Donation of purses

I want to tell you about a creative way a group of women donated to Shepherds of Good Hope recently.

Three of the women -- Monica Wright, her daughter Tracey Wright and Tanya O'Connor -- were part of a group that collected women's purses to give to the women who stay at our shelter or in one of our supportive living facilities. But they donated a lot more than just purses. Those purses were filled with donated items that women can use every day. Here's a CTV story on the project.

It's a very clever way of making a donation. We know the women in our care will love getting these purses that we plan to hand out later this month at Christmas. Thank you so much to the group for taking on this project. I'm sure it was fun.

It's a great example, though, of how fundraising can be fun. If you're doing a group fundraising project, set a goal. Hopefully you'll exceed that goal but goals can make a project manageable. For example, the women who collected the purses had the goal of filling the purses with certain items. A school will set a goal of making a certain number of sandwiches in one day. You might hold a canned food drive at your company and ask each person to bring in one can each day for a week. The goal is so easy for everyone to meet. Just one can per day for five days. And yet at the end of the week, everyone will be shocked at how much that adds up to. We'll even pick it up for you.

If you would like some ideas on what to donate, please visit our donation page or contact me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

From left to right: Anna Silverman, Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation Executive Director, Monica Wright, Tracey Wright, Micah Garten, Development Officer, and Tanya O'Connor

Very special Christmas cards

When I look at these Christmas cards, it warms my heart. Take a look at these photos. These cards were all made by children who stay at the Holy Family Extended Day program after school.

This is the second year the children have made these cards for us to hand out to the women who live in our shelter and our supportive living facilities.

Thank you so much everyone for working so hard and designing such beautiful cards. I know the women who receive them will really enjoy them.

Christmas can be a very lonely time of the year for the people we care for. Many don't have contact with their families. Christmas for many is just another day on the calendar. But at Shepherds of Good Hope, we want Christmas to be more than just another day on the calendar and this wonderful gift of handmade cards helps us do that.

Great work, everyone!

Couture for a Cause

I had the wonderful pleasure last night of attending and speaking at Couture for a Cause, a fundraiser for Shepherds of Good Hope.

The focus was on women's special care unit. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them we are the only homeless shelter that houses both men and women. Every program and service we offer -- managed alcohol program, worker program, transitional emergency shelter program, enhanced support program, soup kitchen, clothing program, etc., -- are offered equally to both men and women. The second thing that often surprises people is the depth and breadth of programs and services we offer. We're best known for the shelter and the soup kitchen but we do so much more.

We have one program that is geared to women only. The women's special care unit provides 16 beds to women who are dealing with complex health issues and/or addition issues. We help them with those challenges and case workers work with them to help develop life skills that will serve them well when they leave the shelter.

We also have 60 beds in the shelter for women and Brigid's Place, a housing first facility, has 11 rooms for women.

Last night's event was an opportunity to talk about the programs and services we offer to women in our care. Thank you to everyone who organized the event which included dinner, a fashion show and a silent auction.

Your support helps us ensure no women is turned away. It allows us to help them build a life of dignity. Thank you.

If you would like to know more about the services we offer to women, please click here. To help women who are homeless, please click here.

Thank you to the women at Quota

The Quota Club of Ottawa held its 18th annual Night at the Races event Sunday night. This year their goal was to raise money for women's services at Shepherds of Good Hope.

It was a fantastic event and I really enjoyed myself. We started off with a buffet meal at 6 pm and then the races started at 6:30. We even got a special treat to ride in the pace car. I met some wonderful people and had a chance to catch up with some people I see here and there around Ottawa.

Although this is the 18th year in a row the Quota Club of Ottawa has held the event, the organization has a long history in the capital. They have been serving the community for 69 years!

We are thrilled with the number of groups each year that hold third-party events to raise money to help us do out work. Thank you to the Quota Club of Ottawa for a wonderful event.

Women Leaders

I had the pleasure and honour earlier this week to be a part of a panel of women who hold leadership positions in the non-profit sector. It was hosted by ELLE.

We had a chance to talk about our careers, the best advice we ever received, our mentors and the challenges facing women who aspire to be leaders and what can be done to improve it. Yesterday, I blogged about my motivation.

Today, I want to share another thought with you. One of the questions we were asked was what was the best advice you ever received. It's hard to narrow it down just to one piece of advice but here's what comes to mind right away: If you believe in yourself, others will believe in you. You have to have faith in yourself. It was many years ago when this was passed onto me, but it has stuck with me.

I've worked with a lot of great people, people I consider mentors. I work with great people every day at Shepherds of Good Hope. But to believe you can do the job, to believe you can make a difference, it has to start with you. You have to believe in yourself. It won't always be easy but you have to start with that belief in yourself.

I also believe in what we do at Shepherds of Good Hope. I've had the good fortune of working in different industries and working with many different people. But every day, thanks to our donors, our volunteers, and our staff, we make a difference in the lives of so many people who have so little. We do it because we believe.

I'd love to hear what advice you've been given in your career or life. Leave a comment or send me an e-mail at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

What motivates me to raise funds

On Tuesday, I was part of a women-in-leadership conference. One of the stories I shared with the audience was my motivation behind why I do what I do at Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation. For those of you who know me, you know what I do. I ask you for money because I believe in what we do at Shepherds of Good Hope.

Regardless of where I have worked, I have always filled my spare time with volunteer work. But when I came to Shepherds of Good Hope and sat at my desk for the first time, I thought, what now? What do I do next?

I knew I had to really learn about the people I was going to serve. So I made a decision to spend a night at the women’s shelter. I can honestly tell you it changed my life. One of my motivations was to hear the other women talk to me as if I was one of them.

I remember sitting in the TV room. I talked to a woman who had been there for three months. She had come from a small town. The problem is once you get in, you can’t get out and that’s all the motivation I needed to raise as much money as I can every day to help these people, to help these people find their direction in their lives. It’s one conversation that made me look at things very, very differently.

The reality is it could happen to anyone of us. I remember as I walked across the street from my office to the shelter building the angst I felt. This could really happen. I could lose my job. I could lose my home. I could lose everything I have. Just like these people on the street. And all I can say is they are people just like us and they need help. Thank God Shepherds of Good Hope has all of these wonderful programs to help them.

* * *
To help the men and women at Shepherds of Good Hope, please consider making a donation.

Giving hope to homeless women in Ottawa

When I talk about the services we provide for women, a lot of people are surprised we are the only homeless shelter that accepts women. Other shelters will feed them, but they don't give them a place to sleep. There are reasons for that, but at Shepherds of Good Hope, we made a decision we were going to be there for Ottawa's most in-need people and gender wasn't going to be an issue.

There are several different programs we run for women. We have a 60-bed shelter for women and transgendered individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

While they're here, the women have access to medical staff, counsellors and outreach workers. We also have a women's special care unit. It's a 16-bed unit for women with more challenging medical issues.

Although those are dedicated services to women, all of the programs we offer to Ottawa's homeless population are there for men and women. For example, there are women in our Worker Program. There are women in TESP.

Finally, we have Brigid's Place, a housing first facility with room for 11 women. These are women who can live independently but still need support services in place.

Like all of our programs, we staff them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you want to learn more about the services we provide to women or book a tour, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me. 613-789-8210, ext 247. Email: asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

Quota Club of Ottawa raises funds for Shepherds of Good Hope

I'm always touched by people who want to hold events to raise funds for us so that we can continue to help Ottawa's homeless population.

The Quota Club of Ottawa, which is celebrating 69 years of community service, is another example of a group fundraising for us. For the last 18 years, this group has been hosting an event called Night at the Races. The event is held at the Rideau Carleton Raceway and Slots and this year the money raised will support our women's shelter.

The women's shelter provides care and services to women 18 years or older who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The women come from all different backgrounds. They might be facing financial challenges or fleeing an abusive partner. Some struggle with mental health issues. They have nowhere else to turn but we take them in, care for them. and provide a safe place to stay. While they're in our care, they have access to a variety of programs we hope will help them stabilize and find independent housing.

I want to thank everyone with Quota for donating the proceeds of their event to us. We know it's going to be a fabulous event.

This year, it's set for Sunday, Oct. 4. Tickets are $60 and include a full course buffet dinner, valet parking, and of course, a racing program. Tickets can be purchased by calling Willy Lee at 613-738-8888 or you can email at quota_fundraiser@outlook.com.

If you would like to raise funds on our behalf with your next event, please contact me at 613-789-8210, ext. 247 or by email at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

How we help women

There was an article in the Ottawa Sun today about the number of women who rely on shelters.

The people who run the shelters say space is tight and that they are sometimes forced to turn women away. When we think of women's shelters, we most often think of safe places for women to go when they are trying to escape an abusive relationship. It's a sad fact that domestic abuse is still a problem in our country.

When people think of Shepherds of Good Hope, many don't know that we are the only homeless shelter that provides services to both men and women. Every night, there are as many as 100 women in our various programs. Some of those women are escaping a violent relationship and have nowhere else to go. They have a terrible choice. Be homeless or stay in danger. Thankfully, Shepherds is another resource for these women.

For other women, their homelessness is a consequence of other factors. They might be suffering from mental illness and/or dealing with addiction issues. It could be they simply can't find good enough employment to allow them to be on their own in their own homes.

The women come to us from different backgrounds, for different reasons, and with different challenges to address. Our Hope Outreach Emergency Shelter for Women has room for 60 women every night.

In addition to providing a safe bed, we have other services in place. We have TESP (transitional emergency shelter program). The women who are part of this program are chronically homeless and have had severe physical and mental health issues. In TESP, they are cared for by trained health care professionals, counsellors and case management workers.

We also have a dedicated Women's Special Care Unit with 16 beds for women who are suffering from severe health conditions. Sometimes our role is to provide treatment, other times it's to coordinate it with the women's existing health care providers. We also provide assessments and referrals for addiction counselling. We help them with housing and we provide life skills, things like how to keep a room clean, how to shop for groceries, skills we take for granted.

Finally, we have Brigid's Place, a housing first complex. There are 11 women who live there. These women have spent a considerable amount of time living on the street. They did what they had to do to survive. Brigid's Place gives them a safe haven where they can start to take the steps necessary to perhaps one day live more independently. Everyone is different. Everyone goes at their own pace. We set no time limit. The women stay at Brigid's Place for as long as they need us.

If you want to learn more about our women's programs, please check out our program and services page. If you would like a tour on our programs specifically for women, please contact me at asilverman@shepherdsofgoodhope.com.

St. Clare Sandwich Day Continues to Grow

When St. Clare Catholic Elementary School let us know that they were planning on doing sandwich day again this year, we immediately let the soup kitchen know about the date. Last year St. Clare's provided over 800 sandwiches and so we wanted the soup kitchen volunteers to know that they could focus their energy on other tasks for that day.

Well St. Clare managed to out do themselves by making 1027 sandwiches and providing a host of other food all of which will go towards feeding hungry men and women both at the soup kitchen and at some of our supportive living facilities.

We are so grateful to the students and staff at St. Clare's for this incredible bounty and for continuing the tradition of giving back to Ottawa's most vulnerable.

Ladies Who Lunch

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of the ladies that attended the Ladies Who Lunch event yesterday at the Ottawa Convention Centre. There were 300 women that joined together for good food, laughs, Christmas cheer and helping those less fortunate than themselves.

 

 

In raising funds for #GiftofHope, the women managed to raise $5100 towards our Christmas Hamper Program! The Christmas Hamper Program helps over 1100 families per year provide a Christmas meal as well as extras such as children's toys during the holiday season.  What an amazing gift to those that have so little but need so much!

 

If you would like to contribute to the #GiftOfHope, please:

 

Gourmet Cupcakes!

Yesterday we picked up a truck full of food from Creative Kosher Catering. 

Included in the donation was several boxes full of gourmet cupcakes complete with beautiful little high heels on top.  We sent these to the Hope Outreach Women's Emergency Shelter and the women were absolutely delighted!

We are always so grateful to all of our donors!  It is such a nice feeling to give a special treat to those who have so little but need so much!

100 Women Who Care

On Monday night I attended a very special event bringing together caring women of Ottawa and charities.  100 Women Who Care Ottawa held their inaugural fundraising event at Heart & Crown on Preston St.  3 charities were invited to come and speak and each of the 100 women involved donated $100 to the charity of their choice. 

It was so nice to have a chance to speak with these women and let them know what Shepherds of Good Hope does for the community, including homeless women.

 

Thank you so much for having our organization be a part of your incredible event!  

 

To read about our Women's Outreach Shelter, CLICK HERE.