We’d like to thank our friends at Saints and Sinners for their $500 donation to benefit the women and families of Sojourner House. Proceeds from their annual roast were distributed throughout the community to local organizations, like Sojourner House.
At its inception in 1929, the “Circus Saints And Sinners Of America, Inc.” was formed to aid old or indigent circus people. As the circus industry evolved to having unions and thus benefits for retirement, the purpose was altered to raise money for qualified charitable organizations.
As their website further explains, several local “Tents” were established to enhance the national organization. In, 1952, the Tom Thumb Tent, Rochester, New York was formed as an affiliate of the national Circus Saints And Sinners Of America, Inc. The tent name was changed in 1985 to Tom Thumb/Tony Giambrone in honor of one of the founders, Tony Giambrone.
In 2005, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to separate the group from the National organization. This has allowed the organization to give more money locally rather than support charities outside of the local area. Today the organization is serving the Rochester and surrounding area as “Saints And Sinners, Inc.”. Since its inception, the organization has given more than 700 hundred thousand dollars to local charitable organizations.
Funds are raised at two major events throughout each year: “The Fall Guy Show” in October where a local celebrity is honored and “roasted”, and a Reverse Raffle in the spring. The monies raised at each event are given to charities that our membership recommends. All of the profits from these functions are distributed to charities in the local area. Annual membership dues fund any administrative costs.
http://saintsnsinners.org
Sojourner House would like to thank our loyal volunteer, Ted Hunt, and his students at Allendale Columbia for their generous donation of $2,300, which was raised by the Sophomore class during their Holiday Bazaar. Each year, they collect items from family and friends to sell or raffle in order to raise funds for a local organization.
Sylvia helped to fill our donation room with stacks of wrapped presents once again this year!
Thanks Sylvia!
Sojourner House would like to send out a special thank you to all of our wonderful donors this year who helped make this a special Christmas for our families. We had at least 50 individuals and companies aide in our Holiday giving; including gift cards, individual gifts, presents for adopted families, stuffed stockings and monetary donations. With hearts warmed and big smiles, our families were grateful and touched for everything they received. We could not have done it without you all, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Happy Holidays!
Santa!
Merry Christmas!
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!
