Homeless Families to Sleep Easier After Make A Difference Day

AmeriCares Foundation
Thursday, 19 October 2000

The women and children at Life Haven, Inc. confront so many adversities, but lack of rest no longer has to be one of them. On Saturday, October 21, AmeriCares HomeFront will facilitate delivery of 40 brand new mattresses which will replace those worn out by years of use. On a very basic level, this improvement reinforces Life Haven's mission of "ending homelessness one family at a time" through temporary shelter, job training, and a constellation of housing and support services. This is all made possible through resources from the following community groups:

- AmeriCares HomeFront, New Canaan, CT
- Bishop's Fund for Children, Hartford, CT
- Kids for Kids Dancing, North Haven, CT
- First Presbyterian Church of New Haven, CT
- Elm City Young Adult Group of the National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., New Haven, CT

In order to oversee what promises to be a hive of activity on Saturday, Life Haven turned to AmeriCares HomeFront program. By managing all of the logistics and insurance coverage associated with disposing of the old mattresses and installing the new ones, AmeriCares HomeFront's Executive Director, Dennis Brown, saw "Make a Difference Day" as a worthwhile exception to the program's 14-year mission of making 1,550 homes and community centers "warm, safe and dry" through a one-day, free repair blitz initiative held in May. Helping hands will be provided by the First Presbyterian Church of New Haven, the Elm City Young Adult Club, as well as AmeriCares HomeFront.

The new mattresses were manufactured by the East Islip, NY-based Interior Resources, and were all made by former homeless individuals. Funding for Life Haven's "Make a Difference Day" grew out of donations from the Bishop's Fund for Children and Kids for Kids Dancing. The Bishop's Fund committee members were so impressed by Life Haven's proposal that they granted $10,000--an amount significantly greater than the original request--to cover the purchase of new mattresses. This excitement also spurred Episcopal Church Women (ECW) to gather 40 sets of new sheets from their local churches. Kids for Kids Dancing raised an additional $10,000.

"I don't know if I can express how grateful I am to everyone," said Rachel Heerema, Executive Director of Life Haven, Inc. "We have known for quite some time that the beds in the shelter were worn out. I thought it would take a miracle to make it all happen. I am overwhelmed."

For the next 10 weeks, AmeriCares HomeFront is accepting applications from homeowners and community center directors to be considered for free repair assistance on AmeriCares HomeFront Day 2001. Please call 1-800-887-HOPE (4673) if you know anyone who needs help.

For more information, or to contact AmeriCares Foundation, see their website at: www.americares.org