Winter 2007
MISSION
STATEMENT
Sojourner Truth House,
sponsored by the Poor
Handmaids of Jesus Christ,
is a ministry of hope for
homeless and at-risk
women and their children.
Through advocacy, the
hospitality of our day
center and integrative
services, participants can
improve their lives and
that of the community.
2006 Statistics
5928
Meals prepared
708
Medical/dental
services rendered
56 (up 12%)
Shelter clients moved
1464 (up 9%)
Male pantry clients
3804 (up 9%)
Female clients
5712 (up 3%)
Children served
CLIENT’S CORNER
When I walked through the doors of Sojourner Truth House, I was broken
down and hopeless. Today, I am full of hope and love for myself. With the
help of STH staff and the group activities, I have acquired new skills to
continue on this wonderful journey called life!
You see, I am a 27-year-old crack addict. I have been struggling with
addiction since the age of 13. I was raised in the Catholic Church and I was
instilled with good values. At the age of 13, I was raped. After that,
everything went downhill. I’ve been in and out of rehab centers, jails, and
prisons. I have four felony convictions and over 35 arrests. Upon release, I
went back to drugs. How insane is that?
After being released on December 23, 2006, I finally had enough. I
celebrated Christmas and New Years Eve for the first time in five years with
my family. I was tired of living in a self-made hell. I would cry out to God,
“Why am I here?” “What is my purpose?” Already at rock bottom, I began
to reflect on God’s Word. God tells us to completely surrender and cast all
our burdens unto Him. We are also reminded that faith the size of a
mustard seed can move a mountain. This new journey would require me to
give up my best friend, my comforter, my drug.
I felt like a baby learning how to walk. Unlike before, when I felt myself
falling, I had STH staff, my new friends, and my new-found trust in God to
love and support me. It’s hard, but I’m off to a good start.
STH staff has never given up on me, and my friends have kept me
encouraged. I pray that my testimony will help others to reach out when
they are in need of help. I want to say
thank you to all those
wonderful people who have touched my life.
SAVE THE DATE
I love you all!
June 2, 2007
10884 (up 3.3%)
Total clients
4812 (up 14%)
Total walk-in adults
10,503
Total volunteer hours
put in at Sojourner
Truth House!!
Angelique DeMuth
Thanks to all who supported our
Thanksgiving Gala this year!
Last year we made $10,000. This
year? $22,500!!
It’s official! June 2,
2007 is the
da te fo r ou r Eig
ht h An nu al
Walkathon at South
Gleason Park,
Gary. Start plann
ing for your
teams, your corpo
rate donations
and a day of gr
eat fun and
fundraising! We alr
eady have a
pledge for $3000!!
Can you top
that?
Page 2
REFLECTIONS
It may sound corny, but my New Year’s resolution is
to be like leaven in 2007. Maybe I’ll remember it
better because of the rhyming (my record with such
resolutions is pretty dismal). What does being a
leaven mean to me, me who never baked a loaf of
bread in her life? I am assured by those bakers
around me that a pinch of yeast or leaven makes the
dough rise, resulting in the fresh, airy softness of
warm homemade bread. It quietly works its magic
over time and any baker knows when it’s time to pop
the pan into the oven. I can hear the “And???” even
as I write this.
In this beautiful world wracked with pain, I think
leavening is needed. Here at STH, we are confronted
with human violence over and over. Women and
children abused by “parents”, “spouses”, or “friends’;
women and children held hostage in their economic
“status” because resources that would train them,
educate them, sustain them are continually cut to
fund military violence, homeland security and, really,
indifferent, if not savage domination. Women and
children ravaged by hunger, dubbed “food insecurity”
by those who do not wish to see. Women and
children who can’t live on the wages of part-time
work and who suffer the violence of “no-healthbenefits” at the hands of a society whose sense of
Sr. Peg Spindler, CSA
VOLUNTEER VOICES
the common good has atrophied in the face of greed
and power. Women with mental illness and/or
addictions whose families unravel because, even
though studies show that residential treatment works
better, such families are not priorities. I recall the
premise of an author I read recently. Until the day
the most basic of human relations, that between
men and women, becomes equal, mutually respectful
and in partnership, the domination paradigm of
power-over, greed, and all the –isms under which we
labor, will continue.
So, back to my New Year’s resolution. I challenge
myself to be leaven. I will try to live in partnership
rather than in domination, in nonviolence rather than
hateful voice or action, in a quiet but strong stance
for the common good. We at STH will keep trying to
live the values underpinning the mission here:
community, openness to God’s Spirit, simplicity, and
respect for the dignity of all. These values are not
only Gospel values, these are basic values of a
healthy and whole human community. And we are
most grateful for the support all of you are able to
send our way. You keep on helping us be true to
these values, to the best in the human community,
to the way of partnership and nonviolence. So, I
challenge you also: be leaven in 2007!
TRUTH BE TOLD
Sojourner Truth was the inspiration for this “house.” She led an
unconventional life in a time when slavery was rampant. She
endured hardships and heartache, yet achieved much in her
lifetime. Sojourner Truth was a champion for women’s rights,
inspiring others with her values and eloquent speeches. And she
did it all with no formal education.
Sojourner Truth began life as Isabella Baumfree, a slave in New
York in 1797. She was bought and sold at least four times by the
age of 30. One owner was exceedingly cruel. She had five
children, one of whom was sold into slavery. She escaped to Sherri Jackson and Sister Willa in the new food pantry.
Canada around 1827, returning to New York with the help of some Quakers, to work there as a domestic for
about ten years.
About age 46, Isabella changed her name to Sojourner Truth because she believed that it was her duty to
preach “the truth” and she traveled so much to do so. She spoke against capital punishment and in favor of
prison reform, abolition and women’s rights. Her many friends included Amy Post, Lucretia Mott, Susan B.
Anthony and Frederick Douglass. She was active in the Underground Railroad and was a landowner during a
time when few women owned property, let alone a black woman and a former slave.
Almost two hundred years later, we still look to Sojourner Truth for inspiration. She gives the women of
Sojourner Truth House hope for the future: hope to be reunited with family members, hope for a home of
their own, hope for a better quality of life. She inspires our clients to have the courage of their convictions
even as she inspires staff and volunteers to stand up for “the truth.”
Page 3
WISH LIST
THANK YOU
A special thank you for the beautiful linens,
towels, kitchen utensils and other items our
donors have been bringing.
Your care
enables us to give out nice things to clients.
We also much appreciate the thought so
many of you give to your donations of
clothing. CLEAN and gently-used items are
the only ones we keep. We believe that if we
wouldn’t wear the clothing or shoes or coat
or hat, then neither should the client have to.
It’s a matter of respect for them, and we are
grateful you help us do that so well.
And, if that’s not enough, we are grateful for
your patience with our furniture pick-up. Only
one person does this and his schedule is
pretty tight between pick-ups, deliveries, and
facility maintenance. Thanks for always
thinking of the women and children of STH!
Volunteer Voices
As a member of this community when
asked to come here to volunteer, I felt
honored and humble to help in whatever
manner I could. It is very rewarding to
see a group of faith-based people who
work so diligently at helping these
young, homeless, and somewhat
hopeless women. I feel very proud to
help wherever needed. Working in the
clothes closet, I have been able to
witness so many women receiving
ample clothing. When those working
in this ministry are busy aiding their
clients, I have been able to help in the
reception area. And there is a special
pride when I help prepare the lunches
and watch as the women and their
children enjoy these meals. I am a
senior citizen and I don’t have the
means to help financially; therefore, I
do appreciate the opportunity to donate
my time to STH.
- Eva Johnson
•
Sanitary Pads
•
Lotion
•
Conditioner
•
Deodorant
•
Diapers
•
Bath Soap
•
Beds
•
Pillows & Pillow
Cases
•
(all sizes, esp 4-6)
Toothpaste
•
Toothbrushes
•
Toilet Paper
•
•
Tampons
Shampoo
(twin, double)
THE POWER OF ONE
$10 buys 20 toothbrushes or 10 brooms or 10 notebooks
$25 buys 25 deodorant containers
$50 buys 50 tubes of toothpaste
$100 buys 50 bottles of shampoo and 50 bottles of conditioner
INNOVATIVE IDEAS
Students at Aquinas School in Merrillville, IN
participated in a Crazy Hair Day. They could
wear their hair any way they wanted IF they
brought in hair care products for Sojourner Truth
House! We received LOTS of shampoo and
conditioner!! Any other great ideas out there??
STAFF STORIES
Two coworkers have been with Sojourner Truth House for
over 5 years! Ora Mae Keith is the cook for shelter clients
and staff; Harold Moses is our Facility & Maintenance
Coordinator. They were recently honored with gifts and
lunch in recognition for all their hard work by Toni Mola,
Ancilla Systems Administrator.
Congratulations, Ora Mae and Harold!
Thank you to all of you who keep us in your prayers and for your gifts of time and resources. We keep you and
your special intentions in our prayers and invite you to come and visit us.
MAKE A TRIBUTE TO SOJOURNER TRUTH HOUSE
We accept gifts in memory of someone who has died or in honor of a special occasion such as a birthday, a marriage, a
birth, an anniversary or graduation. Or, you can give a gift just to say “Thank you.” A card will be sent to the person honored or the family of the deceased. Please fill out this form and mail it with your contribution.
Please Print.
I am enclosing a special gift in the amount of $
.
In memory of
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In honor of
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To celebrate his/her/their
.
Send announcement of gift to:
Name
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City/State/ZIP
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Indicate on Acknowledgement that Gift is being Made by:
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Your name(s)
Address
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Phone (in case of questions)
Sojourner Truth House
th
410 W. 13 Avenue
410 W 13th Ave Gary, IN 46407 (219) 885-2282
Fax: (219) 885-1984 Email: [email protected]
Gary, IN 46407
(219)-885-2282