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This blog provides the top 5 highlights or updates about Family Promise of Waukesha County for Friday, December 2, 2022.
The Friday Five is a weekly blog post/update that focuses on the top five occurrences, issues, opportunities facing Family Promise each week. It is our hope that it will help you stay informed and connected to the mission of Family Promise of Waukesha County.
Our mission is to help low-income families and families experiencing homelessness achieve sustainable independence
through a community-based response.
The stories you can read this week are:
It's here! Check out our new video which is part of a series that highlights the stories of three families we have served in 2022. Besides the overview video below you can watch Ann's Story below!
How did the videos impact you?
1. GIVING TUESDAY AND HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
WE DID IT! We surpassed our goal of $20,000 on Giving Tuesday. Thank you!
Giving Tuesday was the official start for our end of the year campaign Home for the Holidays. Between pledges and donations we received commitments of $40,000 committed toward our of the year goal of $100,000! As great as this is it means that we still need $60,000 by December 31, 2022. Home for the Holidays focuses on providing a response to the current housing crisis. Your gift can shape the future of a family for generations.
A special thank you to the sponsors of our Giving Tuesday kickoff.
2. ANN'S STORY
Family Promise of Waukesha County is releasing a new video series that highlights the stories of three families we have served over the past year through the Apartment Shelter Program and the Family Homelessness Prevention Program.
What we learn through their stories is that the single moms profiled are strong, brave and persistent. They are committed to caring for their children during an extremely difficult time. It is inspiring to hear how they strive to overcome odds that often seem stacked against them.
Besides the overview video provided above, we present to you Ann’s story. Ann was a guest in the Apartment Shelter Program after spending two months living in her car with her children.
When you participate in Home for the Holidays, our end of year campaign, you are supporting families like Ann's. Over the next two weeks we will share Carly and Crystal’s videos.
POLL OF THE WEEK
HOW DID THE VIDEOS IMPACT YOU?
- 0%MADE ME TEARY EYED
- 0%INSPIRED ME TO GET INVOLVED
- 0%HELPED ME RECOGNIZE THE STRENGTH OF THESE FAMILIES
- 0%CHANGED MY OPINION ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE HOMELESS
You can vote for more than one answer.
3. SONGS FOR THE SEASON
St Catherine of Alexandria's "Enter the Season" Christmas songs concert is back- after a three year hiatus! We are grateful that this year, the free will offering will benefit Family Promise of Waukesha County!
You can enjoy this Christmas concert in one of two ways:
Live at St Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church in Oconomowoc, or
Watch the concert online at their parish website: www.scsjcluster.org
To learn more about Family Promise's year-end campaign, please also visit "Home for the Holidays." Your generous gift will give families experiencing homelessness a home this holiday season.
4. NOVEMBER STATISTICS
With one month left in 2022 Family Promise of Waukesha County has served 83 households. We are on pace to finish the year serving 91 households. To give these numbers context, from November 2014- March 2020 we served 101 households. The increase in numbers is reflective of the economic and housing realities facing families in Waukesha County.
One observation is that the majority of families we serve are led by a working adult. Yet income levels fall below 30% of the area median income. This means they are considered extremely low income families. The combination of employed clients who fall below the area median income is ominous. United Way uses the term ALICE or Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed to describe these individuals. They are the most vulnerable families because they do not receive a livable wage, have few reserve funds and will have difficulty improving their their economic position. According to a United Way study 30% of the population in Waukesha County fit this description.
Check our the reports below to go in detail about the demographics Below please find our program statistics for 1] the month of November and then 2] year to date.
5. HOLIDAY GIFTS
There are just a couple families left to whom we would like to provide holiday gifts. To get involved follow these steps:
Use the sign up genius link to select a family. Please provide your name, email address and group you represent, if applicable. Whoever signs up will be the contact person for your group. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4baeae23a4f4c43-holiday1
When selecting a family to sponsor, please note that the number of adults, gender and ages of children are listed under each family. You are not to spend more than $100 on each person. Adults are included in the gifts also. This means a family of 4 could be a commitment of $400.
Once you have selected a family, an email will be sent to the point person for your group. Make sure who signs up is willing to be that contact person.
The contact person will receive a list of the items that each person in the household has requested.
Each item is linked to an online store such as Amazon or Target. You can order online and have the item shipped to Family Promise directly or you can have it delivered to your home and bring all items to Family Promise together. You can also go out and shop for the item on the list.
All items should be delivered to Family Promise, UNWRAPPED and labeled with the letter of the family, by December 12.
Our address is 139 E. North Street Waukesha, WI 53188. Please call before dropping off gifts.
DID YOU KNOW?
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
December 4 Mission Gift Festival at Community United Methodist Church, Elm Grove
9am- 12Noon
December 11 Christmas Concert to benefit Family Promise
at St Catherine, W359 N8522 Brown St, Oconomowoc - 2:00 pm
December 12 Deliver gifts for the holiday gift collection to Family Promise
(or before) 139 E North St., Waukesha, 53188
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You can also join our Facebook volunteer group to learn about volunteer opportunities.