Full Cupboards, Full Hearts

Last week, we wrote about our shelter being full (and it still is). This week, we're full in a different way.

We're filled with gratitude.

Our shelter's pantry is once again filled with an abundance of food, thanks to the incredible response to our email last week requesting help.

We asked and so many of you answered - by making donations of food and funds (in one case, your last $10 before payday). You answered by organizing collection drives in your neighborhood and in your offices. By asking your friends and families to help.

And our response of thank you seems so little, as we are filled with heartfelt appreciation that so many people care. We're living in unprecedented economic times, and all of us - all of us - are feeling the effects of strained pocketbooks and dwindling resources. Still, that didn't stop you from reaching out, doing what you could. And then asking, what else? Can we do more?

Our cupboards are filled now, but the need will remain, especially as we approach the fall and winter months. We will continue needing your support to keep our shelter warm, to provide our families with nourishing meals. We're touched to hear that several people plan to replace toy drives with "basic needs" drives for our families this holiday season, for that's what will be needed.

You reminded us of so much with your response to the food drive - that we're all in this together, that others care so very much, that even when the challenges of the day fill our plates to overflowing, there's always room for a helping hand and a compassionate heart.

Thank you. From the bottom of our (very full) hearts.

Help Feed the Families at Laurel House

Laurel House's domestic violence shelter is full today. (We have 11 women and 15 kids here right now. Yes, you read that right ... 15 little kids!)

Our pantry, however, is almost empty.

With the ongoing Pennsylvania budget crisis, our funds are tighter than usual. Which is why we're asking for your help to feed our families.

We really need the following non-perishable grocery items:

- single and family-sized cans of Chef Boy-R-Dee
- single and family-sized cans of soup
- spaghetti sauce (we have the pasta ... just need the sauce)
- juice (preferably in large jugs, not juice boxes)
- oatmeal
- grits
- canned tuna
- rice
- baked beans
- condiments (ketchup, mayo, mustard)
- after-school snacks for kids
- paper towels
- toilet paper (septic-system friendly)

Items may be dropped off between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Laurel House's office (605 Swede Street, Norristown, PA) or at our resale shop, Marian's Attic in the Valley Forge Shopping Center, 255 Town Center Road in King of Prussia, PA.)

If you would like to make a financial contribution towards this effort, you can send a check to Laurel House, P.O. Box 764, Norristown, PA 19404. Or you can make a gift online by clicking here. (Any amount will be greatly appreciated.)

On behalf of the families in our shelter, we thank you.

Posted by Beth E. Sturman, Executive Director, Laurel House

Get Ready, Set, and Registered for Laurel House's 5K Dash Against Domestic Violence

Get on your mark ... get set ... go register for Laurel House's 5K Dash Against Domestic Violence!

Our annual 5K is right around the corner, taking place on Sunday, October 25 at beautiful Parkside Place (near the Upper Gwynedd Township Building at Sumneytown Pike and Park Place) in North Wales, PA.

Registration/check in begins at 8 a.m., followed by the 5K Run and Fitness Walk at 9 a.m. Runners and walkers of all ages and abilities are welcome.

The top female and male runners will receive overall awards. Awards are given to the top female and male age group winners. Age groups are 14 and under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50 and over. Course certification #PA 07010 WB.

Awards will be given to the top 3 pledge raisers, too. Laurel House's 5K Dash offers a great opportunity for friends, students, families, and co-workers to form a team to walk (or run) together against domestic violence.

Entry fee for the event is $25.00. Proceeds benefit Laurel House's Nehemiah's Way and DART II programs, both coordinated through our North Wales office.

Nehemiah's Way provides housing for survivors of domestic violence to live independently for up to two years. DART II offers immediate crisis intervention for law enforcement officers responding to domestic violence calls, regardless of the day or night.

(You may even see one of our DART II officers, like our friend Officer Fred Lynch above, volunteering their time along the DASH route to make sure everyone stays safe.)

Laurel House is able to help countless people affected by domestic violence because of sponsors and supporters of the 5K DASH, like these:

Event Sponsor

Merck

Media Sponsor

The Reporter

Abington Bank
Allan and Joyce Goldberg
Sue DePaul - Allstate Insurance DePaul Agency
Empowered Zone

Fitzpatrick Container Company

Brian and Sonja Haggert
Harleysville Rental
John Gambino RE/MAX Blue Bell
North Penn Gulf
North Wales Water Authority
PNC Bank
Rotary Club of Harleysville

Jerry and Pat Younce

(Want to see your name on this list? Talk with Tina at 610-277-1860, ext. 108 or send her an email at treynolds@laurel-house.org.)

In the meantime, register online today. You can even create your own Laurel House 5K webpage to solicit pledges from family, friends and co-workers and help us to raise our goal of $25,000 ...

And to dash away domestic violence.

Stories from the Shelter: Making a Difference, One Pencil at a Time

When we opened the two boxes, we discovered they were filled to the brim with brand new school supplies. It was a donation - a very generous donation - sent to Laurel House last week from the employees of Horsham, PA based Catalyst360 (formerly The Hartford).

Notebooks, crayons, pencils, and glue sticks were piled on the conference room table. Moms, all of whom are currently living in our shelter, transitional housing program, or clients of our community counseling program, came by to select the necessary items to send their kids back to school.

The kids' eyes lit up - from gratitude, yes, but also because the Catalyst360 donation was filled with name-brand stuff. Crayolas. Elmers. The stuff of childhood, and the stuff that makes a child living in a domestic violence shelter fit in just a little bit more with his or her peers.

While the kids' eyes were lighting up, one mom's eyes started filling with tears.

"I didn't know how I was going to afford school supplies this year," she confessed.

Even though Back-to-School Sales are abundant, funds to buy needed clothing, backpacks, and - yes, even two notebooks at 2 for $1.00 can present a hardship for families in crisis. This can be difficult to fathom, difficult to imagine for those of us for whom buying a box of crayons or two notebooks is almost an after-thought. With the current economic climate, more and more Laurel House families in our counseling programs and housing programs are feeling the pinch.

We are feeling so grateful today to the kind people at Catalyst360, and other community groups and businesses, for helping out our families with their school supplies. If you'd like to help out too, consider making a monetary donation to help provide nutritious breakfasts for kids as they go off to school, clothes for the rest of the school year (they'll likely grow!) or contribute to our Family Fund which will directly help families throughout the year with unexpected expenses.

We thank you, for helping the kids of Laurel House step forward towards success in this new school year.

posted by Melissa Firman, Director of Development and PR, Laurel House

Beachcomber Swim Club Provides End of Summer Gift to Laurel House

Within a few minutes of Laurel House sits a summer's oasis, with acres of swimming and shuffleboard, playgrounds and ping-pong. Since the mid-1950s, Beachcomber Swim Club in Blue Bell, PA has been part of the community, providing families with the chance to relax, grow, and enjoy the company of others.

Recently, according to a note that we recently received from Beachcomber's board, the facilities were sold, debts paid, and remaining assets distributed to charities - Laurel House among them. We were incredibly delighted (and surprised!) to recently receive a generous gift of $3,250 from the Beachcomber board and members.

In keeping with the spirit of families who started Beachcomber on behalf of others, Laurel House plans to use this generous gift to help families affected by domestic violence. The funds will be used in support of the children's program, to help continue counseling services, and to provide families in Laurel House's shelter and transitional housing programs with access to fun recreational activities, such as baseball games and trips to the Zoo.

Summer is ending, and so is one chapter in the lives of those connected with Beachcomber Swim Club. For the families at Laurel House, however, this gift from Beachcomber at the end of the summer comes with the promise of new beginnings in a new season.

Many thanks to our friends at Beachcomber Swim Club for selecting Laurel House as a recipient of this gift. On behalf of our families, we are most grateful.

New Support Groups for Survivors of Abuse

Has your partner or ex-partner ever acted jealous ... tried to keep you away from family and friends ... hit or hurt you ... put you down or called you names?

Laurel House can help.

Support groups are now being offered for women who are currently experiencing or have experienced this type of abuse and want to have their voices heard and understood ... learn about the dynamics of abuse ... build trusting relationships ... connect with other women.

Support groups meet on Monday evenings in both the Norristown and North Wales, PA areas. A new support group will meet, beginning in September, on Tuesday evenings in Collegeville, PA.

Laurel House also offers individual domestic violence counseling for both men and women who have been victimized by their partners. Counselors are master's level clinical social work and counseling psychology interns, supervised by a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Laurel House's counseling services and support groups are confidential and free of charge.

For more information, call 610-277-1860, ext. 118 for times and location details. Or, just leave a comment on this post and we'll see that it gets to our support group coordinator right away.

Golfers with Generous Hearts Raise Funds "Fore" Laurel House Families

Women golfers from Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova, PA and St. Davids Golf Club in Wayne, PA joined together on Wednesday, July 8 for a special interclub outing to raise funds "fore" families at Laurel House. The tournament was coordinated by Overbrook members Jackie O'Connor and Ginny Bullock.

Jackie captured the spirit of the day and camaraderie of the golfers in a post-event email she sent to Laurel House.

"It was a truly successful event--beautiful weather, great golf and generous hearts from two clubs united in a way that was unusual for an interclub event," wrote Jackie. "[W]e decided to host a "green" theme which ...evolved into using Kermit the Frog. His famous words, "it's not easy being green" was about knowing who you are. His message was people are good and want to do their best and no matter how or why we might be different from anybody else, we should learn to love who we are and be proud of it. So, Ginny and I decided to reach out in the spirit of that love to support the battered women of Laurel House and their children who are victims of domestic violence."

The 36 golfers participating in the event donated more than $400 in cash and gift cards for the families at Laurel House. In addition, they delivered a van full of towels, bedding, clothing, food, and other items.

"I think if you ask the women who participated, the caddies and even the lunch staff--they will say it was such a great day to see how a small group of women can make such a difference no matter how different we are or what club we belong to," Jackie concluded in her e-mail. "On that day we were one club--FORE others!!"

On behalf of the families in our shelter and transitional housing programs, Laurel House extends many, many thanks to everyone from Overbrook Golf Club and St. David's Golf Club for your support!