The Sojourner House Blog

October 8, 2009

Families First for the Rochester Broadway Theatre League

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 8:36 pm

theatre

Sojourner House is so excited to be a part of  The Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s Family First Nights, an affordable program designed to encourage at-risk families to attend theatre on a regular basis. This innovative program provides another way for families to spend time together and experience the arts, which may have been inaccessible otherwise.

Tickets are reduced to $10 per person, with the balance being subsidized by grants and scholarships.  Sojourner House will select 10 of our families who are willing to commit to 3 shows; Chicago, Grease and Wicked. They will receive a questionnaire for responses on their experiences, which will help gauge the program’s success.

A family of 5 costs $50 out-of-pocket for each show, which is always hard to come by! If you’re interested in sponsoring a family for one or all of the events, please contact us for further information or visit our website www.sojournerhouse.org and click on the Pay Pal link. Be sure to specify that it is for the RBTL Family program.

September 24, 2009

A neighborhood bakery and a whole ‘lotta dough!

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 2:25 pm

logo2

 

Sojourner House would like to thank Bruegger’s Bakery for their generous donation of over $4,000, which came from its Bottomless Mug promotion throughout Rochester area locations. True to their word, Bruegger’s Bakery is a neighborhood bakery that wholly believes in giving back to the communities in which they operate and we cannot thank them enough!

(Note: We would also like to thank all the local caffeine hounds who purchased those bottomless mugs! )

Hart has Heart

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 2:05 pm
Before

Before the renovation...

Katie Hart has been a Sojourner House volunteer for over 6 years; through her Girl Scout Troop in Pittsford, she has faithfully participated in holiday volunteer opportunities. In July 2008, Katie had an idea for her Girl Scout Gold Award (Troop 284) .  Her great love for people (particularly our families here at Sojourner House)  inspired her to create something special using her artistic talents for our families to enjoy. 

What started as an idea for a mural grew, and became more than just wall art; turning into a renovation project for the children’s playroom.  With great respect for the home made here for so many, Katie designed a plan and incorporated each families ideas into her project.  She came back several times  to share her ideas and asked them to vote on the theme… as it turned out, “Under the Sea” was the winner!

Over the course of the year, Katie financed the project through cashing in cans and bottles.  She also received generous funds and donations from the Home Depot, and from her Girl Scout Troop leaders. What was once a playroom for the children at Sojourner House, is now a place for imagination and cheer during a time in our families lives where a little extra fun can go a long way.

Sojourner House is so lucky to have Katie as a volunteer; her hard work and dedication produced a wonderful place for play and healing.  Special thanks also to Katie’s parents, Joyce and Phil Hart for supporting her mission, as well as ours!After: Great job Katie!

Katie with the children in their new playroom!

Katie with the children in their new playroom!

August 20, 2009

NEED NEED NEED YOU YOU YOU

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 8:35 pm

As you know, we house a sizeable group of women and children throughout the year- so every day items are always in use and always in need! If you are interested in helping Sojourner House but are unsure where to start, here is a list of the items our families use most often…

Personal Items:
Toilet paper (!!!!)
Pads and tampons
Deodorant
Lotion
Wipes
Baby diapers
*All of these things are always needed and hard to come by!

Non-perishable food items: 
Coffee
Non-dairy creamer
Canned goods
Pasta
Pasta sauce
*We also need food prep vinyl gloves, garbage bags, cleaners, scrubbys and sponges for the community kitchen area

Other items: 
We use a lot of cleaner such as pine sol or other all purpose cleaners.  We can do the whole house if needed with them. Disposable rags that can be used several times are always nice to have as well.

 

Thank you for thinking of Sojourner House! – We happily accept donations at 30 Millbank Street, Rochester, NY 14619. You are welcome to call us at any time should you have questions or would like directions (585) 436-7100 – We appreciate your support!

August 4, 2009

How does your garden grow?

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 2:59 pm
A wonderful volunteer, Ms. Linda Hannah, started a community garden right here in our own back yard. Everyone pitches in and Sojourner House residents get to eat what crops up. Each week you can find Ms. Linda behind Sojourner House, tending to weeds and keeping things in order. The children love helping out and learning about how their garden grows. (They also love eating all those fresh veggies!)
Gardening_checking it out

Taking a peek....

Look what I found!

Look what I found!Tomatoes!Time to eat!

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July 31, 2009

Nothing mini about it! Thanks GRHF!

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 6:03 pm
Taking a spin around the house

Taking a spin around the house

Sojourner House is lucky to have been a recipient of a Community Mini-Grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation; their mission is to improve the health status of Rochester area communities.

With this funding, we have been able to improve nutrition and increase the amount of physical activities for the children  whose families receive services from Sojourner House. Health and well being is a top priority here at the House.

One of the wonderful benefits of this grant was the ability to purchase bicycles for our residents and their children to use during their time here. As you can see, they are most certainly getting their use; everyone really enjoys riding them!

Thanks Greater Rochester Health Foundation!
http://www.thegrhf.org

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July 27, 2009

a Positive Attitude…

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 2:59 pm

We recently held an internal contest to see who could come up with a tagline that best represented what we do here at Sojourner House. 

Providing Shelter, Structure, Strength and Inspiration to women and their families has been our long-standing motto, but each person has their own idea of what our services mean to the community; I thought it would be interesting to see what our staff came up with. 

Their positive attitudes are reflected so brightly in the statements below and are the reason that we are able to help so many famillies achieve success; I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. As far as I am concerned, they are all winners!

Sojourner House…

A place to realize your dreams for family and home.

We provide shelter, structure and strength for a better tomorrow building dreams, one family at a time.

A springboard for success Empowering women/families to dream BIG .

We walk families home.

Your hopes are our business.

Family success is our business.

Planned progress toward success.

Partners for your success.

Where hope meets help.

Strengthening individuals, families and communities.

Where service meets need.

You can count on us to help you achieve your goals.

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July 17, 2009

a good start to the morning…

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 12:15 pm

smile_cute_girl_250179_tnI got here a little early Friday a.m. and the house had been stirring with the usual activities. I heard  little footsteps running up and down the hallway; a few of our 3 year-olds were playing while waiting for rides to day care. 

I walked through the dining room on my way in and got a giant hug from one of our little boys. What a great start to the morning! The children here are so full of love and gratitude, it never really ceases to amaze me. We forget how easy it can be to get swept up in the daily grind; we forget that this isn’t just a place of business; it is a home and a place of healing. 

Nancy Watson Dean founded Sojourner House because there was a need for housing for women in Rochester who were in crisis and just as it is in any household, things aren’t always easy. But with strength and understanding, we manage to get through. Our programs and our people are what make all the difference and it shows; you can always find a smiling child running around here somewhere!  
- Amanda

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July 8, 2009

Roc City Roller Derby: Kicking butt for a cause

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 7:38 pm
Many of you may not have heard of Roc City Roller Derby or the insanely cool women who make up this unique, tight-knit group. With names like Paraliza Minelli and Thea Pocalypse, you wouldn’t know that these amazing ladies are all heart. Sure they might knock you on your butt come match time, but they sure know how to show their support!

On Saturday June 20th, the RCRD hosted Buffalo’s Alley Cats for the second bout of the season. A portion of the proceeds benefited Sojourner House, raising $1,000 and a ton of diapers donated by RCRD fans and friends. Thank you to our new friends at Roc City Roller Derby and everyone who brought a pack of diapers to the match; without your support, we couldn’t do what we do!

Check them out at: http://www.rocderby.com/

Photo by Dan Williams

Photo by Dan Williams

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Sweet Deal

Filed under: Uncategorized — sojournerhouse @ 7:08 pm

picnik-popsicle-green-611155-lWe’d like to thank our friends in the Leadership Class at Penfield High School for their generosity; the club earned money through the sales of freeze pops at school.

Their creative philanthropic efforts raised over $1,048 and was so greatly appreciated! It is encouraging to see young people interested in contributing their time and resources to Impact organizations like Sojourner House; we look forward to working with these future leaders in the new school year!

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