Another year has ended and financially it has been a challenging one for the Julie’s House organization. We have had many unexpected expenses. God met our “daily” needs, we paid the bills, we survived, and we are thankful.
With the help of many, many generous donors and volunteers, the nine children and their mothers at Julie’s House had an awesome Christmas. Woodmen of the World Lodge #1571 gave them a wonderful party at their lodge on Wheeler Road. They had pizza, corn dogs, gifts, and all the trimmings. Santa Claus also paid a visit. Peggy Ryder planned and coordinated the party. John Ryder, her husband, is president of the lodge. Thank you, Peggy, John, and Woodmen of the World Lodge #1571. The Cook/Malzer/Hale Sunday school class from Warren Baptist Church gave our families a huge turkey for their Christmas dinner. Thank you, Cook/Malzer/Hale Sunday school class! Teddy Collingsworth is their coordinator. Jan Scarbary and Kathy Shuford always help our families not only at Christmas but also throughout the year. Thank you, Jan and Kathy!
Eighteen volunteers and board members attended our Christmas party at Red Lobster Restaurant. Virginia Summerall made beautiful party favors and table decorations. Piccadilly Cafeteria donated a delicious cake for a door prize. Robert Whitfield is the manager of Piccadilly Cafeteria. Thank you, Virginia, Robert, volunteers, and board members for giving your time to support our ministry!
In our last newsletter, I asked for donations of furniture and appliances for our thrift store. Furniture Rentals on Washington Road gave us a huge truckload of beautiful furniture and a washer and dryer to use at Julie’s House. Thank you, Mrs. Paula Blalock and Stan Blalock, for this kind gesture! Mrs. Paula volunteers at our thrift store and is a member of Warren Baptist Church. Stan is her son. This donation greatly boosted the sales at Making Ends Meet Bargain Center and we very much needed an additional washer and dryer at our shelter.
A big “thank you” to W. A. Bragg & Company in Martinez for donating a 50-gallon water heater for our shelter. Gary Judy came to our rescue when the water tank began to leak and Elsie Long and Susan Swanson donated the money to cover the cost of installation of the new heater. Elsie is my aunt and Susan is director of Care Pregnancy Center. Thank you, Gary, Elsie, and Susan!
The ladies of Central Church of Christ donated household items for Julie’s House. Sandra Ryan and Sonja Bruce are their leaders. Thank you, ladies, for the gift of these much-needed items!
Once again, Julie’s House was awarded a grant from the Border Bash Foundation. Tom Sorrells and I attended a press conference at Beasley Broadcasting Group on December 21, 2011, and received a check for $4,000.00. Thank you, Border Bash Foundation, for your support, Tommy Rogers, for being our advocate, and Tom Sorrells, for accepting the check and giving a beautiful presentation!
We need a built-in dishwasher for one of the kitchens at Julie’s House. If you can donate one or have a contact that will give us this item, please let me know. In addition, if your Sunday school class or civic organization would like to donate and prepare a meal for a support group meeting, I would greatly appreciate the assistance.
The amount of donations that we receive for our thrift store is amazing and we need many more volunteers to sort the items, to keep our store nice and neat, and to serve our customers. If you would like to give some of your time to fill this need, please call me at 706-836-2781 or just drop by the store and “sign up”.
Pat Bourke
Upcoming events . . .
- WRDW – News 12 features Making Ends Meet Bargain Center as their “Time to Care” Organization for January 2012
- Thursday, January 19, 2012, 1:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. bring items to donate
- Hours – Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday – 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. – Saturday – 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
- Support group meetings - January 26 and February 23. For more information and reservations, call 706-836-2781. We serve dinner.
- Making Ends Meet Bargain Center Bag Days - February 1, 2, 3, & 4 and February 29 & March 1, 2, & 3 $5.00 for a bag of clothes, shoes, purses, stuffed animals, and/or books. La Petite Plaza – Suites 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, & 1F Off of Washington Road between CSRA Camperland and Bojangle’s.