our House. To participate in one of the hour-long volunteer trainings, offered monthly, email volunteer@ourhouseshelter.org.
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Top Volunteer Opportunities Serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA Are you passionate about changing the lives of hundreds of individuals and families? Are you looking for a way to give back to your community? Our House’s AmeriCorps VISTAs work with a team of dedicated professionals who provide hope to the working homeless every day. AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) is a national service program that connects educated, motivated people with year-long service opportunities that make lasting improvements in local communities. AmeriCorps VISTAs serve in capacitybuilding roles to assist with program
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development and implementation, as opposed to direct client service. The work of VISTAs strengthens the host organization through outreach and development. Our House also has fifteen AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associates who work for two months with staff and residents to expand our case management, child care, and summer youth programs. For more information about serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Our House, please contact Rebecca Scissors at vistaleader@ourhouseshelter.org or 501-374-7383 ext. 229.
Why I Am A VISTA By Amber Hood, Volunteer Relations VISTA I’m not one for a typical job. I’m much more for doing little things for people because for me, that’s what life is about. I like to drive home at night thinking, ―you know, I did something that helped someone today.‖ After working in Texas and abroad, I am quite content to be in my hometown doing many little things for great people and a great organization. My favorite time here is when I spend time with high school students who come to serve the residents. For many, it’s their first time to volunteer. I love sharing the mission of Our House with them as well as engaging them in an open discussion about poverty and home-
lessness in our community. I want them to leave knowing what I know, that these issues are serious ones that affect our friends, neighbors, and people of all ages and all walks of life. I hope that when these students leave our campus they understand that their role as serving citizens of Little Rock has only just begun.
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smART Show Benefits Our House By Manon Jacob, Development VISTA UALR’s second annual smART Show, co-sponsored by the Donaghey Scholars Program Student Committee and the Art Student Association, was a huge success! The art show doubled last year’s proceeds. The gallery opened on April 15th at the Donaghey Student Center and featured work from twenty-five local artists who donated original paintings, drawings, photographs, pottery, and jewelry. As the Ted Ludwig Trio filled the hall with soft jazz, art
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enthusiasts explored the gallery and enjoyed a bite to eat. In addition to the artwork sold, a beautiful piece by Mia Hall, an Applied Design professor at UALR, was raffled. The mirror, encased in an original carved wood frame, was valued around $1,000. We are grateful for the Art Student Association’s continued support, and we look forward to another excellent art show next year.
Big Spring Cleaning Event By Jessica Suitor, In-Kind Donations VISTA This May 21st 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Our House and our partner My Favorite Thrift Store will be hosting a Big Spring Clean multi-site drop off event. Each year My Favorite Thrift Store donates around $80,000 to Our House, making up some 11% of our income. My Favorite Thrift Store and Our House are having the Big Spring Clean to raise more donations for our residents than ever before. We specifically need furniture, home dĂŠcor, household items, clothing accessories, and jewelry. Lemonade and cookies will be provided at our drop-off locations. At Our House, the
Our Club kids will have a lemonade stand. A representative from our staff will be there to talk about Our House for those who have any questions about our programs. The drop-off locations in Little Rock are Our House, 302 E. Roosevelt Road; My Favorite Thrift Store, 109 N. Van Buren Street; and Fellowship Bible Church, 1401 Kirk Road. Our location in North Little Rock is My Favorite Thrift Store, 4606 J.F.K. Boulevard. All donations are tax deductible. We hope to see you there!
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Dear Our House, Thank you for letting me donate all those bicycles to your clients. Your organization was one of the only places in Little Rock that took in bicycles for your members. Whenever I was choosing who would benefit from my Eagle project, each time I tried to call a shelter, they would always turn me down, and in the end I thought of you guys. At that moment I remembered the good things that were said about you, so I thought this would be the perfect place to donate these bikes. After touring your campus, that convinced me even more that your clients, both adults and children, needed something, not only to help themselves in their daily lives but also for enjoyment in hard times. Once again, thank you so much for letting me sponsor your shelter, and I’m glad to know that you’re putting those bikes to some good use. Sincerely, Eric Holsomback Eagle Scout, Troop 22 Bryant, AR
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April Donors Individuals
Congregations
Katrina Alewelt Anonymous Donor Anonymous Donor Anonymous Donor Amy and Hamlin Au D. Kay Bank Nancy and Robert Bendigo Phyllis and Dale Colclasure Dale and John Cook Lisa and Stephen Dearasaugh Pam and David Dostart Travis Farrar Stephanie and Jeff Fox Tanya D. Giles Sarah and Theodore Hood Shelia Jackson Jacqueline and Max Madden Susan Miller Janet and J.P. Morbeck Cheryl Pride Kristi Stroud Bridget and Andrew Upchurch Barbara and Robert Vogel Amelia and Rev. Donn Walters Rhonda Wenberg Jodi Woods Lawrence Young
Cathedral Of St. Andrew Christ the King Catholic Church Church of the Immaculate Conception Immanuel Baptist Park Hill Christian Church
Organizations LR Junior Departamental UALR Student Committee Fund
Corporations 10,000 Villages CDI Contractors, LLC
Grants and Foundations AR Dept. of Human Services AR Dept. of Workforce Services AR Special Nutrition Program Dept. of Housing and Urban Dev. Pulaski County United Way Windgate Charitable Foundation
Easter In Little Learners