Some people hear songs that they can’t get out
of their head. For me, it may be a memory that won’t go away until I finally
just acknowledge it. That happened a few days ago after I toured the Gospel
Mission homeless shelter.
Their vision of completing a capital campaign
for a new Women and Children’s shelter has been etched upon my mind. The Executive
Director told us that the changing face of today’s homeless person is not necessarily
the person struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. Today’s homeless are
women, children and families.
According
to the National Homelessness Organization and the 2010 Annual Homeless
Assessment Report to Congress, “Among industrialized nations, the United States
has the largest number of homeless women and children. Not since the Great
Depression have so many families been without homes. The statistics below are the
best estimates of the extent of homelessness.”
- Homeless families comprise roughly 1/3 of the total homeless population.
- Approximately 1.6 million children will experience homelessness over the course of a year.
- In any given day, researchers estimate that more than 200,000 children have no place to live.
- Among all homeless women, 60% have children under age 18.
The fundraisers who are involved in raising
money for the new shelter are very good at their craft. Matter of fact, one of
them had helped me on a capital campaign project in the past. One donor said
that he’d already decided that he wasn’t giving to this campaign. And then “the
master” called him and he acquiesced and gave a wonderful donation. With the
best people doing the on-the-ground fundraising, they didn’t seem to need my
help. But then I thought about my skillset—helping put systems in place to
ensure the success of fundraising projects.
For today’s gift, I called the Gospel Mission
Homeless Shelter and offered to help them implement the systems needed to
complete fundraising for the Women’s and Children’s Shelter. That little memory
in my head moved me to action.
In Giving,
Robin
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