New Beginnings….for families in our Community

Its spring and new beginnings are all around us.  New leaves on the trees, flowers of all colors popping up, spring weddings and the time of year to re-new our homes for a fresh start.

I am very grateful that I have a beautiful home I can re-fresh.  Many families do not have that luxury…yet. I hope you don’t mind but today I am taking a detour from home design ideas to share with you information about an organization I recently learned about in our community, Family Promise. They are working to help homeless families with their new beginning by helping them get into a home of their own.  Thank you Phoebe Irby for sharing this with me and for being involved in such a great cause.

Family Promise of Greater Brandon

”A mother loses her job, a father is kept from working by an injury, a family is forced from their home by fire or natural disaster.  Health costs soar, public transportation is inadequate, affordable housing is almost impossible to find.  These are the reasons why families now make up 40 percent of the homeless population, and why one out of every four homeless people is a child”. (Statement from the Family Promise website)

Family Promise is a non-profit organization that has affiliates in 41 states.  The Greater Brandon branch is comprised of thirteen local churches who all work together helping families within our community.  How great is that!  The congregations take turns providing volunteers, meals and a place for families to sleep.  Each day they help get the children to school while the parents go to work or if they do not have jobs the program helps them with finding employment.  The families remain in the program until they are able to move into their own homes.

To learn more about this organization go to:  www.familypromiseofgreaterbrandon.org

On Friday, April 11^th Orange will be hosting a fundraiser for Family Promise from 6PM to 9PM – $10 donation, raffles chances for Michael Aram pieces, live jazz music, food and wine…Hope you can join us!

I love hearing about people coming together to do good things for those in need in our community. Thank you for letting me share about Family Promise today!

Debbie