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August 2007
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Greetings!
Perhaps you will remember back in June when we asked for your help for a woman named Denise, who was to be released from state prison after 17 months. During her placement in a Department of Corrections halfway house, she obtained a good job with Verizon and was able to save every penny to secure a home for herself and her four children in Lindenwold, New Jersey.
This is an amazing story, and I am so thrilled to be able to update you on it ... (continued below) |
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Empty house, kids on the way.
... If you remember, we were on a really tight timeline with this one. We only had four days between Denise's release on a Monday and her children returning home on Friday, in order to fill an entire four bedroom house with everything from furniture to beds to towels to food. We put out the call to our community supporters, and as always you guys blew us away! ... (continued below)
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Our fearless volunteer movers!
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Estate sales and moving vans. Our exec director as driver.
 ... The first thing that happened was Homeless to Independence, a nonprofit in Trenton, introduced us to Cindy, a woman who does estate sales. She had an ENTIRE house in Linden that the family wanted to donate. So immediately we had all the furniture that we needed. Talk about one stop shopping! And then towels, blankets, toasters, microwaves, dishes, food, laundry detergent, toys, TV's began to pour in from every corner of the state. You have no idea just how fun my job is!
But then, a problem -- a big one! Monday came and the Department of Corrections didn't let Denise go! It's actually not all that uncommon when dealing with a massive bureaucracy. All it takes is for this piece of paper to get left on that desk, and you're not going! But in this case, we didn't have a lot of time to play with. We pushed the move date back to Thursday, praying everything would be straightened out.
Thursday came and I was SO GLAD to see the moving crew that assembled (see photo above of our fearless crew). It seemed a quirky coincidence that we were moving a whole house from Linden to Lindenwold! Too bad they're 100 miles apart! But we've got an expert moving truck driver -- uh, that would be me -- so no worries! Well, I'm becoming an expert with as many times as we've done this!
And guess what? The bureaucracy let Denise go on Thursday, as well. In a whirlwind, we moved everything Thursday evening, and by Friday morning there was the sound of children running through the house! I know the whole thing was divinely orchestrated, because we had hoped to just get something -- anything! -- in this house. Instead, we got couches that perfectly fit the living room and match the walls and carpet as if we had picked them out. We got all yellow towels for a white and yellow bathroom. Get this: we got a black and white dinette set (refurbished by a student group in Jackson, NJ) that went into a kitchen with a black and white (!) tiled floor. We all literally stood in awe as we watched the whole thing fall together ... (continued below)
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And Anthony, too!
Denise & Anthony in front of their new home.
 ... But also, many donated money. There was nothing -- not one single essential thing -- lacking from the house. So after the expenses of the moving truck and feeding our wonderful crew (they're big guys!), we were able to set aside $400 in a trust account for the children. So far, that money has sent the youngest child to a week of Girl Scout camp, and the three boys will start training for the interboro football season with equipment and jerseys that you all provided out of your generosity. (Denise has promised us pictures once they get all suited up!) And there is still more left in the account.
And it got even better ... shortly after her reunification with her children, Denise's husband and the father of the four children, Anthony, graduated from an intensive, inpatient Christian drug treatment program. After years of separation, Denise and Anthony have reconciled! With the support of their church family, marital and family counseling, and a strong network through N/A and A/A groups, they are rebuilding their marriage.
So with your support, and the support of so many others, this family is reunified and, I think, well along the road to recovery.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Stacey Kindt
Executive Director, Redeem-Her |
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Redeem-Her
PO Box 1352
Pt Pleasant Beach, New Jersey 08742
(888) 807-2944
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