Family Promises

September 2011 News (from Larry Comp):

Can you believe it’s September?  As we turn the page to a new month and season, I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts about our progress and our challenges as we complete our first three months of operation:

• Volunteers are the heart of the FP program, and our people in the host and support congregations have stepped up mightily to welcome our guests and demonstrate their faith by serving generously.  Feedback from the families has been very encouraging.  Thank you for demonstrating your faith through this very important service.

• Running a 24/7, 365 operation is challenging, and we need your continuing support to staff our Resource Center on weekends and weekdays when Chris is away.  Please let us know if you can help or know of others who can.

Box City 2011 will have us setting up our boxes in Bridgeport Park for a wonderful overnight adventure exactly one month from today. (October 1^st).  While this is our major fundraising event of the year and we need to earn those funds, it is first and foremost an opportunity for us to:

• Help kids, families, and youth from across our community learn about the problem of homelessness that exists here, and the joy of serving those who are less fortunate
• Engage volunteers from all of our congregations and have them experience the privilege of working together to accomplish a big goal
• Educate people who visit Box City about Family Promise, and the power of working together as people of faith

So, what can you do? Here are a few ideas:

• Schedule a shift as a Resource Center volunteer.  Email Chris at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Go online to our Box City website (http://www.scvboxcity.org) and set up your own online donor page.  Send an email to your friends and family, and ask them to make a small online donation.  Those small gifts will make a BIG difference toward our overall success
• Join the Box City planning team, and come to our next team meeting on Tuesday, September 6^th at 7pm at the Lakeshore Clubhouse in Valencia. The address is 24316 W. Venturi Drive, Valencia 91355
• Invite others in your congregation (and your neighbors and friends) to be a part of Box City---it’s really an experience that they won’t want to miss!

Many thanks for your support, encouragement, and loyalty to Family Promise, and please continue to pray that we will touch and change the lives of kids and families in the months ahead.

May 2011 Family Promise SCV Meeting Minutes (from Larry Comp):

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church generously hosted the May meeting of Family Promise. Kathy Brown, Congregational Liaison, led us in a beautiful prayer blessing the work we are doing to help homeless families in the Santa Clarita Valley.   Larry Comp spoke of the amazing progress made since our last meeting in readying the Resource Center and our network for launch on June 5th. Larry called on our various leaders to provide specific updates on our progress.

Network Director Chris Najarro reported that progress is good on training our first few host congregations.  We now need to begin training those congregations whose rotation order is later.  Chris and Congregational Liaison Kathy Brown will keep the Coordinators updated on upcoming training days at the various congregations so that those who missed an earlier session will have the opportunity to make-up the training. 

Resource Center Team Leader David Vernon provided an update on the phenomenal transformation of the parsonage at North Oaks Church of Christ.  David spoke of Gary Gilbride’s generous gift of his skills, time, and financial resources in working with his team to renovate the house from stem to stern. We are so blessed to have had Gary undertake this project, and extend heartfelt appreciation for his efforts.  Our guests will be in a warm and welcoming environment when we open the doors, and this would simply not have been possible without Gary’s efforts. Of course, we are also exceedingly grateful for the generosity of North Oaks Church of Christ in allowing us to use the property.  An additional improvement this past weekend was the installation of a play yard for the children, donated and installed by volunteers from Valencia United Methodist Church.

Transportation-wise, we are in good shape under the leadership of Craig Pendleton and his team of volunteer drivers.  We are so grateful for the use of the Winter Shelter vans in these coming months. 

Lucy Mulholland reported that our current bank balance is in the neighborhood of $90,000. 

Our Operations Team Leader, Larry Marsh, reported some exciting progress in our efforts to get the various host congregations inspected and permitted.  Larry M. extended thanks to Laurie Ender and City Manager Ken Pulskamp for going the extra mile in supporting us and clearing the way for us to complete the process in a timely manner.  Larry spoke of our gratitude to the City of Santa Clarita for waiving the inspection fees, and for the City’s success in “meeting and exceeding our expectations”, when this is rarely achieved by the numerous organizations that espouse that goal.  It is wonderful to have the support of our City in reaching out to homeless families.  Host congregations still need to follow through on the process of installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and scheduling the inspections ASAP. 

Before adjourning the meeting for social time, Larry C. thanked the many people who were in attendance.  It is truly amazing to see our ranks swell as we are nearing our anticipated opening date of June 5th!  Once again, we are so thankful to be part of a wonderful, generous community where God is moving and working to meet the needs of our citizens.   

March 2011 Family Promise SCV Meeting Minutes (from Larry Comp):

The March meeting of Family Promise was generously hosted by Christ Lutheran Church. Prior to the start of our general meeting, Box City Co-chairs, Rahel Yoo and Gary Choppe’ led us in the first planning meeting for Box City 2011 which is scheduled for October 1-2.  The team is very excited about using what we learned last year to make Box City even better than our very successful inaugural event last year.  Any wishing to be a part of the team should contact Gary or Rahel to sign up.

Kathy Brown, Congregational Liaison, led us in a devotional pertaining to using our hands in service to homeless families.   Larry Comp introduced our new Network Director, Chris Najarro, and Chris spoke of her excitement in being a part of the “Family”.  Larry called on our various leaders to provide updates on our progress toward network launch.

Kathy Brown indicated that there will be a very important training session for Congregational Coordinators coming up on April 11^th at Valencia United Methodist Church from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. (in the Choir Room). The church is located at 25718 McBean Parkway.  Terry Lindemann, Executive Director of Family Promise of Las Vegas, will conduct the session.   All coordinators are encouraged to attend, since the information will be vital to our roles as host and support sites when we officially open our doors in a few weeks.  Volunteer training for the volunteers at Valencia United Methodist, Newhall Church of the Nazarene, and any others from Santa Clarita United Methodist who missed the earlier event will be on Saturday, April 9^th from 9:00 to 12:00 a.m. at Valencia United Methodist in the Fellowship Hall.

Larry Marsh reported that we are in the final stages of working out details for the Resource Center with North Oaks Church of Christ.  We have also determined that we will be able to acquire a City permit.  The permit will require that our host sites have the proper smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in place, and each host will need to provide a rough schematic of the sleeping areas for the families.  Larry M. will be in touch with each congregation with more details in the near future.

Transportation-wise, Larry M. shared the good news that we are in the process of working out an agreement with the Winter Shelter to utilize their vans during these upcoming months when the Shelter is closed. We are fortunate to have Craig Pendleton serve as our Transportation Coordinator, and we will use drivers from the Shelter, in addition to other volunteers to transport our families, beds, and the like.

Willing volunteers were asked to sign up to serve in our Resource Center and on the Transportation Team.  We will need lots of hands to insure a smooth operation when we open our doors to serve families 24/7, 365!

Cathy Taff provided a brief financial report.  We are currently receiving donations for Dancing With Our Stars, and will soon receive money from our generous Providence Mother Joseph Fund grant of $20,000. We are very grateful for the generosity of individual, organizational, and congregational donors.

Gary Choppe’ provided an update on our Fundraising activities. Dancing With Our Stars is scheduled for April 2, and our “dancing star” is Councilwoman Laurie Ender.  A vote for Laurie can be purchased for a donation of $25, and you can vote as many times as you like.  Best of all, Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley keeps 100% of the money donated for votes! So far, so good….many have “voted” for Laurie, but we still need your help and support.  Please follow the simple instructions below to cast your vote:

1. Login to the Family Promise of SCV website – http://www.familypromiseSCV.org
2. Click on the “Click to Give” button
3. In the Gift Designation, use the drop-down menu to select “Dancing With Our Stars 2011”

Before adjourning the meeting for social time, Larry C. thanked the many new people who were in attendance as well as our regulars.  This is such an exciting time after all of the months of hard work, as we prepare to extend our hospitality and have the opportunity to serve face-to-face.  We are blessed with a wonderful, generous community, and God is clearly at work among our citizens.  Details on the April meeting will be provided in the near future.

February 2011 Family Promise SCV Meeting Minutes (from Larry Comp):

The February meeting of Family Promise was hosted by Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Parish.  Larry welcomed everyone, and thanked our hosts.  Kathy Brown, Congregational Liaison, led us in a beautiful prayer for the homeless. Larry Comp gave a brief update on our progress toward opening our doors and welcoming guests as an official affiliate of FP in early April.

Larry also reported on the fact that our highly qualified Board of Directors is in place and beginning to meet monthly. We are also very excited to have our new Network Director, Chris Najarro, officially on board as of March 1^st.  Larry indicated that Chris is absent from the meeting only because she is visiting Las Vegas to receive training at the Family Promise location there.

Kathy Brown indicated that there will be a training session for volunteers at our first host site, Santa Clarita United Methodist Church, on March 6^th from 3 to 6 p.m. Claas Ehlers, National Director of the Interfaith Hospitality Network will be facilitating the training, and all Congregational Coordinators are invited and encouraged to attend.

Larry Marsh reported that two additional congregations are interested in joining the “family”.  Follow up will take place within the next few days.  He also reported that we are in the final stages of deciding on a location for our Resource Center, with 2 main possibilities at this time. In the area of transportation, we have recently become aware of an opportunity to partner with the Emergency Winter Shelter to meet our needs for transporting families to the Resource Center.

Larry M. introduced his wife, Kathy Marsh, to share some good news just delivered via email.  Kathy read the correspondence indicating that Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley has been awarded a grant of $20,000 from Providence’s Mother Joseph Fund! Many were overwhelmed with emotion at the great news that we were selected (as a result of Larry Marsh’s tenacity and hard work!) for this honor, especially at this time when the funding will be a great help as we prepare to officially launch our network.

Lucy Mulholland provided a financial report.  We’ve had contributions from several individuals and congregations over the past month, and our current bank balance is about $44,000.  A generous recent donation of $450 came in from the Cigar Club who attended the Winefest.  Considering the income we will be receiving from the Valencia United Methodist pledge ($20,000), the Providence grant ($20,000), and the Winefest, our financials are definitely moving in the right direction!  We are very grateful for the generosity of individual, organizational, and congregational donors.

Gary Choppe’ provided an update on our Fundraising activities. Dancing With Our Stars is scheduled for April 2, and our “dancing star” is Councilwoman Laurie Ender.  The event is actually a contest that enables each non-profit organization participating to collect “votes”.  Each vote can be purchased for a donation of $25, and you can vote as many times as you like.  Best of all, Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley keeps 100% of the money donated for votes! Please follow the simple instructions below to vote for Laurie!

1.      Login to the Family Promise of SCV website – http://www.familypromiseSCV.org

2.      Click on the “Click to Give” button

3.      In the Gift Designation, use the drop-down menu to select “Dancing With Our Stars 2011”

A date has been established for our second annual Box City event: October 1, 2011. Event Co-chairs Gary Choppe’ and Rahel Yoo will be organizing a planning meeting in the near future.

Before adjourning the meeting for social time, Larry C. thanked the many new people who were in attendance as well as our regulars.  This is an exciting time after all of the months of hard work, and God’s hand is truly evident in our community.  The March meeting is planned for Monday, March 21st and the location is TBA. The meeting was adjourned, and the celebration of our progress toward welcoming guests continued!

January 2011 Family Promise SCV Meeting Minutes (from Larry Comp):

The January meeting of Family Promise was hosted by Santa Clarita United Methodist Church.  Larry welcomed everyone, and thanked our hosts.  Several individuals offered inspirational quotations from Dr. Martin Luther King as a devotional.  Larry indicated that we have a lot to be thankful for and celebrate, as we move closer to our “soft launch” on Valentine’s Day.  Larry introduced our team leaders to share good news about our exciting progress.

Larry Marsh made the important announcement that we had a banner week, and now have a total of 13 host congregations! We are delighted to have Congregation Beth Shalom join the family, and Larry welcomed Ken Greenberg.  We are also very excited to welcome His Way Church as an additional host congregation.  Several other congregations are still serious about their desire to join our network.  We expect to complete our additions within the next two weeks.  In the absence of Kathy Brown, Larry M. also spoke of the necessity to more forward in identifying our Coordinators for each congregation.  These individuals will work to recruit and schedule volunteers for host weeks, and supply volunteers for the Resource Center.  This role could be filled by a team of 2 or 3 individuals in each congregation, and is absolutely necessary prior to our official welcoming of homeless families.

David Vernon explained that we are how using the name “Resource Center” as opposed to “Day Center” due to confusion with the term “Day Care Center”.  David’s team is working on several possible locations—one a retail space in Old Newhall, the other, His Way Church.  Once the location is finalized, David’s entire team will be enlisting volunteers to get things up and running.  There’s a lot to accomplish, but there is definite progress, and David feels that working together, we can accomplish our goal.

Larry recognized our original Transportation Chair, Al Rizzo, and thanked Al for his hard work in getting our transportation planning underway.  Since Al is leaving the area, Dan Miller has graciously agreed to take over and continue with finalizing our plans for acquiring two vans and a team of volunteer drivers to transport families between the Resource Center and the host congregations.  We are still seeking van donations (two 7-8 passenger vans), and Dan will be recruiting drivers, as well.

Lucy Mulholland, our Treasurer, provided a financial report.  We’ve had contributions from several individuals and congregations over the past month, and our current bank balance is about $42,000.  Larry also reported that Valencia United Methodist Church has pledged (an additional) $20,000 to Family Promise from their Christmas Eve Miracle offering.  We are so very grateful to Valencia for their generosity and the amazing difference this contribution will make toward our bank balance in the coming weeks.

Lori Litel and Gary Choppe’ provided an update on our Fundraising activities. Two important events are coming up in the next several months--  The SCV WineFest and Dancing With Our Stars.  Winefest is February 12, and Family Promise is the designated charity for the event.  We have tickets on hand (for $50 until January 31), or they can be ordered via the website (http://www.scvwinefest.com).  All FP supporters and host and support sites are encouraged to join the fun!

Dancing With Our Stars is scheduled for April 2, and our “dancing star” is Councilwoman Laurie Ender.  We will be voting for Laurie via contributions to FP, and more information will be forthcoming in the near future.

Lori announced that we are planning our second annual Box City event, and one other major fundraiser associated with the SCV Marathon.  Teams will be formed in the near future to begin planning the two major fundraising events for 2011.

Larry C. announced that a Job Description has been drafted for our Network Director, and the search has begun with the professional support of Allan Fisher of Premier Financial Search, who has donated his services to identify and select appropriate candidates for the job.  A Hiring Team of four professionals (FP volunteers) is also in place, and interviews will be conducted with finalists in the coming weeks.  We are hoping to have our Network Director on board no later than March 1^st.

Larry also announced that an all-star Board of Directors is now in place.  We are in the process of transitioning from our old Core Leadership Team to the new Board, and look forward to a report and more information in the coming weeks.

Before adjourning the meeting for social time, Larry let everyone know that the plan is to have identified a location for our Resource Center and identified our Network Director by February 14^th.  Once those two milestones have been accomplished, we will be ready to begin final preparations for officially welcoming guests.  This is an exciting time after all of the months of hard work, and God’s hand is truly evident in our community.  The February meeting is planned for Tuesday, February 22 (in light of the Holiday weekend) and the location is TBA. The meeting was adjourned, and the celebration continued!

December 2010 Family Promise SCV Meeting Minutes (from Larry Comp):

We had a wonderful final meeting of 2010 last Thursday night at Valencia United Methodist.  God continues to bless our organization, and good news of new donors and supporters was shared. The momentum is definitely building, and it is just great to work with people who have big and compassionate hearts for the growing problem of homelessness in our community! The meeting minutes are attached for your review.

As we close out 2010 and move into the year when our network will be officially launched, I want to say a sincere thank you for the privilege of serving with you all over this past year. We have been so blessed by your friendship and support, and Terry and I look forward to the amazing things that God has in store for all of us in 2011.  Have a safe, warm, and wonderful Holiday Season, and know that we are sending prayers for abundant blessings for you and your families in the New Year.  Let me close with this thought from a Family Promise guest shared with us by Claas Ehlers, our FP/Interfaith Hospitality Network Director:

There is always hope, even when you can’t feel it. Family Promise helps you to not only feel hopeful, but most importantly, helps you to change your life to never lose hope again.
Amber, Guest, Family Promise of Sacramento

Blessings to you and yours,
Larry

P.S.  SCV WineFest tickets are still available...don't miss out!  www.scvwinefest.com

P.P.S.  On January 2nd at the Santa Clarita United Methodist Church, the Bill Lively Family & the Steve Lively Family will be singing their heads off with the Overflow Band, to tell the story of "The 4th Wise Man", and Benefit Family Promise of Santa Clarita Valley. Dinner is at 5 p.m. and the music beings at 6 p.m. Family Promise supporters and friends are all invited to attend.

November 2010 Family Promise SCV Meeting Minutes (from Larry Comp):

What a wonderful celebration we had last Monday evening when about 85 of us gathered to hear Family Promise President and Founder, Karen Olson, share her inspirational story!  Renehan Hall at St. Clare's was the setting for our festive and high-energy gathering.  Because we are working and planning for a February 14th, 2011 network launch, there was a lot of other important business to discuss, too.  Melissa Gasca is working on a video with highlights of Karen's message, and we'll post it on the website when it is complete.   Meanwhile, please take the time to review the attached minutes.

Here are a couple of quick updates to keep in mind:

• Family Promise of SCV is the designated charity for the upcoming SCVWinefest to be held on February 12, 2011. The event will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel, and through November 30th, ticket prices are only $30 each.  If you are looking for a holiday gift, stocking stuffer, or Valentine's surprise for your sweetheart, now's the time to buy tickets at a great price! We have tickets, so email us right away if you are interested.

• At the meeting, some of you picked up small "loose change" donation boxes to place at local restaurants and retail spaces.  If you picked up a donation box, please use the attached flier and place next to the donation box. If you did not pick up a box, but know of a retail space or restaurant that would be willing to host a loose change box, please let us know and we'll get you one right away.

• In December, our meeting will be held on Thursday, December 16th at Valencia United Methodist Church---right across from Henry Mayo Hospital.  The time is orientation at 6:30, General Meeting at 7:00. It's an important meeting because we have lots to accomplish in order to achieve our goals for opening.

As Terry and I gather around the table this Thanksgiving with the family to celebrate the blessings of this past year, we are especially grateful for the friendships formed through Family Promise and the joy of serving with all of you!  Thank you for all that you are doing to make a difference in the lives of homeless families, and to make a difference in our lives, too!

Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless you and yours,

Larry

October 2010 Family Promise SCV Meeting Minutes:

Hope things are well in your world. Last Monday night we had an exciting meeting at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and the minutes are attached so that you can keep up to speed in case you weren't there.  There are a couple of very important things that you really need to know!

• We have set a target Network Opening Date of Valentine's Day-  February 14, 2011! There are a number of goals yet to be accomplished, and we need your participation to make this goal a reality.  Think and pray about how you can help, and email me ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) if you haven't signed up for one of the teams (see minutes) yet. We truly need the talents and gifts of all of us to open our doors and bring hope to the homeless of the SCV
• Karen Olson, Family Promise Founder and President, will be our guest of honor at the November 15th meeting! Karen will bring inspiration and words of wisdom to all of us at 7:00 pm on Monday, November 15th at St. Clare's Catholic Church, 19606 Calla Way---Canyon Country.  A "Gourmet Dessert Buffet" will be provided, as we honor Karen and celebrate our planned Valentine's Day opening

What an exciting time in the life our organization as we prepare to tackle the final tasks and hurdles necessary to open our doors!  We know that the need is great in our Valley, and after Box City, many in our community are supportive of our very compelling cause.  Please make plans now to attend the November 15th meeting.  I'd like to challenge each congregation to bring 10 representatives that night to hear Karen and find out where their gifts and talents can be plugged in to help us achieve our goal.

Thanks so much for all that you're doing, and let's not stop now!  We are closing in on our goal, and the November meeting will be a great time to come together, be inspired, and position ourselves to work through the final challenges of getting up and running.

Blessings to all of you and see you on November 15th,