Volunteers from Aetna bring Christmas joy to a family

We first met Tyranza and her family when a team of teens from Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Anthem descended on her home for a two hundred person-hour transformation into a true work of art, as one of our Vincentian Fresh Perspectives home makeover projects. You can see photos of this makeover project here.

This week donor/volunteer employees of Aetna, who have worked with St. Vincent de Paul in so many helpful ways over the years, have learned about Tyranza’s family, and have adopted them for Christmas, bringing presents for all of the kids and meeting the family. This is another example of St. Vincent de Paul’s elves hard at work bringing Christmas joy to disadvantaged families. Thank you for your wonderful generosity! And thank you especially to Sarah from Aetna, who organized this day of giving.

You can find more photos of this joyful day on St. Vincent de Paul’s Facebook page here. (You don’t have to have a Facebook account to see the photos).

Tyronza's family was delighted by the visit from the elves

Vincentian Fresh Perspectives creates volunteer home makeovers for families in need. To learn more or to get involved, contact Gabriela at gbova@svdp-phx-az.org

St. Louis Catholic Parish Youth Group, led by Hannah Voss, jumped out of the fire and into the frying pan this past week when they left Minnesota for a mission trip in Phoenix, Arizona—in the summer.  St. Vincent de Paul’s Vincentian Fresh Perspectives program was blessed the week of August 13th through August 18th with the group of 15 young volunteers and 2 adult supervisors.  Even though the heat was not something that they were used to, the group was cohesive and worked very hard.

St. Louis Parish Youth Group

While the youth group was here in Phoenix, Vincentian Fresh Perspectives had a VERY busy schedule!  They reorganized the “little” warehouse for the Vincentian Fresh Perspectives program, painted furniture to be used in projects, and painted murals on cardboard that also will be used for projects.  Most importantly, however, the group helped us with home makeovers.  For the first time since the program’s inception, we had four home makeovers in one week!  Without the help and cooperation of St. Louis Parish’s Youth Group, completing 4 home makeovers in one week would not have been possible.  To complete one project requires many hours of preparation.  A wish list has to be compiled for each project and then from that list, we hunt for the items in our warehouse.

Teen Angels earning wings!

It’s a bit like a treasure hunt!  Murals are painted on cardboard to be hung on the wall in the children’s rooms.  The truck needs to be loaded here at St. Vincent de Paul and then unloaded at the client’s home.  And lastly, those items need to be placed in the home and nicely organized, hopefully giving the client a “Fresh Perspective” on life.

This group of kids did an outstanding job!  They were a cohesive group that cooperated with one another to complete each project at hand.  It was great watching the group attack each project.  One of the group said, “You hear what they like and you get to make it happen.  You are able to use your creativity.”  And, that’s what they did. They started at the beginning and followed through to the very end. Dividing into groups, each group was focused and went to work doing whatever they were tasked with.  They were so

Decorating a young boy's bedroom

excited to see the looks of joy and to hear the expressions of gratitude from our clients when they realized that what they had done was make their house a home.   In fact, one of the girls said just that—she had been on 6 mission trips and this was her favorite one because she felt she actually was taking part in making a house a home.  This was a wonderful week, filled with blessings.  There were many smiles of joy—not only on the client’s faces but also on the faces of the youth group from St. Louis Catholic Parish.  Thank you so much for your willingness to serve!  You all are awesome!

A Towering Success

St. Vincent de Paul’s Family Evening Meal is a “hotbed” of activities this Summer (if you’ll pardon the Arizona dry humor!). Our manager of Family Programs, Allison Ghan, has put together an update for us, including a monthly calendar, to let you know how easy it us to join us or support us by stopping by for a visit, finding items on our wish list, or volunteering with our families. We hope to see you in our “cool” dining room!

To keep you updated on the many events and activities we have going on this month, we would love to show you our monthly calendar in hopes that you will stop in for a slice of pizza (June 17^th), join our guests in a Zumba class (every Monday!), schedule a time to volunteer (contact Khawkes@svdp-phx-az.org), or simply keep our families in mind as the weather starts to heat up.

Something new and exciting… Although school is out for the kids in the dining room, we are in the middle of an essay contest! One of our corporate partners, Freeport McMoRan, is giving away four bikes to four deserving young kids who are currently writing about who they think deserves a bike.

Volunteers are the center of attention

Winners will travel with their families to a special ceremony where they will receive recognition and their brand new bike! Following that essay contest is another one about energy sponsored by one of our regular volunteers who we believe is secretly trying to get all of the kids to become engineers. Thanks, Charlie!

Wish list:

Essay question for July, and a sponsor willing to donate a couple prizes

Family DVDs for cartoon/movie nights in the dining room

Birthday presents for older children (we have lots of toys, not as many ‘cool’ gifts for ages 10+)

Bingo prizes (anything fun!)

Storytellers spark kids' imagination

Thank you for all of your support for the work we do and people we serve. Take care!

The Family Dining Room Team

Phillip Tirone, who writes a blog on personal growth, volunteered last Monday in one of the St. Vincent dining rooms. He brought an idea we’ve never tried before — name tags for our homeless guests. Phillip writes about his experience, excerpted below, in his blog.

call me by my name

Remember to call me by my name

by Phillip Tirone

On Monday, I had an experience that changed my life.

I’ve been volunteering at the St. Vincent de Paul homeless shelter, which serves thousands of homeless people per week. On the first day I volunteered, I went home feeling really haunted. Homeless people don’t feel like they have dignity. They feel invisible.

And the hard-to-admit truth is …

When I see homeless people on the street, I ignore them. I don’t think I’m alone in this. We ignore homeless people. We try not to look at them. We certainly don’t ask them their names.

It’s almost too sad to think about.

But The Checklist Manifesto inspired me to do something really simple. On Monday, I brought a big bag of nametags to St. Vincent de Paul. As people arrived for their meal, I asked them their names so I could give them nametags.

I handed out 427 nametags last Monday.

Some people didn’t want them, but about 80 percent did. In fact, at times people waited in line for a nametag, even though the food line was empty!

When I spelled a name wrong, some would say, “Don’t worry about it.”

I responded the same way every time: “No, I’m going to get it right; your name is important to me.”

Tears welled up in two people’s eyes. Both times, as these people walked away, my eyes filled with tears as well.

We instructed all the volunteers to start calling people by their first name, and afterward, the executive director, Steve Zabilski, said to me: “I’ve called more people by their first name today than I have in the last 10 years of working here.”

The badges gave them back their names. It gave them an identity, and it gave them some dignity.

And the nametags served as a checklist: Remember, these are people with hearts that feel the pain of life, just like I do.

Windows of Opportunity 

angels who make curtains

The Vincentian Fresh Perspective program is blessed with angels, angels who make curtains!  Ladies from the First Congregational Church in Tempe have taken on the project of putting curtains on all of the windows of the homes the Vincentian Fresh Perspective program is improving.  Led by Pat Quinnett, these ladies scour the East Valley looking for deals on material and hardware and make curtains to order for each home makeover project.  They even personalize them so they “fit” each person’s room and personality!  Their donation of time, talent, and resources truly makes a difference.  As one client put it, “They’ve never had anything like this.  Now my kids are so happy and proud of their rooms, they WANT to keep them clean.  I am so happy!”  We all are grateful, ladies! (You can see a photo album of these angels at work.)

Vincentian Fresh Perspectives: Volunteer home makeovers that prove there’s no place like HOME.

windows of opportunity

St. Vincent de Paul’s new program, Vicentian Fresh Perspectives, creates magic through home makeovers for needy families, using the creativity, donated items, and labor (of love) from volunteers, both individuals and groups. Volunteers are always welcome, and opportunities abound for what activities you or your group might do, from office help to garage “sailing” to paining to bike repair. But we also need your help telling the story of this exciting new program to others, so that more people from the community might be inspired to sponsor a family’s makeover, each in their own way. A typical home makeover needs a financial sponsorship of just $500 to purchase what few supplies aren’t found or donated. For more information about how you can get involved with this new program, contact Gabriela at gbova@svdp-phx-az.org or at 602-261-6897.

The boys' room, after Emmanuel students worked their magic

As they have done for each of the last six years, students from Emmanuel College in Boston once again spent their spring break not partying in Florida, but serving the poor in Phoenix. Each day they worked in our kitchen, served lunch in our main dining room or dinner at our Family Evening Meal, worked in our Ministry to the Homeless, and in other areas.

One full day was especially memorable, and was spent working with SVdP’s new Vincentian Fresh Perspectives program. The students planned and then transformed the home of a family of seven who had just moved here by car — cross country in a mid-sized sedan with two adults, five kids, three pets, and a carpet. Needless to say, the family didn’t have a lot of belongings to brighten up their new home when they arrived and started looking for work.

Especially to brighten the lives of the five children, and make their transition to their new state a happier one, the Vincentian Fresh Perspectives program and our Emmanuel students did a home visit, and planned a full home makeover project for the kids’ bedrooms and the living room. They did this through their own artwork, using low-cost or no-cost materials, donated furniture, a toiletry drive, household items, and lots of love. Our volunteers even pitched in to buy the family a gift card for groceries, and put some of their own spring break money on the family’s utility account to help pay their next electric bill.

The five kids didn’t see their rooms until the work was finished, during an unveiling ceremony where the children opened each bedroom door to experience the transformation our Emmanuel altruists had created for them. The kids loved their new rooms, as you can see from their reactions here.

The boys' room, before Emmanuel students went to work

We can’t stop signing the praises of students like these, who could be partying in Fort Lauderdale, but instead choose to spend their time and money on spring break coming to overlooked neighborhoods in Phoenix to work hard all week long. Thanks to all of you who helped make this project possible!

For more information about the Vincentian Fresh Perspectives program and its home makeovers, contact Gabriela at gbova@svdp-phx-az.org.

A recent article in the Times Publications, which publishes several newspapers in the East Valley, featured one of St. Vincent de Paul’s hardest-working employees, Jackie Solares. Jackie is one of just three full time employees who work with hundreds of St. Vincent’s homeless clients, and with dozens of volunteers who help them, in the dynamic environment of the Special Works Ministries.

I’ve been involved with this program for 13 years, so Jackie and her coworkers are near and dear to my heart. Their energy, passion, and knowledge are amazing, as is their dedication to serving the poor and allowing others the opportunity to serve.

The Times article is reprinted below. The original article, by Shanna Hogan, with photographer Ross Martin, is available at http://www.timespublications.com/odd-jobs/odd-job-give-back.asp.

Refuse to do nothing -- Volunteer! (Photo by Ross Martin)

Giving Back

Hanging on the wall of Jackie Gill-Solares’ cramped office in the hallway of St. Vincent de Paul’s Phoenix ministry, is a painting that reads, “Refuse to do Nothing… Volunteer.”

It’s the motto by which Gill-Solares lives. For 20 years she worked as a barber, volunteering in her spare time for various charitable organizations. It was during one charitable endeavor, three years ago, while providing haircuts for the homeless at St. Vincent de Paul, that she decided to change her life and make giving back her full-time job.

“When I came here, I loved this ministry and what they do. I decided I’d be happier working here,” she says with a smile. “I haven’t regretted it since. It’s been wonderful.”

Each weekday hundreds of the Valley’s homeless and poverty-stricken arrive at the St. Vincent de Paul facility for a sack lunch, shower or a change of clothes. It’s Gill-Solares’ job to help them get back on their feet. As one of just three full-time employees, she wears a lot of hats, assisting in every department.

It’s a very busy and demanding job. And in this current economic downturn, an increasing number of people are finding themselves in need.

“I’m seeing more families and singles who have never been in this situation before, and they just look shell-shocked,” she says. “It’s very scary.”

Jackie Gill-Solares:

Age: 49

Years on the Job: Three

Job: Gill-Solares assists in several different departments including admissions, family services and job placement. “Each client is seen. We try to provide as much service as we can one-on-one.”

Training: “The training is really ongoing. It’s mainly on-the-job training… They didn’t hire me fore my administrative skills; they hired me for my people skills.”

Hours: St. Vincent de Paul provides services to the Valley’s homeless and working poor each weekday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Gill-Solares spends the rest of her workday preparing for the following day’s crowd.

Best Part: “Knowing that I made a difference every day.”

Worst Part: “Having to say ‘no,’ that’s the hardest part. Whether it’s tough love or there’s nothing we can do, saying no is always difficult. But we never send anyone away empty-handed.”

Helping: An average of 137 people a day come to St. Vincent de Paul’s special ministry in Phoenix for assistance. Gill-Solares says that number is increasing.

Needed: St. Vincent de Paul is always in need of clothes, non-perishable food items and monetary donations. This time of year, jeans, sweat pants, work boots and new socks and underwear are in short supply. For more information on how to donate: www.stvincentdepaul.net.

Leonard after his Vincentian Fresh Perspectives home makeover

At one time or another in our lives, most of us have decided that it is time for a change.  For instance, we may want to get some new furniture. Maybe our kids have asked to have their rooms decorated with a particular theme. Or we may choose to paint the walls of our home a different color.  Most of us have the luxury of being able to make those changes happen in our homes.  However, there are many people, especially those individuals and families that we serve at St. Vincent de Paul who, for a variety of reasons, don’t have those luxuries and can’t make those changes.

“Leonard” is a perfect example.  Leonard, from Sacramento, lost his wife of many years after a long and protracted illness.  After paying all of his bills, he decided to make a fresh start by leaving Sacramento and going as far as his money would take him—to Phoenix, Arizona—where he had just enough money left to rent an apartment.  Leonard contacted St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church for help. Their St. Vincent de Paul Conference helped Leonard with a food box, a TV tray, and a bed.

Leonard’s case was also referred to St. Vincent de Paul’s new program, aptly called A Vincentian Fresh Perspective, where in collaboration with the Land of Ahhs Consignment Store, his apartment was furnished with those items necessary to make his house more habitable.  The first day that we met Leonard, he was joyless and depressed.  After the project was finished, Leonard was smiling and filled with joy and exclaimed that “now, I can invite my friends over because I have a place for them to sit.”

Leonard before his Vincentian Fresh Perspective home makeover

Leonard went from merely having a house to having a home that he was proud to call his own.  That is what this new program is all about–a collaborative effort between Vincentian Conferences and volunteers from corporations, churches, schools, or individuals all working together to give those in need A Vincentian Fresh Perspective.

If you are considering volunteering and are wondering if you can really make a difference. The simple answer is “Yes!” A single person that volunteers at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul joins forces with over 16,000 other people who volunteer their time and talents to help the homeless and working poor in Arizona. Why is volunteering important? Because every person can and does make a difference.

Why are volunteers so important?

Each year, St. Vincent de Paul moves over 10 million pounds of food through its food bank, helps thousands of homeless people get off the street, and prepares over 1 million hot meals for the hungry. All of this is possible only with the help of volunteers!

Volunteers are from every religious, ethnic and economic background imaginable. Some people volunteer once a week, some volunteer once a year; however, all volunteers share one thing in common: they want to help improve the lives of the individuals and families that St. Vincent de Paul helps.

There are many different ways in which to volunteer. Each one is important and gives to those in need. Areas of volunteering include:

Processing Center
The processing center receives donated goods and distributes saleable items to our thrift stores. Duties include sorting, quality checking, routing, pricing, and hanging clothing.

Loading Dock
The loading dock receives goods collected by the donation trucks. Duties include unloading trucks and preparing them for the next day. The minimum age to volunteer for this position is 16.

Thrift Stores
Clothing, furniture and household items are given to the poor or sold at bargain prices through the seven different St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores in the Valley. Profits help fund programs that assist the hungry and homeless. Duties include hanging clothes, arranging shelves, answering phones and waiting on customers. All thrift stores are open Monday through Saturday.

Dining Rooms
St. Vincent de Paul operates five dining rooms across the Valley. Duties include set up, serving, bussing tables, and clean-up.

Ministry to the Homeless
This program offers showers, haircuts, hygiene items, clothing and counseling. Duties include schedule coordination, clothing and toiletries distribution, inventory upkeep, clerical duties, documentation and hospitality. Certified barbers needed.

Transient Aid Center
TAC provides assistance to travelers, whether families or individuals, who are in crisis and en route to another destination. Duties include documentation, assessment of needs and hospitality.

Administration
Use your skills to assist the various departments that support the mission of St. Vincent de Paul. Duties include clerical assistance, data entry, copying, filing, grounds keeping and special projects.

Ozanam Manor
Ozanam Manor is a transitional housing shelter for homeless men and women, age 50 or older, and disabled adults over the age of 18. Volunteers at Ozanam Manor can help out with clerical tasks, case management, recreation and life skills training.

Medical & Dental Clinic
St. Vincent de Paul’s medical and dental clinics provide care to the uninsured working poor. Dental and medical professionals, ancillary health care professionals, med-techs, dietitians and counselors are needed. Bilingual volunteers are in high demand.

Each year over 16,000 people start off as just one person who volunteers and together they form a group that makes a tremendous difference in the lives of so many. Yes, one person can make a difference. For more information or to volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul, visit www.stvincentdepaul.net.

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Media Contact: Mary Chou-Thompson, St. Vincent de Paul, 602-339-5902, mthompson@svdp-phx-az.org

PHOENIX (Nov.17, 2010) – Members of the Modified Motorcycle Association of Arizona will deliver hundreds of turkeys strapped to the back of their motorcycles for “Birds on Bikes” on Sunday, November 21. All of the turkeys will go to feed hungry families this holiday season. Last year’s event drew more than 400 bikers who met at various locations throughout the valley and rode into St. Vincent de Paul’s downtown campus together. After the bikers arrive, they will enjoy live music, lunch and tour the St. Vincent de Paul campus.

WHAT:          Modified Motorcycle Associations’ Annual “Birds on Bikes”

WHEN:         Sunday, November 21; 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

WHERE: St. Vincent de Paul’s downtown campus, 420 W. Watkins Road, Phoenix 85002

About the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international non-profit organization dedicated to serving the poor and providing others with the opportunity to serve. The Phoenix Diocesan Council has been assisting central and northern Arizona families since 1946. Programs include services for the homeless, medical and dental care for the working poor, charity dining rooms, thrift stores, a transitional housing shelter and general assistance for individuals in need. For more information about St. Vincent de Paul, please visit www.stvincentdepaul.net.

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