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.
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! )
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!
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!
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!)
Taking a peek....
Look what I found!Tomatoes!Time to eat!
I 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. 
We’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.