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Celebrating a Great Year - Thank You for Your Continued Support
Holiday Benevolence Market
Moving On, Passing the Baton
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Dear IHNA Friends: In this holiday season of celebration and thanksgiving, we indeed have much to celebrate! We are completing our most successful year ever. In the next week or so, you will be receiving our annual holiday letter - it's a postcard this year - highlighting all that we have accomplished together. Most notably,
every one of our families moved into a better housing situation at the end of their stay in IHNA (sixteen families moved into their own housing; one family moved into a protective shelter situation), and 95% of the adults in our program found a job. Fantastic! (Special kudos to Regina Roth-Goldman and Kendall Weinberg for coordinating these efforts).
(Design by Elizabeth Morris)
Together, this year, we've accomplished so much amazing work. Now it's time for IHNA to ask for your generous financial
contribution. Donations of any amount are always gratefully accepted. Your dollars directly assist families on their way to stable, permanent housing.
When you receive your mailing, you can return your contribution in the
Or you can use the our online PayPal link on the IHNA website at any time:
Thank you again for making a profound difference in the lives of so many in our community!
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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 on 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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Moving On... Time to Pass the Baton
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Saying goodbye to dear friends - who give so much to those in need in our community - is never easy. But, after five wonderful years, it is now time for me to step aside as executive director at Interfaith Hospitality and to pass the baton to the next leader. As I head into my mid-60's - can you believe it? - I am starting to cut back just a little on my work schedule and to free up more time for family, including a brand new grandson, born just a couple of weeks ago.
I cannot thank all of you enough for believing in me, giving me this opportunity, and trusting and supporting my efforts. Of course, they were not "my" efforts, but I do feel a great sense of satisfaction in knowing that we have worked together to move our organization forward in very positive directions and ways.
In more than five years, first as a board member and then as director, I have seen IHNA serve hundreds of families - literally saving lives; bring on fabulous new staff members; coordinate the efforts of thousands of volunteers from our congregations and the community at large; tighten up our procedures and planning; organize terrific fundraising events that have helped to support our organization and spread the word about our work; and achieve a much stronger level of fiscal stability. We have also reached out to regional and national partners to learn more about our work and begin to explore new models for providing our service to families in need.
All that said, there is much still to be done, particularly in the area of building and strengthening relationships with current and future congregations. That will be a focus as we look for our next leader.
My official last day is December 31, 2015, but I won't be too far away. I will continue to help with our Over the Edge fundraiser in May (and yes, I'm still jumping! - you'll be hearing much more about that soon), and want to continue to organize our highly successful Teardrop Bike Ride.
An official job posting will be coming out within the next week. Look for it on our web site, Facebook, email, and local newspapers.
Best regards,
Ken Sherman
Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens, GA
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