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July 2008
Partner with CFLS in the 21st Annual
Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon
Second, we highly encourage you to recruit your colleagues, family, and friends to participate in the Walkathon as walkers. Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for children. If you are a partner, then all employees, families, and guests of your company will receive complimentary registration for the Walkathon. However, your involvement will still benefit CFLS because we are eligible for additional funds based on the number of participants who walk on our behalf. For example, if we can recruit 1,250 walkers, Fannie Mae will grant us a $25,000 walker incentive award.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to help the thousands of homeless in our community. I hope that you will choose to make a difference in the lives of individuals and families who are working hard to achieve independence. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns at (202) 347-0511 x415 or development@cflsdc.org .
Sincerely,
Claudia Thorne
Executive Director
From Homeless to Homes of Their Own: A Testimonial
Community Family Life Services operates a two-year transitional housing program called Trinity Arms that helps families move from homelessness into permanent housing. This program serves an important intermediary role in this transition because all residents of our facilities receive life-skills education, individualized case management, and supportive counseling provided by CFLS. Trinity Arms is a 19-unit drug and alcohol-free apartment complex operated by CFLS since 1988. This summer we are delighted that three families are moving out of Trinity Arms and into their own permanent residences. Below you can read a testimonial from one of these families:
Life with CFLS
In two weeks, it will be two years since I first walked into my apartment on 3rd Street. I came with my then 8 week old baby girl, a broken disappointed heart, and a confused mind but I leave with a good self-esteem, confident that I am loved and cared for, knowing that I survived being homeless because of my desire to have a better life and taking advantage of the opportunities afforded to me during my stay at CFLS. The opportunities ranged from one on one counseling to a free bag of groceries every month to assistance with locating daycare for my little girl. I cannot tell you the number of times that the mountain seem too high to climb and I would walk into Gabbis (Gabrielle Tibbs) office and just cry because I did not know what else to do and she always was there with words of support, encouraging me not to give up. She would provide resources and contact information for different agencies that could assist me as I continued to reestablish my life. There are a variety of support groups and activities that we participated in that addressed our issues as women, mothers, and families. Sometimes they would become pretty intense but each session ended with a better understanding of how and why we made some of the not so positive decisions in our life that had such an impact. Did you know that if you are over 25 or 30 years of age that it is assumed by many agencies you would never end up abandoned, pregnant and alone at 41? Many area shelters would not accept me because I was not a pregnant drug addict or a pregnant recovering addict or running from a physically abusive partner. I was in a less traumatic state by their standards because I was only 41, pregnant and abandoned so they could not help me. CFLS accepted me. I do not know what I would have done had they turned me away, too.
About two weeks ago, my family and I moved into permanent housing. CFLS assisted us with the security and first months rent. It feels good to have a permanent home. A few days before it was time to move I became very afraid because I had to leave my CFLS Family but Ms. Claudia Thorne told me not to be afraid because sometimes fear clouds your mind and I need clear vision and I took that into heart and whenever I feel the jitters I remember my CFLS Family and the women that are still there and I realize I have to make it happen so that someone else will know that they can make it happen. CFLS was the very first step in my new beginning.
Betty J. Washington
A New Direction for the Emergency Food Program
Community Family Life Services has strengthened our emergency food services program by partnering with our neighbors at the First Trinity Lutheran Church. The program provides over 25 bags of canned goods, fresh produce, and other items to low-income families in Ward 6 per month. Although CFLSs food program has been in place for many years, the new partnership with First Trinity will help it to become more efficient and effective. Weekly volunteers from their congregation will stock the shelves of the food room, assemble the grocery bags, and help distribute the bags to clients. Most of the food we receive comes from the Capital Area Food Bank, but our volunteers will also help solicit additional in-kind and monetary donations from other organizations and individuals. Reverend Wendy Moen of First Trinity commented that the church is always looking for new ways to help people in the neighborhood. She is very happy to partner with CFLS in this project because it will give them an excellent opportunity to help. The new endeavor began in the week of July 7, and so far ten to twelve regular volunteers from First Trinity Church have already joined together to help make it a success!
One of the lead volunteers is Bonnie Priebe, a retired school teacher, who has taken on the responsibility of coordinating the volunteers as well as managing the weekly pick-up and delivery of food. She sees the program as a way for CFLS and First Trinity to build a stronger relationship while providing a valuable service to the members of our local community. Her enthusiasm was evident as she unloaded boxes of food from her car and then doled out organic sweet potatoes, squash, and chocolate chips as an extra treat into bags of food ready to be distributed. As she worked, she explained some of the new benefits of the revised food program. For example, each family will be able to select two extra items each week from an assortment of miscellaneous food products, offering recipients a much-appreciated variety. The items in this box ranged from granola bars to fish oil supplements. Another benefit of the new program is that CFLS is now able to provide fresh produce as well as canned and dried goods. First Trinity volunteers were able to solicit fifty reusable grocery bags from Shoppers Food Warehouse, which will cut down on the use of wasteful paper and plastic bags. Both CFLS and First Trinity are working hard to ensure that the new joint food program continues to thrive. Bonnie is sure that it will. She says: There are a lot of excited people [involved], and I think its going to be a winner!
If you are interested in supporting our emergency food services by donating food, money or your time, please contact Wendy Moen at 202-737-4859 or wmoen@firsttrinitydc.org
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