Thanksgiving Time

 Thanksgiving time is here and we at Emmaus House, our home for women coming from jail/prison/rehab, have a very long gratitude list. We’re grateful for 8 of our women being in school, two more finding jobs, 5 in a church program to prepare for Baptism and Confirmation, numerous clean time celebrations, many donors/helpers/volunteers, abundant donations of things, and a successful fund raiser! We are grateful! We know that we are blest.

"Second Chance" Success!

On October 13^th, our “Second Chance” dinner/silent auction was held at the Horizon’s Conference Center, and it was a huge success! The evening began with silent bidding on over 150 different articles, including works of local artists and authors, sports venues, cookbook baskets, tools for the man of the house, jewelry, and many other articles. At dinner Sr. Marietta introduced Renecia Hall, a former resident of Emmaus House, who earned her Bachelor’s Degree cum laude in social work this past May.  Renecia talked about her experiences before, during, and after Emmaus House and how she was able to finish school, live on her own, and hold a job.

Sue Smith of WSGW 790 “Listen to the Mrs.” Show was mistress of ceremony, and Charlotte Gaus, a resident of Wescourt Retirement Village entertained guests at the piano.

Proceeds, which came to almost $15,000.00, will be used to continue the work of Emmaus House, the upkeep of our buildings, and to give assistance and a chance for an education to our ladies.

As chairperson of this event I want to say thank you to my committee all those who donated items (many read about the event in our last newsletter and called me), those who sent donations and all those who supported us with your presence. It was a very special blessing to me that so many people became involved.

Jean Seman, Chairperson, “Second Chance” Dinner/Auction

Christmas is Coming!

Thinking about Christmas? Thankfully some are. Obviously, to make Christmas special for our entire Emmaus “family” (women here, their children, ex-guests and their children, and a few needy neighbors) we need the help of many individuals, families, and churches. We have more than 200 people on our “list”. We welcome any help. Below are gift suggestions.

For our women: Any gift for a woman, - perfume, jewelry, blow dryer, sweatshirt (especially 3X and 4X), slippers, socks, etc.

For the children: Children in our “family range in age from a newborn baby boy to a few 18 year olds.  Any gift for any age will be a big help.

For Emmaus House: Paper products, cleaning and laundry supplies, personal care items, toiletries, towel sets, sheets (single bed), bedroom and kitchen rugs with non-skid backing, clock radios for bedrooms, candy or treats, monetary donations for winter expenses.

Please do not wrap gifts as it is easier to assign appropriate gifts if gifts are left unwrapped. Also, moms enjoy wrapping something for their children. Thank you, all Christmas helpers.

Fuel Points

Unfortunately our points for the Kroger Fuel Program continue to be stolen. Hence, we have discontinued use of the program via our phone numbers. We still use the program but now can ONLY use it with our Kroger card. We do thank those who helped us in the past to accumulate our points and wish it could still be so.

End of Year Report

The end of our fiscal year is August 31st, but we did not have our end of the year report done in time for our early September newsletter. Our Morrow Center was completed in this fiscal year and the cost to complete plus run it this year was $39,426.35. Other major items for the year included: Utilities - $50,949.10, Insurance - $10,786.00, Auto Expenses - $14,303.78, Stipends (2) and Salaries(2) - $51,772.50, House Repairs - $14,758.39, Services and costs for our guests - $42,960.74. Charity, recreation, office costs, and household costs made up the rest of our expenditures. Total expenses for the year were $260,836.26. The good news is that our total income was $268,021.53. We ended in the black! This fact is a tribute to the generosity of all who care about us.