 From: The Columbia County News Times By Jenna Martin Staff Writer http://newstimes.augusta.com/stories/2011/01/23/new_602949.shtml Helping others can become contagious. At Julie's House, volunteers open their arms every day to battered and homeless women and their children. The nonprofit organization receives help of its own. A Sunday school class from Warren Baptist Church lends a hand to help Julie's House aid women in times of crisis. "I really couldn't run the store and have this organization without my volunteers," said Julie's House Executive Director Pat Bourke. "They come in and do whatever needs to be done." The Sunday school class, known at Warren Baptist as the Cook/Malzer/Hale small group, chose Julie's House as the organization they wanted to assist as a church mission project. "It was something that women and men could both do," said Melissa Widener, a member of the class. "There's always something here for us to do." For the past year, about 10 people from the class have spent a Saturday each month volunteering at the Julie's House thrift store, Making Ends Meet Bargain Center in La Petite Plaza in Martinez. The center opened in November 2008 to house donations that poured in for the Columbia County shelter. The store quickly outgrew its 900-square-foot storefront in the plaza and now occupies 5,800 square feet and most of the shopping center. Volunteers sort through donated items and organize merchandise in the store. "I think we've all started donating here," said church volunteer Christy Warren. Their work doesn't stop there. Men from the church group devote time doing yard work at the shelter and maintaining the 10-room residence. Group members recently raised funds to enclose the playground with a privacy fence to give clients at the shelter a sense of safety. During the holidays, Bourke said, a volunteer from the church also cooked and brought a Christmas meal to the shelter. "They served it, and they were experiencing the joy of giving to others," she said. Bourke noted that the volunteers take time away from their busy schedules and families to do for others. "Families, especially with school-age children, your time is so valuable," she said. "They have been so good to give me their Saturdays." Click here to return to story: http://newstimes.augusta.com/stories/2011/01/23/new_602949.shtml Add Comment  Anita Tardy volunteers at Making Ends Meet Bargain Center, a thrift store that supports Julie's House, a shelter for homeless women and their children. Photo by Lisa Kaylor, Augusta Chronicle Staff Originally Published by the Augusta Chronicle, March 10th, 2010 MONTHS OF SERVICE: Three WHAT SHE DOES: "I'm a 'go-for.' I go for this and I go for that. I do anything they tell me to do, except the cash register. Customer service, merchandise. I work with the customers, talking to them, straightening up." WHY SHE DOES IT: "What I liked about this store was it was such a good cause. This is a thing I'm interested in because I was a foster child. I believe in what they do." THE ORGANIZATION: Making Ends Meet Bargain Center ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: The bargain center is a thrift store that provides income to support Julie's House, a shelter for homeless women and their children. It is also a resource center, providing clothing and household items to needy families. The store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The center accepts all donations. Items that are not used are donated to Mercy Ministries. GREATEST NEEDS: Volunteers are needed to work in the thrift store. The center also needs a truck, which is tax deductible, said Executive Director Pat Bourke. The store needs spring and summer clothing, especially children's clothing. HOW YOU CAN HELP: Donate clothing, household goods and furnishings by dropping them off at the center during its business hours. Large items can be picked up. To make arrangements for a pickup or to volunteer, call Bourke at (706) 836-2781. National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors presents $2,000 to Julie's House. 01/18/2010
 Originally published by the Augusta Chronicle - January 18th, 2010 The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors -- Augusta presented $2,000 to Julie's House. The proceeds were from the organization's annual golf tournament in November. Pictured are: Pat Loflin (from left), Pat Bourke, Terry Lawson, Mike Balchin, Pat Campbell, Brenda Clark and Mike Herrington.  Pat Bourke (left), the executive director of Julie's House, is presented keys to a home by Nettie Dumais, a Realtor who helped Bourke locate and close on the newly purchased Columbia County home to be renovated for homeless women and their children. Paragraph. Julie's House Charity Golf Tournament 04/01/2007
 Columbia County News-Times April 1, 2007 Jay Blackburn (from left), Jack Blackburn, Paul Atchison and Nick Faulkner were the first place team in the Julie's House Charity Golf Tournament held at Bartram Trail Golf Club in Evans on March 14. Blackburn Insulation Company sponsored the team. The winning team received a night's lodging at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge and a round of golf at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga. Award Presented to Julie's House Inc. 03/27/2007
 Allstate agent Tom Sorrells, of Martinez, presented Julie's House Inc. Executive Director Patricia Bourke with a check for $500 from a grant from the Allstate Foundation on March 27. Julie's House Looking for a Home of its Own 07/06/2006
 Pat Bourke, Executive Director of Julie's House Inc., is searching for a permanent home for a crisis center for women and their children. Her offices are now at Broad Street Baptist Ministry. By Lindsay Wilkes-Edrington | Staff Writer Augusta Chronicle July 06, 2006 Through her work as a human services specialist, Pat Bourke says, she has seen many women in the Augusta area who are at risk of becoming homeless. "I've had women at my desk, with their children sitting at my feet with a little baggie of animal crackers, and they did not know where they were going to sleep the next night," she said. "I'd call shelters for them, but often hear, 'We're at capacity, we can't take any more tonight.' I just felt helpless to do anything." So Ms. Bourke is working to establish Julie's House, a crisis center and transitional housing facility that will help local women and children, including many who are leaving domestic-violence situations, get back on their feet. Although the center has yet to be built, Ms. Bourke has started serving women in emergency situations by putting them up in hotels or transporting them to shelters in Aiken. "I'm having to start small, but I feel led to do this," she said. According to the Augusta Task Force for the Homeless, 65 beds are available for women in local shelters, and all fill up fairly quickly. Even when there is space available, Ms. Bourke said, the 30, 60 or 90 days that women are allowed to stay doesn't allow them to get situated and start a new life. She said she envisions Julie's House as a place with several efficiency apartments where women and their children can stay for up to 24 months while they receive help securing a job, getting an education and finding a new home. "These women not only have to heal emotionally and physically, but they often have a lot of legal things to take care of," Ms. Bourke said. "They're going to be the head of the household, and you can't be head of the household on minimum wage." Julie's House is named after the first woman Ms. Bourke helped. The woman, who was going through a divorce, had never been in the work force. With Ms. Bourke's assistance, she was able to find a job. Since Julie's House began in 2004, Ms. Bourke said, she and her volunteers have helped more than 20 women. The center is currently operating with limited funds, which have been donated by local businesses and those who attended a fundraising dinner. But Ms. Bourke is also seeking grants and hopes to find a building to house the center. She is confident that Julie's House will then be able to assist many more. "We know how important this is to the community, and we need to get the message out," said Tom Sorrells, a member of the center's board of directors. "Julie's House could be a really good thing, and I feel like it should be a community effort." From the Friday, July 07, 2006 edition of the Augusta Chronicle Be sure to watch for segments about Julie's House on WJBF-TV during the month of July and read about our organization in the July and August issues of Skirt Magazine. Thank you, Cindy Giet, for nominating me for the Giving your Best Award. We are pleased that our organization is receiving media coverage. |
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