Kent School of Social Work

It has been my honor for the past three years to serve on the Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work Community Advisory Committee.  Today was the last meeting and several of my colleagues and I received this beautiful print showing the physical history of the school's locations on the University of Louisville's Campus.  I would like to thank Dean Singer, Martha Fuller and the many other faculty members for giving me this opportunity to serve.

GO CARDS!

Mission Update - Tia Brown Leads Clients on the Road to Success

    Liberty Mutual Insurance's Tia Brown might best be described as an over-comer.  She has not allowed roadblocks or any of life's quirky setbacks to halt her pursuit of success.  As a sales agent in a highly competitive field, she knows the value of an education, planning, and goal-setting.  Tia has an MBA and a whole lot of drive.  Tia has also proven to be one of Wayside Christian Mission's more popular guest speakers.  She regularly volunteers her time teaching men and women in our recovery program.  During her presentations, she challenges her audiences to broaden their skills while tackling attitudes and habits that will hinder their progress.  She speaks with the authority of someone who knows what it takes to succeed. 

     It is true that we feed and house hundreds of women, men, and children, but Wayside Christian Mission offers more than meals and cots.  Our holistic approach to tackling homelessness includes vocational training, educational opportunities, and work therapy.  Couple these with an effective and proven drug and alcohol recovery program and our resident clients can leave the Mission as productive, self-supporting members of the community.  When you support Wayside Christian Mission financially, you become our partner in rebuilding broken lives. 

Humility is the root, mother, nurse, foundation, and bond of all virtue.
- St. John Chrysostom (345?-407)
John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, was an Early Church Father.

Feinstein Foundation Challenge

Wayside Christian Mission is participating in the Feinstein Foundation's Fifteenth Annual One Million Dollar Giveaway to Fight Hunger.  This effort continues until April 30. 2012.  During this time period, for each dollar that you giver for food and for each food item that you donate, the Feinstein Foundation will provide a contribution toward the cost of feeding our homeless families, men, and women.  Thank you for your support.

AmeriCorp Volunteers Staying at Hotel Louisville

Just arriving AmeriCorp disaster relief volunteers staying at Hotel Louisville meet with the Metro United Way's Mary Sullivan.  The volunteers will be staying in two bunk rooms on the 11th floor of the hotel for several weeks while working in hard hit areas.  The rooms and meals will be provided free by the Mission.  Other volunteers have elected to stay in hotel rooms, offering more privacy and being rented at a greatly reduced at cost rate of $21 per day.

Tourism Honors Academy Unleashes Teens' Business Creativity

The Tourism Honors Academy is, in the words of the organization's Kyle Ware, "an academic leadership program serving the Louisville area that the city of Louisville and the tourism industry while developing personal, interpersonal, and professional skills."  As an integral part of this program, some twenty student participants led by Kyle Ware recently spent a weekend at Wayside Christian Mission's Hotel Louisville.  During their stay, the students toured the facility, interviewed staff members, and studied the hotel's operations.  The purpose of their visit was to observe and then make recommendations based upon what they had learned.   As there was a deadline, the students had no choice but to think and act quickly--and they did just that!

 

Breaking into smaller groups that Saturday afternoon, the students presented ideas for marketing the hotel's rooms and banquet services while improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.  These young people were nothing less than amazing and their ideas were innovative!  Many of their ideas, particularly in the areas of social networking and online marketing, will be used by the hotel's management.  Even their presentation was highly professional.  Linda Stith, Hotel Louisville's general manager, was pleasantly surprised by the uncanny business knowledge and fresh  insights demonstrated by these clever high school teens!

 

Isn't it amazing how young people often come up with such good ideas? 

 

Here are some comments from the visiting students about Hotel Louisville and Wayside Christian Mission:

 

"I had a wonderful time and learned so much about these amazing programs that are offered at the hotel." --Tabitha

 

"Good accommodations and a friendly staff!"--Brittany

 

"I had a great experience and learned so much about the programs."--Shane

 

"Awesome rooms and mission!  Great experience!"--Chasity

 

"I really didn't know what to expect, but it was a great experience and the staff was friendly!"--Wil

 

"Awesome experience and a very good cause!"--Breanne

 

"I had a great experience and I love the mission of the hotel!"--Jenna

 

"I learned a  lot!  Great experience!"  --Richelle

 

An awesome commercial!!

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/stethoscope.html

Noe Middle School Builders Club Visits Hotel Louisville

     The Builders Club at Noe Middle School is all about making our community a better place for everyone!  Recently, this group of talented boys and girls and their teacher Carolyn Smith visited Wayside Christian Mission's Hotel Louisville to learn how they can join us in the battle against homelessness.  While here, the kids explored ways they can become involved.  They also witnessed a busy hotel staffed almost entirely of women and men who are either enrolled in our recovery program of have graduated from our recovery program.  There was even a little time set aside for snacks and plenty of lively conversation!  No doubt about it--the kids from Noe Middle School's Builders Club are totally amazing!  Their teacher is pretty amazing, too!  We love young visitors from the local schools; after all, they represent our future leaders!  Never underestimate the creativity and resourcefulness of our young people!  We hope Ms. Smith and the boys and girls from the Builders Club call on us again next year! 

Volunteer Betty Shea Shares Life Skills with Resident Clients

Betty Shea describes herself as a Christian, wife, mother, grandmother and a retiree from the travel industry.  And though modesty would keep her from saying so, Betty is a first-rate training and motivational speaker.  She recently spoke to two groups of women and men in our early recovery program and to another assembly of resident clients in the Mission's Work Therapy Program.   Betty stresses the value of organization along with peer-based positive affirmation and encouragement in her training sessions--and her approach was well received by those in attendance.   During her presentations, there was not a somber face in the crowd!  When asked about her experiences as a Wayside Christian Mission volunteer, Betty replied, "I so enjoyed the opportunity to get to know many of the special people in the program.  They were open, honest, and doing the hard work of recovery.   From them I saw and heard many positive things about the recovery program and how much the other people on the program mean to them.  I saw such a willingness to grow through this time in their lives." 

People have asked what the Mission is doing to help the tornado victims

Re community disaster, Wayside Christian Mission is doing the following:

• We are making available 18 bunk beds to out of town rescue workers at no charge in Hotel Louisville.
• We are reducing room charge to rescue worker who would rather have a private room to $21 per night, normally $70 - covering our direct cost
• We are providing one wing of rooms to victims at no charge for 21 days (then evaluate extending the time).
  
• We will provide meals to all of the above at no charge.
• We will provide sack lunches to rescue workers who are staying with us at no charge.
  
• Our emergency shelter will provide shelter to homeless individuals if needed.
• We will provide at no charge meeting space for coordinating rescue efforts.
  

All of our efforts are subject to availability of beds and rooms.

We have contacted a number of local agencies and will be attending local planning meetings.  United Way contacted us Sunday and requested help with lodging rescue workers.

Tim

Tornado Rescue Teams

Wayside Christian Mission/Hotel Louisville is working with Metro United Way to provide lodging for out of town rescue workers helping tornado victims in Southern Indiana.

Wayside Offers Emergency Lodging to Tornado Victims

Wayside Christian Mission/Hotel Louisville contacts our local Red Cross offering emergency lodging for Henryville and Southern Indiana residents displaced by the tornadoes.