| S.O.A.R. PROGRAM OUTREACH |
Our Friends Place (OFP) developed a short-term, non-residential life skills program called S.O.A.R. acronym for
S
elf-sufficient
O
pen-minded
A
dventurous
R
esilient
S.O.A.R., designed for young women to build a better future for themselves, will share practical life skills such as those taught in the Transitional Living Centers for the last 25 years. Taking this program into the community allows us to teach life skills lessons such as self-exploration, education, employment, finances, personal health, safe housing and future goals. This type of program setting will build relationships, trust and self-esteem - all components to empowering self-reliance and independence.
The program team will reach many more young women through S.O.A.R. due to recent partnerships with Dallas ISD high schools and area colleges. Expanding outreach to high-risk young women, who are not homeless, provides support in key areas vital to their stability and personal fulfillment. The program team continues to explore more avenues for S.O.A.R. outreach to broaden our leadership on issues impacting young women.
Contact
Melanie Meijering
for more information.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY
Our Friends Place looks forward to participating in the Communities Foundation of Texas' 9th annual North Texas Giving Day! What is North Texas Giving Day? It's a special day that builds awareness and support for nonprofits in North Texas and last year raised $37 million benefiting over 2,500 nonprofits.
North Texas Giving Day is Thursday, September 14th from 6 a.m. until midnight. There's plenty you can do to prepare to make this the best NTGD yet.
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Ways to Donate:
- New this year is scheduled gift giving between September 7th and September 13th. Donors can schedule gifts in advance for processing on September 14th by clicking here.
- Donate a $30 gift on Thursday, September 14th to help us celebrate our 30th Anniversary.
- Contribute to a matching 1:1 fund to double the impact of the donation.
- Share social media posts with your family, friends and co-workers leading up to and on September 14th and challenge them to match your donation!
North Texas Giving Day is important to OFP because donations go farther with matching funds, bonus funds and prizes. Award category announcements coming soon. Our Friends who donated in 2016, helped OFP win a second place prize for most donors in the women/girl medium category!
To learn more about North Texas Giving Day, click here .
Your gift answers our call to action:
Be a Friend. Change a Life.
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GROWING THE ALUMNAE GROUP
Our Friends Place happily announces the launching of OFP Legends - an Alumni group! Three months ago, we reached out to former clients to gauge interest in launching an Alumnae Group and the interest was overwhelming! The alumnae will now interact with programs, help with events such as the Thank-a-thon, 30th Anniversary party, and the 30th Anniversary Gala - Auction & Casino Night plus attend TLC skills night sharing their stories and bonding with our current clients. We look forward to all the exciting opportunities as this group continues to grow. The OFP community appreciates the wonderful alumnae giving back to build on the future of young women in Dallas. If you know of alumnae click here to email Ana Echeverria.
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L to R: Ashley, Iris, Perla and Quin |
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PARTNER SHOPPING PROGRAMS
Our Friends Place is proud to be a charity partner in the following programs:
Smile.Amazon.com Select Our Friends Place as your preferred charity and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible AmazonSmile purchases. Shop at www.smile.amazon.com today and give the gift that gives twice! Tom Thumb Good Neighbor Program Link reward cards to Good Neighbor number 2759 and OFP receives 1% of total grocery purchases (exclusions apply). |
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Toilet bowl cleaner
Dishwasher soap (pods)
Paper towels
Kitchen & Bath size trash bags
Umbrellas
Notebooks
Adult scissors
Black & Blue pens
Manual pencil sharpeners
Bed pillows
Twin sheets
Vibrant colored towel sets (2 each - bath, hand and washcloth)
Blow dryers
Motions Hair Care products
Hair straighteners
Walmart gift cards
DART bus passes
To donate, contact Cindy Washlesky or Brenda Snitzer at
214.520.6268
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Ways to Get Involved
- Share your talents and knowledge on a committee
- Redecorate a bedroom or living space for young women
- Offer crucial support to our office staff
- Engage the community to gather school supplies, personal items and more
- Put your party planning skills to good use for our annual fundraiser
To get involved, email
About Our Friends Place
Our Friends Place helps young women, between the ages of 18 and 24, break the generational cycles of abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness through empowering self-reliance and independence. OFP provides a supportive home and teaches the skills young women need to become self-reliant adults. OFP young women enroll in an educational or vocational program, hold a job and pay a portion of their earnings as rent and savings.
Our Friends Place Staff
Sue Thiers Hesseltine,
Executive Director
Brenda Ewing Snitzer,
Development Director
Caitlin Doepfner,
Development Associate
Melanie Meijering,
Program Director
Kadetrah Lockett,
Beazley House Site Manager
Nicole Price,
Pauline's Place Site Manager
Ana Delia Echeverria
Outreach Specialist
Cindy Washlesky,
Program Specialist
Our Friends Place
Administrative Office
6500 Greenville Ave
Suite 620
Dallas TX 75206
214.520.6268
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