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Ending on a High Note
Holiday Gift Card Drive
Meet Madalyn
And More...!
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Dear IHNA Friends: Well, it's hard to believe, but this is likely my final Interfaith Hospitality newsletter. In three more weeks, I'll be stepping aside from the executive director position. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me - nice to know this old dog can still learn a few new tricks - and I feel like I am leaving things in very good shape for our next director. By the end of this month we will have served onsite 19 families in 2015, and every one of them will have successfully completed the program, meaning they have found housing, employment, and stable school/day care situations for their children. We are also in our most solid financial position ever, which means that we can sustain and grow the important work of helping families and children find lives of sustainable, productive independence.
Thank you, thank you, thank you - dear friends and supporters.
And the work goes on...
Guest Family Update - Regina Roth-Goldman, Service Director
Our guest families have done a great job! All parents that moved out of IHNA this year are still employed and stably housed. It is gratifying to think about how our community comes together to help out families. This year, staff and volunteers had a chance to see IHNA kids attend their high school prom, learn to swim at summer camp, and put on their new shoes to start kindergarten. Very soon, our current guest family will be moving out. Mom is working full-time, saving money, and apartment searching. Her two children are looking forward to opening presents under the tree in their own place. Thank you, volunteers, for a good year.
Gift Card Drive Please let everyone know - We are doing it again this year!
The Holiday Gift Card Drive for guest families was so successful last year that we are doing it again. Budgeting, prioritizing, and making selections for their own family is an empowering experience for parents.
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"For Christmas, I bought toys and clothes for the kids. I used the Target gift card. I saved the Walmart card because I knew the boys would need shoes in March. We wanted to visit my sister in North Carolina in the summer, so I kept the Kroger card for gas. Thank you, everyone, at IHNA."
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To support this endeavor, gift cards of any amount, can be donated directly to IHNA or can be purchased by donating on our website - go to the Christmas Gift Card Purchase box near the top of the page.
Gift cards from Target, Walmart, Kroger, and Toys-R-Us, for example, are also always appreciated. Thank you for supporting our IHNA families this Christmas Season. We will be distributing the gift cards on December 15th.
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Meet Our UGA Social Work Intern, Madalyn Rowan
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Hello! My name is Madalyn Rowan. I am an undergraduate senior at The University of Georgia. My major is Social Work, and my minor is Teaching English as a Second Language. I am passionate about Jesus, kids, International Social Work, and running. I will graduate from college in May, and my hope is to work with my husband for an agency called Launch Global. This agency works with college students to equip and train them for international service. My internship at IHNA is helping me grow in my passion for kids and my passion for serving others. I am very thankful for this opportunity.
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Holiday Benevolence Market
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IHNA is proud to be participating once again in the annual Holiday Benevolence Market this Sunday, December 6th, at the First Presbyterian Church in Athens, from noon to 2 p.m. This is another great way to support the work we are doing together.
The afternoon will include live music and a light lunch.
The Holiday Benevolence Market began in 1994 as a joint venture between First Presbyterian member Mary Burton and the First Presbyterian Outreach committee. In 2003, other Athens congregations joined.
At the Market, patrons are given a "shopping list" that includes all of the agencies represented and items that can be "purchased." The list includes a range of prices.
Check out the Benevolence Market online at
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Executive Director Posting... Staying Connected
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Finally, a reminder that the posting for the IHNA Executive Director Position is open through 4 p.m. next Monday, December 7th. Job description and resume submission information can be found on the Job Offers tab on the IHNA web site.
Let me finish by reminding folks that I won't be too far away. I plan to stay involved with our May 4th Over the Edge fundraiser - you'll be hearing much more about that soon - and our Annual Teardrop Century Bike Ride in September. And that reminds me, Bike Friends: I will be calling on you to help do an IHNA host week next fall, so get ready!
Best regards,
Ken Sherman
Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens, GA
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