From Our Home to Yours

The Newsletter of Rainbow Village
August, 2014

A Message From A Resident

Rainbow Village Teen Excels  


 
Jane is a young, sweet and hardworking teenager here at Rainbow Village. We just want to take a minute to boast about her efforts to gain experience and create a bright future for herself.

This past summer, Jane worked as a second year Counselor in Training at Summer Camp, which the Rainbow Village children attend at Bunten Road Park. She worked with the four and five year-old group, taking them out on the playground and on the nature trail, engaging them in art projects and indoor activities and helping the other counselors put together celebrations for all of the campers. When asked if she is looking forward to returning next summer, Jane beams and exclaims, "oh I definitely do. I love kids! And Ms. Kathy is awesome." Jane and her mom explain that Kathy Marelle "does so much for the kids" and really adds to the joy of the summer-long camp. 

Many of these children have never had the opportunity to attend camp, much less the experience to train as a camp counselor. Jane's summer months of counseling at Bunten Road Park and her work with the little ones is a subject that makes her light up.   

While camp is a fun and entertaining summer activity, it is also a wonderful experience to add to a resume. And Jane's resume was ever growing this summer. She added to her responsibilities and proficiency a first-time job. Jane began working at Publix this past May and has since had a wonderful review of her first couple of months on the job. As a Publix employee, Jane has been exposed to new people, new skills, and a new outlook on work. As the school year is now underway, Jane will be figuring out how to balance school and work, but her track record shows that this won't be a difficult hurdle to jump.
Yes, college attendance is in the distant future for this sophomore, but don't think for a second that the planning and preparation aren't on her mind. She is already contemplating her focus and studies for a college career. Today she focuses on her classes: French, Geometry, Chemistry, Literature, Marketing and more, but tomorrow? She is already considering a degree in Business Management with a focus in Marketing and a degree in Cosmetology. Her sights are set high, and with the foundation she is building and the determination she is exhibiting, the sky is the limit for Jane. 
Welcome Our New Development Director

  Meet Karen LaFontaine CFRE


 

Please welcome Karen LaFontaine, Rainbow Village's Development Director. Karen joined us this August and is off to a great start getting up to speed on our October 11 Gala, Rainbow Village's many community partnerships, Angels, capital campaign, new buildings and more.


 

Karen brings a great background in development to Rainbow Village. She began her fundraising career in 1994 working for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and since her arrival in Atlanta in 1997 has served in key leadership roles with a number of human service organizations including the American Foundation for the Blind and Prevent Child Abuse, Georgia. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Atlanta, Chaired AFP's Southeast interstate conference in 2001, and in 2006 chaired the education committee for AFP's international conference on fundraising. We are glad to have her here!


 

Karen resides in Lawrenceville with her husband Peter and their beloved beagle, Snoopy. Her favorite activities include trips to the shore, gardening, reading, drawing, and volunteering.   

Rainbow Village Family News

 

 

We love sharing the spectacular news when our families achieve goals and succeed:

 

 

 

  • Starting in September, one resident will begin her full-time position at her current place of employment. Her income will now be a livable wage, and she will have her own office and assistant.
  • Two residents have received laptops through donations. One will use the laptop to be able to return to school and the other will use it to work with her book-keeping clients.
  • One resident has received a raise of $1.57 per hour.
  • Another resident is in training at her new job and has great potential for advancement.

 

Upcoming Events

 

Duluth Fall Festival

Rainbow Village will be returning to the Duluth Fall Festival this year! On September 27th and 28th, we will be spreading the wonderful news about our growing village and the near completion of the Community Center, the third apartment building, and the opening of the new Early Childhood Development Center. Volunteers and staff working the booth will also be selling pins, A Gift of Laughter books and quilt patches. We would love to have you join in the fall festivities and support Rainbow Village alongside many graduates of the program and other volunteers!

 

Sign up to volunteer at the Rainbow Village Booth here! 

 

Or stop by and say "hello" while you enjoy all the festival has to offer this year. The Duluth Fall Festival has so much in store. Welcome the fall season by watching the parade, enjoying the carnival (on Thursday and Friday), eating some delicious food (Eat the first candy apple of the season!) and much more! 

 

To find out more about the Duluth Fall Festival events and activities, check out the schedule and history here!


 

We Are Family 2014 Benefit Gala
 

Can you believe Gala time is almost upon us? We are so excited for our We Are Family 2014 Benefit Gala, and we have a wonderful program planned for the evening.  Join us on Saturday, October 11th at 6:30 PM for a night of dinner, live music by Party on the Radio, dancing, auctions, a raffle, and a Wine Wall! We have a wonderful Emcee, Martha Lanier, author of Pink Lemonade. Don't miss out on one of Rainbow Village's biggest events! Also, keep an eye out for the incredible auction items we will posting leading up to the event. 

To register for the Gala click here

We also want to extend a huge thank you to our Presenting Sponsors: 
Sandra and Clyde Strickland
Another Chance Foundation, Frank Circelli

And our Title Sponsor:
Wilson Lewis, Certified Public Accountants

Thank you for supporting Rainbow Village and helping to break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence.
Christmas in July
santa-with-cookie.jpg 
It's that time of year again, at least for Rainbow Village. As the
summer vacation comes to a close and back to school goings-on are in full swing, we are already thinking about the holiday season. Fall and winter are very busy times of year here at Rainbow Village, so we begin our planning early.
Our families want to experience the joy in building a Christmas for their own families. As an opportunity to promote self-sufficiency, Rainbow Village is asking for gift card donations so our families can shop and choose gifts for one another. One of the joys of the holidays is giving, and we would love for our families to experience the delight of using their saved money and the donated gift cards to plan and purchase for Christmas morning. 
As we grow from 12 to 18 families just before the holiday season and as we plan to honor our graduated families, the need will be great. Rainbow Village is blessed with a generous support and volunteer base, and we know our families are working hard to build their savings. They look forward to the smile on their children's faces and the wonderful feeling that they had the means to put it there.

If you would like to support the Christmas Gift Card Program, contact Lynnette Ward at [email protected] or call 770-497-1888 ext. 14

Capital Campaign Progress


 

Community Center

 

Can you believe the progress on our Community Center? The roof and the windows are now being installed! We are counting down the weeks until the opening of the Community Center and the Early Childhood Development Center. Our residents' programs, meals and activities will be taking place within our own walls in no time!

Third Apartment Building 

Equally exciting on the construction front, the siding and the windows are going up on the third apartment building. A big thank you to Harcrest Homes and HomeAid Atlanta for your hard work in ensuring Rainbow Village will be able to serve six more families come the fall and winter seasons. So many blessings to count!

Community Partner Spotlight

Support a Local Business Partner and Rainbow Village:

Alliance Service Center and Rainbow Village Partnership

 

Looking for a trustworthy and accomplished service center for your car? Rainbow Village happily recommends a strong community partner who is excellent at what they do. Alliance Service Center has provided many residents and staff with unmatched service.

We are also excited to announce that Alliance Service Center and Rainbow Village have recently entered into a partnership. Alliance will give a portion of any Rainbow Village supporter's transaction in support of our mission and vision. We are so appreciative of the loyalty and excellent service Alliance has provided our organization, and we strongly encourage any community members to rely on Alliance Service Center for their auto mechanic needs. 

 

Visit Dexter and his team, and let them know you support Rainbow Village too!

 

Alliance Service Center

2585 Old Rockbridge Road

Norcross, GA 30071

(770) 447-8822

 

Visit

The Alliance Service Center

website

Volunteer Corner

 Back To School Supplies

 

Volunteers from the Duluth Georgia Power Office sporting their awesome book bag delivery.

Robin Haynes delivering the donations from her office, Concurrent Computer Corporation.

After a relaxing, school-free summer, it may be difficult to get back in the groove of classes, bells and homework. For many of the students, one of the exciting parts about the schedule change and the start of term is the back-to-school shopping. New book bags, color-coded binders and a lunch box with a favorite super hero make the thought of going back to school bearable...maybe even fun! But the cost of brand new supplies can really add up, and many of our families must provide school supplies to more than one student in varying grade-levels.

Rainbow Village is grateful for all of the individuals, businesses and organizations who donated back-to-school supplies and gave the kids and teens an opportunity to start the year off in style!

 

A big thank you to:

The Schoolhouse Preschool, Sugarloaf United Methodist Church, The Morgan family and their friends, Siemens Foundation, Brenda Yates, First Baptist Duluth, Friendship Baptist Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mom's Club of Duluth, Perimeter Church, Gail Thee, Becky Burk, Epiphany Lutheran Church, North East Community Church, Mary Halliburton, Georgia Power, Rotary of Gwinnett Mosaic, Jill Proctor, Mom's Club of Suwanee, Duluth Seventh Day Adventist Church (Family Life Ministries), and Concurrent Computer Corporation.

 

We are so thankful for our supportive community of both individuals and organizations who provided the book bags, gift cards for clothes, pen and paper supplies, calculators and more. Your gift has made a positive impact on our students and our families. Thank you!


Nicholas, Adalyn, and Ryan Morgan are all smiles as they drop off a donation of book bags and school supplies. The boys invited their friends to their birthday parties and chose to request school supplies for the Rainbow Village families instead of asking for birthday presents. Rainbow Village is so grateful for the support of the Morgan family and their encouragement of philanthropy, community support and giving. At such a young age, the Morgan kids understand the value of charity and of being selfless. Nicholas, Ryan, Adalyn and their friends have given the children of Rainbow Village a wonderful gift and helped their peers start off a new school year! 


Thank you to our evening meal sponsors who provide so much more than food!

  • Perimeter Church
  • Epiphany Lutheran Church
  • Simpsonwood United Methodist Church
  • Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church
  • McKendree United Methodist Church
  • Johns Creek United Methodist Church
  • Cornerstone Church
  • National Charity League
  • Brand Bank
COMING EVENTS
 
Duluth Fall Festival
September 27-28, 2014

October 11, 2014
Save the Date
 
The 20th Annual Rainbow Village Golf Classic

May 4, 2015

Capital Campaign

"Building Strong Communities... One Family at a Time." Learn how you can make a difference.


It truly does take a village to change the lives of homeless families with children now and for generations to come.

Be a Rainbow Village Angel

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to support our ongoing operations and be a guardian angel to our families.

Please help us spread the good news about Rainbow Village and our vision for the future. Share this email and encourage those in your circles to become personally vested in helping us break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence.

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Rainbow Village, Inc.
3427 Duluth Hwy 120
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 497-1888
rainbowvillage.org 

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Rainbow Village, Inc. � 3427 Duluth Highway 120 � Duluth, Georgia 30096 � (770) 497-1888 � rainbowvillage.org