"Rainbow Village is a safety net for my children and me. I had credit issues which prevented me from getting a place to live, therefore my children and I lived in an extended stay lodge. Nancy and the staff embraced my children and I, they found a way to get the children gifts for Christmas the day before Christmas. That really meant a lot to have people you hardly know welcome you into their lives with gladness and open arms. It has also been a learning experience. I've learned to save money, pay bills on time, and enjoyed some pretty good classes that will be very helpful when I leave the program. I know I can't be here forever, but I'm going to make the most of the time I have left, and the one thing that I really plan to do when I leave is give back to the program."

We'd like to share what the Rainbow Village community looks like at a glance today:

• 12 resident families with 12 adults and 28 children in program
• All adults and one teen are employed
• 23 attend the Rainbow Village afterschool program; 11 boys and 12 girls - ages 5-17
• 5 are in nursery; 2 girls and 3 boys - ages 9 months to 4
• 90% of Rainbow Village children are on the Honor Roll!
• 2 children participate in music programs
• 2 children participate in sports programs
• 1 child in scouting program
• 5 children participate in extracurricular activities at school
• One resident went from part-time to full-time employment this month and was able to pay off a loan

All families are doing well and thriving! Thanks to the support of the wonderful community they call home!

With more than 200 friends, volunteers, and families in attendance, Rainbow Village families celebrated Thanksgiving with an incredible meal provided by Children's Restoration Network. Lift Up Atlanta, I-Health, Partner Tech and Perimeter Church all helped supply food, decorations and games for adults and children. There were many graduates of Rainbow Village who attended and the fellowship was amazing. So thankful for the many families and friends of Rainbow Village! Each Rainbow Village family received a professional family photo.

At the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner, Rainbow Village gratefully acknowledged Mary Cerny for her dedication to the success of the 2011 Book Fair.

VOLUNTEERS are one of the most important assets of Rainbow Village! We are seeking adult volunteers for the After-School program daily from 2:00-6:00 PM. No weekends required. Please contact Sondra Blue at sblue@rainbowvillage.org or by calling 770-497-1888 x23 for more information. Come have fun and make a difference in a child's life.

Charlene Taylor at far left.

Current Job: Director of Corporate Communications & Consulting at Kids 'R' Kids International. In this role she is a part of the executive team that facilitates corporate plans and projects. Charlene has been with Kids 'R' Kids for over 11 years. They have approximately 160 locations located throughout the United States. She is in her first term on the Board of Directors for Rainbow village.

Hometown: Topeka, KS

What was your first job: Grandy's Chicken & Biscuits in high school.

First "real" job: After-school counselor for a local daycare center.

What or who inspires you: I get my inspiration from the elders in my family, especially my mother. They taught me to be confident, resilient, and compassionate.

What do you do to relax: I love taking long bubble baths, reading, and watching comedies.

What's your favorite movie: Coming to America

How did you first hear about Rainbow Village? Through Nancy Yancey, Sandra Cathy, and Charles Summerour. I thought Nancy and Sandra were coming for a site visit, and instead, by the time they left, Nancy had given me a to-do list. We 'clicked' after I began talking about work I had done in the past, with non-profit organizations and low income families.

What excites you most about the future of Rainbow Village? I'm looking forward to working on the committee for the on-site child care facility.

Thank you to Girl Scout Troop #4487 for donating much needed supplies to the Rainbow Village children and after-school program.

Our wonderful friends at Cisco enjoyed two wrapping parties to make the holiday presents for Rainbow Village children beautiful.

Our faithful friends at Corus360, Janis Lee, Rachel Lin, Elizabeth Grider, Nicole Parker, and Sharon Steingruber, donated toiletries for Rainbow Village families.

A huge thank you goes to Jackson EMC and their members for the $15,000 "Operation Round Up" grant presented to Rainbow Village. This money will support programs and services for Rainbow Village families concentrating on social work services.

Primerica, long time supporters of Rainbow Village, have provided a $25,000 grant to Rainbow Village! We are so grateful for their ongoing and faithful support.

Nancy Yancey, Rainbow Village CEO happily accepts homemade cookies from Girl Scout Troop #3194.

...to our team of Faith Partners for the lovely "Blessings Boxes" they created for each Rainbow Village family.

...to the Men's Faith & Character unit at Phillips State Prison for donating food items for Thanksgiving to our graduate families.

...to our evening meal providers: Sugarloaf United Methodist Church; Perimeter Church; Simpsonwood United Methodist Church; Mary & Scott Yost-Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church; McKendree United Methodist Church; Johns Creek United Methodist Church and Life Changers Church of Lawrenceville.

There have been many firsts this year at Rainbow Village since we moved into our new village in April. Our latest was the Lighting of the Village celebration on Sunday, December 4. Our Faith Partners gathered with our families to enjoy an afternoon of arts and crafts, cookie decorating, face painting, storytelling, singing, games, hot chocolate and cookies and warm scarves and gloves (for a future date as it was one of those beautiful "fall" afternoons) and a wreath for the doors of each home! The Village was lit at the end of the afternoon with twelve trees (one honoring each family in residence) and our Family Service Center by Bill Frey, owner and operator of Illuminating Design - for the second year in a row!

We are so fortunate to live in a community of the faithful that continue to love and support Rainbow Village through their ongoing commitments to our families. Blessings to our faith partners, Perimeter Church (and Michelle Alcorn, Coordinator), Duluth First United Methodist Church, Duluth First Baptist Church, Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church Hamilton Mill Methodist Church, Epiphany Lutheran and Dreams and Imagination. You certainly kicked off this most holy season in such a wonderful way!

Rainbow Village CEO Nancy Yancey gratefully accepts a check from Georgia Power representatives Tony Chow (L) and Leslie Seals (r).

Angels: Angel donors provide vital operational support to Rainbow Village through ongoing monthly contributions. These gifts provide a steady, dependable source of income that allows us to stay focused on our mission, keep our costs down, stay fiscally sound, and operate more efficiently.

For this gift option, click here; a check may also be mailed monthly. If you are currently a Rainbow Village Angel, then consider an Extra Month of your Angel Pledge before year end.

All Rainbow Village Angels donating $100 or more monthly will be honored with an inscribed brick placed on the new Rainbow Village all-inclusive campus.

Annual Gift: If you give most of your charitable contributions at the end of the year, please give to Rainbow Village. Prepay your 2013 giving and get the tax benefit now! You may want to consider charitable giving this year while the tax advantages are still beneficial!

"Building Strong Communities . . . One Family at a Time" Capital Campaign gift: Rainbow Village launched a three-phase Capital Campaign to construct a 30-family, all-inclusive Village in 2010. We moved into Phase One, the Family Service Center and two six-unit apartment buildings, in April, 2012. Phase Two, the Community Center, is scheduled to be completed by 4th Quarter, 2013. Phase Three will add three 6-unit apartment buildings, Contact Nancy Yancey (nyancey@rainbowvillage.org) or Sandra Cathy (scathy@rainbowvillage.org) by email or phone (770)497-1888 for details.

Give in memory or honor of another or as a gift to those who have everything: An acknowledgement of your gift will be sent to your honoree/gift recipient.

Gifts of Appreciated Assets, Stocks, or Bequests: The gift of appreciated stock to Rainbow Village before December 31, 2012, offers you several benefits:

• You avoid capital gains tax on the appreciated value.
• The amount of charitable income tax deduction is equal to the full fair-market value of the stock upon transfer.
• It is easy to do-simply provide your broker or financial advisor with Rainbow Village wiring instructions. (Call Nancy Yancey or Sandra Cathy at 770-497-1888 for instructions.)

Gift of an IRA: Check with your financial advisor about the best way to take advantage of this opportunity.

Gift of an insurance policy: The needs for life insurance may change over time, and some individuals find they no longer need a particular policy. You can give a paid-up policy or even a policy on which you are still paying premiums by irrevocably designating Rainbow Village as owner and beneficiary. You may then be entitled to a generous charitable income tax deduction. To make the change, simply call or write your insurance company and request that the appropriate form be mailed to you. The policy can then be changed to reflect the owner and beneficiary as Rainbow Village.

Matching Gifts: Many companies offer matching gift programs to encourage employees to contribute to charitable organizations. Some provide matching funds to support employee volunteer hours. Most of these programs match contributions dollar for dollar, and some will even double or triple the amount you give.

Rainbow Village Angel, Reagan Havens, works for RSUI Group, Inc. in Atlanta that generously matches their employees' giving 2-to-1. Havens says "It feels great to work for a company that gives back to the community, especially to causes that are important to me. Their match inspires me to give more because it allows me to bring more resources to the table to support the Rainbow Village mission. I challenge everyone that has a corporate match program available to them to leverage your giving too, so we can all make a greater impact on breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence."

We currently have other matches coming in from Cisco, Bank of America, Liberty Mutual, and McKesson. We know there are many other companies offering matches, contact your human resource department today and see how you may multiply your gifts!

If you would like to make a gift by credit card, please make your donation online at www.rainbowvillage.org or send a gift check by mail.

Thank you for your support!