Billy Joel was right.. Only the Good Die Young.

My mom's best friend Bridgette has been like a sister to her. Her real sister and she have had many-an-argument, and they go on-and-off speaking terms, (which annoys me, but it is what it is) and when it comes to mom's old friends, well.. they weren't really good friends at all. So, when she told me that she'd made a new friend, i prayed that this one would be a true friend, good heart, etc. Bridgette is all that I wished for and more. She's been absolutely great to our family, and now it's our turn to repay her.


Bridgette has two kids, Jordayn, who is a year older than I am, and Kyle, who was a freshman in high school this past year. Last night, Kyle, who has severe asthma, suffered from an asthma attack that put him into cardiac arrest and claimed his life. I know that my family is trying to help out as much as we can, but with my two online classes, two jobs, and working to save money for books next semester, plus a baby coming into our household within the next 3 days, If anyone can volunteer any time, money or anything else, even a lawn mower to make sure their lawn gets trimmed, that would be extremely helpful.


I'm not the coordinator for any of this, just someone who really cares about Bridgette, her husband Kai, and her daughter Jordayn. If you want to do anything, or volunteer, please call the "coordinator" Melissa West McCarthy at 1-570-764-5587. Literally anything that you can donate will help, and let it be known that there IS in fact a monetary need.


Thanks everyone, and please keep this family in your prayers.

If it means a lot to you...

To all my readers,

I received this today from one of my very good friends, and as I'm in college, I can't really do everything myself, although, if I could, I would give everything I have to this. Please read, and if you're able, PLEASE donate money. Peoples' lives may depend on it.

Tootles.

Dear Facebook Friends and Family:

Today, as I sit in my office at the Shelter, I can hear the happy laughter of children playing in the yard and in the wading pool at Claudia House. For many, this is the first time they have been able to ‘just’ be children and play. I just had a woman tell me that this is the first time in her life she has known peace and hope.

In that spirit … I am contacting you today for a very critically important reason. This week, Survivors, Inc. encountered a significant setback and we need your kind intervention and assistance, and we need it quickly to continue to provide the depth, the quantity, and the quality of service that our clients deserve.

This year, as we have for the past 4 years, we are serving record numbers of people feeling the cycle of domestic abuse and sexual assault. For the majority of this summer, we have had more than 28 individuals in house, and for a few weeks recently we have had 32 folks, and 22 of them are children. Most of those children are under the age of 5 years old. This week we learned that we are facing a significant shortfall, and this short fall will occur due to circumstances outside of our control. Circumstances such as a funding source whose intent it was to assist us during the end of the fiscal year/beginning of a new fiscal year process is not able to fund as they intended to- through no fault of Survivors, Inc. We also know that typically when the State is working on their budget, there is a delay in funding beginning to flow to programs. With the situation that we are facing, we know that once the funding resumes that we will have what we need to meet the needs of those who have lost so much, and who need a safe place to restore their resilience and to provide options and resources.

We URGENTLY need to raise operating capital quickly, and I am humbly asking if you can assist us. To keep our doors open and to keep providing services we will need:

• $2,500 by June 24, 2011
• $14,750 by July 27, 2011
• For a total of $23,500 by August 24, 2011

If we do not make our goals, we may have to shut our doors. This would mean that the women that are here and their children might have to return to their abuser… a situation that is potentially lethal.

Sounds like lot of money, but when you consider there are approximately 101,000 people in Adams County, that is less than a $0.25 a person. Obviously we cann ot get in touch with each person in time, but a one-time, significant and tax deductible gift will ensure that we are able to continue to provide services.

Please help us. Your gift of $500, $1000 or more would ensure that women and children sleep in safety tonight, tomorrow night and until our funding resumes in late August or early September. Please feel free to pass this request to anyone that can be of assistance. We can also use gift cards to Giant and to Walmart for our residents during this time.

Thank you so much for your kind consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. We can take debit and credit cards over the phone, or at our landing page at www.helpsurvivorsinc.org via PayPal.

Sincerely:

-Terri

Terri L. Hamrick, MNM

President/CEO

Survivors, Inc.

Post Office Box 3572

Gettysburg, PA 17325

(717) 334-0589 Extension 104

Facsimile (717) 334-3576

Email: Terri@survivorsservices.org

Visit us on the web! http://adamscountysurvivors.com/ or our landing page with easy access to Paypal, Twitter and Facebook can be accessed via www.helpsurvivorsinc.org

24 Hour Hotline 717-334-9777 or 1-800-787-8106

Vision Statement

Survivors supports those who experience domestic violence or sexual assault and strives to create a world in which violence is unacceptable.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide diverse, client-driven services to those impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault by being compassionate, non-judgmental, and believing in the equality of all people. Our goal is to empower our clients, staff, and community through education and promotion of non-violence so that we may all live in a world free from violence.

Core Values of Survivors, Inc.

~CLIENT-CENTERED~ putting our clients first as a whole and always being conscious of their safety and their needs; service is provided in a proactive, client centered and client driven manner.

~COMPASSION~ showing care and kindness for others and helping others who are i n need.

~EMPOWERMENT~ encouraging clients to make their own decisions and choices about what is right for them; providing staff with the necessary tools to improve their knowledge, their understanding, and to take initiative on increasing our clients’ safety and success.

~DIVERSITY~ being non-judgmental and believing in the equality of all people; serving clients regardless of their differences; and creating an agency that honors those differences.

~NON-VIOLENCE~ a critical and essential component of ending violence for both our clients and our community and demonstrating leadership on how to peacefully coexist without abusing power or control.

~EDUCATION~ provision of the skills, capacity, knowledge and understanding necessary to ensure that services and outreach are provided with integrity and are focused on the individuals and communities served.

STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY

The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this message are intended for the exclusive use of the addressee and may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, plea se notify Survivors, Inc. Administration at (717) 334-0589 extension 104 and destroy all copies of this message and any attachments.

Please be advised that e-mail is not a secure or confidential form of communication. For complete safety and confidentiality, please contact our hotline by corded phone at 717-334-9777 or toll free at 1-800-787-8106.