The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will host a volunteer sign-up day Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in an effort to recruit volunteers to serve at its Valley thrift store locations.

“We’re in need of committed, energetic and motivated volunteers of all ages to help in our thrift stores,” said Shirley Smalley, committee chair of the St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores. “People can stop by at their convenience throughout the day to sign-up and help us better serve those in need.”

Volunteer sign-up events will be held at the following seven locations:

• Apache Junction Thrift Store – 2540 W. Apache Trail, Apache Junction – (480) 380-4515
• Bell Road Thrift Store – 2945 E. Bell Road, Phoenix – (602) 493-8126
• Chandler Thrift Store – 2051 N. Arizona Avenue, Chandler – (480) 812-1156
• Glendale Thrift Store – 7018 N. 57th Avenue, Glendale – (623) 931-9901
• Ozzie’s Furnishings – 3931 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix – (602) 955-1460
• Mesa Thrift Store – 2352 W. Main Street, Mesa – (480) 644-0887
• Sunnyslope Thrift Store – 8231 N. 7th Street, Phoenix – (602) 861-2634

St. Vincent de Paul operates a total of 17 thrift stores throughout central and northern Arizona, where people in need—and the general public—can shop for low-cost clothing, furniture and household items. All proceeds from store sales directly fund St. Vincent de Paul’s much-needed programs and services for the homeless and working poor.

CLICK HERE to sign up and become a St. Vincent de Paul volunteer today!

There are many temptations in life. But I think that word takes on a whole new meaning when you visit Ozzie’s Furnishings, a unique boutique filled with some of the nicest treasures donors have given St. Vincent de Paul.

Every time I visit the store, I find something that I just must have – a silver water pitcher, a set of white wicker chairs for my backyard, a drop-leaf table for my college son’s apartment, a mirror in a lovely old carved frame for my daughter’s bedroom, and I could go on.

So I was happy to see that The Arizona Republic named Ozzie’s Furnishings one of “5 decor shops for easy-on-the-wallet updates” in an article by Jaimee Rose and Susan Felt in Sunday’s newspaper (Feb. 7, 2010).

Here’s what the article said:

Ozzie’s Furnishings is the place to hunt for items like a Louis XVI bedroom set made in the 1930s, artwork, lamps, contemporary leather sofas and other family heirlooms donated to St. Vincent de Paul’s boutique-like store. New inventory arrives twice a week, and it’s priced to sell. Proceeds benefit St. Vincent’s charity programs.

3931 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix. 602-955-1460, ozziesfurnishings.com.

Gee, it’s been awhile since I visited. Time to see what other treasures are awaiting me. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Hard work, of course. But also higher education.

That’s why Terry Wilson started the One at a Time Scholarship Program at St. Vincent de Paul several years ago. Education has always been the best hope for creating the opportunities for success and achieving permanent economic change in families.

This program provides financial aid to students who would not be able to attend college without our financial help. Many are the first in their families to enjoy higher education. Besides a commitment of financial help to pursue a four-year degree, these students receive the help and support of an adult mentor.

Jeff Hornacek and Terry Wilson

Yesterday, the 23 students currently in the One at a Time Scholarship Program, along with their families and mentors, gathered for lunch and encouragement from NBA star Jeff Hornacek and SVdP Board President Joe Riley.

Joe pointed out to the students “…how important it is to think positively. Those who harbor a negative view of life, whose cup is always half-empty, impose a terrible and foolish burden on themselves. I’m not even willing to settle for my cup being half-full. I always try to think that it runneth over. Maintaining that positive outlook can make all the difference, every day. I can think of countless ways in which it has been beneficial to me.”

He also shared this poem with those in attendance. It’s a message we can all use:

The Victor
C.W. Longenecker

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

If you would like to learn more about the One at a Time Scholarship Program, become a mentor or make a financial donation, please contact Terry Wilson at tbakerwi@aol.com.

What a wonderful surprise last week when we received 590 pairs of gently used blue jeans for our Ministry to the Homeless.  This was the result of a denim drive that KSLX organized with the Phoenix Coyotes. 

We always need blue jeans – especially men’s jeans in sizes 30, 32 and 34. You see, every weekday morning, we help 100 or so people in our Ministry to the Homeless on our main Watkins Road campus.  Most of them are men.  They receive a little something to eat and then visit with a volunteer case manager to see what kind of help they might need.   Sometimes it’s a job referral, or help with transportation to a job, or work boots.  We also provide showers and clean clothes.

That’s where the blue jeans come in.  Jeans are the most requested clothing item. So these 590 pair of blue jeans are a most welcomed gift.  Thank you to KSLX and to the Phoenix Coyotes for making this happen. And to everyone who donated their blue jeans.

Eighth grade boys don’t usually cry. Especially a tall, handsome soccer player, who says math is his favorite subject in school.

Anthony lives with his mother, and three other siblings – Israel, a 4th grader, Vanessa, age 3, and Andrea, 18 months old, in a small, tidy house not far from the Arizona State Capital. Like other working poor families in the neighborhood, they struggle to make ends meet.

I learned about this family because they had received help from the St. Vincent de Paul conference in the area. I was so taken by the four children when I met them – their politeness and especially how warmly they responded to my presence.

SVdP has helped keep this family together over a period of years. During a rough patch four years ago, we supplied mattresses so the mother and her then 9- and 5-year-old sons wouldn’t have to sleep on the hard floor in the one-bedroom apartment the mother managed to rent. Another time, we helped with a rent payment that kept the family from eviction. Several months ago, the mother found a new job at a call center. A voucher for our thrift store allowed her to obtain suitable work clothes.

Recently, we have been supplying the family with monthly food boxes to help supplement the small salary the mother receives. With two hungry, active boys and two children in daycare, her salary can’t quite cover all their needs.

So what made Anthony cry? When it came time for school this year, Anthony’s one school uniform no longer fit him and was very worn after a year of wear and washings. He wouldn’t go to school without a uniform that fit him.

His mother told me that we provided clothing vouchers in August so that both boys could have new school uniforms.

When I asked Anthony what that meant to him, tears ran down his face. Those tears said everything.

I wanted to cry, too. For him, for his pride and for knowing how such little help can mean so much.

Volunteers help serve lunch to those in need at the St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix Dining Room.

Coincidently, I was introduced to Keith Maio, president of National Bank of Arizona, at a social function last Friday night.  He told me how much his staff enjoys serving breakfast to our guests.  He lets those who volunteer wear their t-shirt for the rest of the day.  He did admit, rather sheepishly, that this was way outside the dress norms at his bank.  But by letting the staff wear their t-shirts, they attract others to volunteer and are building a greater camaraderie among the staff.

We have almost 200 corporate partners now, but always need more help.  Denise Brittain heads up our corporate partnership efforts at SVdP and would love to talk to any company looking to become more involved.  She can be reached at (602) 421-7106 or dbrittain@svdp-phx-az.org.

I love stories like this – when everyone benefits from their actions.

As told by Susan de Queljoe, Director of Community Relations & Business Strategies, St. Vincent de Paul

Working at St. Vincent de Paul for several years has given me an opportunity to work with many interesting people. Over time, of course, I’ve collected memories of these meaningful experiences. I want to share a couple with you today.

The first depicts St. Vincent de Paul’s history here in Arizona and exemplifies how much fun putting together an event can be when people bring their creative ideas together.

In 2005, when our old charity dining room on 9^th Avenue in Phoenix was closing, my team was asked to put together an opening ceremony for our new dining room on the new Human Services Campus. While we did want to promote the new dining room, we also wanted to pay tribute to our past volunteers, employees and clients.

We located John Bedway, Jr., our first cook’s son, by then an elderly man himself, and on the very last day of the 9^th Avenue dining hall’s operation, he and a team of volunteers served the same meal that was served on its very first day in 1952.

St. Vincent de Paul received a lot of news coverage, but more importantly we honored those who served before us and recommitted ourselves to supporting this community.

My second dining room memory is a bit more personal.

On my bulletin board is a picture taken of a baby who was in our dining room on Thanksgiving morning during my first year with St. Vincent’s. What a beautiful, innocent child. How sad to see her in a charity dining room and unaware of the challenges that lay ahead of her.

I’ve kept this photo over the years to remind me why we’re all here serving at St. Vincent de Paul.

I’m sure you have some memories of your SVdP volunteer efforts or charitable experiences in some other capacity; maybe even stories about what motivates you at work.

Care to share? Whether you’re a Vincentian, a prospective volunteer or one of our blog readers I am always interested in what motivates people to take action.

As told by Susan de Queljoe, Director of Community Relations & Business Strategies, St. Vincent de Paul

Many have seen some of wireless telephone provider Verizon’s commercials touting the power of their network, and you might even be getting a little tired of the “can you hear me now?” guy in most of those commercials.

Well, hats off to Verizon for, at minimum, communicating what they believe is their value to customers and prospective customers.

One of these commercials got me thinking about networks, networks of people, and the powerful things they can do.

There’s one such network within St. Vincent de Paul. Specifically this is our 89 conferences based in Catholic parishes throughout central and northern Arizona.

Our conferences deserve much more credit than the busy nature of running St. Vincent de Paul permits us to give them. The parish conference members provide thousands of hours of their time and the financial resources to help people in need; yet their work often goes unseen.

They are run by volunteers who help provide for the needs of the homeless and working poor in their local communities. Services include food boxes, rent and utility assistance, among other living essentials.

At St. Vincent de Paul, we’re focused on keeping people from becoming homeless. We have over 3,000 volunteers working in the community every single day to help others in need. Most of this assistance isn’t witnessed by others since it is often provided via in-home visits to the working poor.

I cannot fully express how fortunate we are to have so many volunteers organized into conferences across Arizona. Without them we could not operate in such a meaningful capacity.

We want to hear more about the good things these conferences are doing. If you’re a member of a Conference of Charity (or want to become a member), please share a comment below or give Patricia Metrick a call at 602-850-6717.

As told by Susan de Queljoe, Director of Community Relations & Business Strategies, St. Vincent de Paul

We have a big problem here at St. Vincent de Paul in central and northern Arizona. Actually, it’s a good one. And you can help!

There are so many businesses in the Phoenix area and across the state that want to volunteer their time or donate funds to help the homeless and working poor, but they just don’t know how to initially get involved with St. Vincent de Paul.

Well, the easy answer is you can just have them call our Volunteer Services department at 602-261-6868 or Denise Brittain, Corporate Partnerships director at 602-850-6735. We’ll make sure they get a friendly guide to volunteer opportunities.

Another way to encourage people to become involved is to share stories about how other companies volunteer and donate. If you’re already one of these look for ways to make your efforts more visible. Again, I’m the director of community relations for SVdP, so a call to my office is often all it takes.

Here are a couple nice examples of community service in action.

Marco’s Pizza, a new pizza parlor, recently opened in Chandler and decided that for every pizza sold during their grand opening they would donate two dollars to SVdP.

Our sincere thanks to James Turner at Marco’s Pizza.

Upstart businesses like the pizza restaurant often get involved with St. Vincent de Paul because they witness other companies making an effort.

This summer, Basha’s raised $52,000 for SVdP with a peanut butter and jelly drive.

A simple peanut butter and jelly drive; amplified by their advertising and in-store communications.

Our thanks to Basha’s and the thousands of SVdP volunteers and donors.

How about you? Do you know any businesses with resources that can help Arizona citizens in need of life essentials like food, medical care or job training? Maybe you have an individual skill you can offer once a week? Let us know with a comment here or a phone call.