The Orange County Rescue Mission E-news: February 2007

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Your gifts help a family climb out of poverty.

Six years ago, a fall off a ladder at work sent Greg Lolio’s life into a disastrous tailspin. With his back broken in five places, it took two years for Greg to recover. His workers’ comp and disability coverage were not enough to support him, his wife Lisa and their two children. They moved into his mother’s house.

With Lisa’s income, they were just barely getting by. Greg retrained in computer skills, but couldn’t find work. In the meantime, his elderly mother had to sell the house to move into senior care. Homeless, the Lolios moved into a motel. For nine months, they tried to get into some kind of shelter program. No luck. Then Lisa had to have surgery.

Greg took what work he could get. He commuted two hours a day by bus to a job that paid $10 an hour. With bonuses, he brought home $1,600 a month. The motel cost $1,800 a month. Health insurance through his company cost another $448 a month. The financial and emotional stress on the family was tearing them apart.

“Then Jim Womack called from the Mission,” says Lisa, “and everything changed overnight!” Greg explains, “Because we’re considered high-risk renters, apartments require a double security deposit — $2,400!” We could not save that much. But the Mission covered it, and today we are moving back into an apartment!”

As part of the Strong Beginnings program, the Lolios are eligible for grocery deliveries and career training. Now they can focus on saving for a car, looking for better-paying jobs and rebuilding their family life. It’s all possible because people like you care. Thank you!

Your gifts take Jesus’ compassion where it's needed most.

Deanna Hall is homeless. She's been sleeping in the back of a friend’s truck for seven months. She says it's shivering-cold out there, but there are several ways she keeps warm:

Ride the bus all day
Go into a 24-hour restaurant and order coffee
Share a clean dumpster with a friend — that keeps her the warmest
Just find a dry spot.

“The police usually don’t bother you,” Deanna says. Sometimes she goes to government-funded shelters . It’s really crowded, but she's grateful for them. There, she gets hot food and a snack. Men and women sleep on different sides of the same room. They give her a clean mat, but it’s on the floor. It can be dangerous. She gets frisked for weapons at the door.

After being homeless as long as Deanna has you learn not to trust people, so she doesn't stay too long. Lots of people around her are coughing. She wakes up in the morning with someone’s feet in her face — but at least it’s out of the rain!

Deanna has had lots of health problems which keep her out of work a lot. She has asthma, high blood pressure, Crohn’s disease, a peptic ulcer and arthritis in her shoulder — but she has no medical insurance! She gets her medications at the New Life Mobile Medical Clinic. Without this needed resource, Deanna would have no recourse but to go to the emergency room.

Priscilla Rivera was always a stay-at-home mom. She was married for 10 years, had four kids and always thought her husband would support her. He left, and now has a house and new wife, leaving Priscilla on the street with no job skills and four kids to support. She found a job for $10 an hour, $600 take-home every two weeks. Rent on a one-bedroom apartment is $1,200 — not to mention deposits to get in — so there would be nothing left for gas, insurance, clothes, food or anything else. Consequently, Priscilla is renting a room from a woman for $500 a month, and has bunk beds set up for the kids.

The Strong Beginnings Program, partially funded by the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, has been an overwhelming blessing to Priscilla. The War on Hunger Vehicle helps her to feed her kids juice and vegetables, and have necessities like hygiene items. Without this, they would not be able to maintain a healthy diet.

George Mulak, OCRM's Career Developer on the Technology Education Vehicle, taught her how to use e-mail. Now she's working on her job skills so that she can earn more money. Priscilla is four months into the one-year program and is so grateful.

Karen Trujillo was the supervisor at a telemarketing company for five years when the site closed and her work moved overseas. She trained to be a cross-country truck driver, but had an accident. The doctors said her pain was just a back sprain that would heal itself, but the pain was so bad that she had to use a cane, so the company let her go and she decided to change careers.

By now, Karen was almost out of money and struggling just to stay in motels. She enrolled in a medical billing program, but a month before graduation the training company went out of business! Without an actual certificate, and with no experience, no one would hire her. Karen was so depressed, she didn’t even want to leave her motel room.

One day, OCRM’s Technology Education Vehicle pulled into the motel parking lot. Karen likes to call it Hope on Wheels. Strong Beginnings Career Developer, George Mulak, helped her post her résumé and search for jobs on the Internet. He also helped her with interview clothes, groceries and rent. He even sent her to the New Life Mobile Medical Clinic, where they discovered that Karen's back pain was actually fibromyalgia — which they treated! Today Karen is working, no longer using a cane and on her way to becoming fully self-supporting again. “It’s a miracle!” she beams.

You save lives and stop the spread of communicable diseases through our New Life Medical Clinic.
You help provide education skills and mentorship for children through Alpha-Quest Tutoring Program.
You deliver food to hungry motel children through the Mission’s War on Hunger Vehicle.
You give moms and their children a place to live while they learn job skills, parenting skills and plan for the future at the House of Hope.
You support and guide motel families while they rebuild their lives and move into their own apartments as a part of our Strong Beginnings Program.
You provide emergency shelter to keep old men and weak addicts off cold, wet park benches at our Men’s Shelter.
You offer homeless men some dignity through our Shower Program.
You reach out to our unfortunate military men and women who have had trouble re-entering civilian life.
You provide career assessment, training and placement to move people into better-paying jobs so they can support themselves using our Technology Education Vehicle.
You share God’s love — the main life-changing ingredient we offer to all our clients through all our ministries.

Community groups, churches, families, individuals, and businesses — here’s a great way to help homeless families stay together while they rebuild their lives and become self-supporting:

Adopt a family suite or a room at the Village of Hope! The Village of Hope is an innovative, faith-based, transitional facility that will keep homeless dads, moms, and kids together, while giving parents 12 to 24 months to work on job training and life skills. To make this dream a reality, we must complete the transformation of two existing military dormitories into 128 rooms for homeless families. A plaque with your name, or your group’s name, will be placed in the room. More importantly, your group will be part of creating modern-day miracles in the lives of hurting families in Orange County.

Please e-mail John Luker or call (714) 247-4306 for more info. You can also check our Web site for volunteer work dates, construction needs, prayer requests and more.

“I’ve never received a Valentine’s Day card — ever.” More than one woman at the House of Hope has told me that sad fact. Though they may have had children, been married or had numerous boyfriends, many of the women here said they have never experienced real love. Many of them admit they were looking for a knight in shining armor to rescue them from bad family backgrounds. Several were abused and say they end up with men who eventually abuse them. In the light of day they can see the bad mistakes they’ve made in choosing men … but on Valentine’s Day they suddenly forget the bad and yearn for past relationships.

That’s why on Valentine’s Day every year I buy each woman at the House of Hope a box of candy and write them a Valentine’s Day letter. No, not one my wife needs to be jealous of, but one that reminds them of what true love is: God’s love. Sometimes they can’t feel that. I remind them that the care and kindness they experience every day at the House of Hope is God’s love — delivered through us. I also remind them that their success is not based on landing a husband. It’s based on what God is doing in their lives. On what they are accomplishing in their lives.

If we can love God, love ourselves and love each other, we have found true love. This Valentine’s Day, let’s be God’s special gift to the world by the way we live our lives. Your gifts of compassion are certainly part of the love they feel. May God bless you as you bless others. And, Happy Valentine’s Day!

In His Service,

Ronald McDonald House Charities

The Orange County Rescue Mission recognizes the Ronald McDonald House Charities Southern California (RMHCSC) this month for their award of $30,000 to build the children s playground at the Village of Hope. This gift marks the fourth year of RMHCSC giving!

California Consumer Protection Foundation

The California Consumer Protection Foundation has generously awarded a $30,000 grant for our Mobile Technology Education Vehicle, effectively partnering with us in providing low-income Orange County citizens with flexible access to technology training. We are so thankful for the foundation’s support because the MTEV is meeting a huge need, operating as the only mobile job-placement service available to the homeless county-wide.

Massive Clothing Drive

Bette & Bob Prouty of Westminster, CA organized a clothing drive that ran from mid December 2006 until January 20, 2007 and filled five large bins! The Proutys said that they hope their efforts would inspire others to do the same in the coming year.

Winter Clothing

socks, shoes
gloves, mittens
coats, jackets
blankets
sleeping bags
backpacks
hats

Medicine

cough and cold
multi-vitamins
tylenol, aspirin

Other Necessities

Clothing vouchers
Gift cards
Diapers (sizes 4-6)
Over-the counter
medicine

(M-F, 8:00-5:00)
1421 Edinger, Suite B, Tustin
(888) 946-HOPE (4673)

Technology Vehicle

Volunteers or interns to teach basic computer skills and résumé preparation.
Please call George Mulak:
(714) 247-4300

Village of Hope

Subcontractors: all interior work; plumbing, heating, and electrical.

Organize a Food Drive!

Food is a constant need throughout the year, especially during the holidays when our resources are stretched to the limit. Get all the food drive materials you need through the above link.

Donate a vehicle: helps the homeless, helps you. More...

Call Emily Pardy at:
(714) 247-4320

The Orange County Rescue Mission offers an exciting Vehicle Donation Program. When you’re ready to put that old vehicle to good use, call us and we will conveniently come pick the vehicle up, handle all of the DMV paperwork and provide you with a 100% tax-deductible receipt.

Best of all, 100% of all net proceeds will go directly to serving the Least, the Last and the Lost of Orange County. Now THAT is a wise investment!

Have you ever seen a homeless person standing on the street corner with a sign saying “Will work for food?” What should you do? Should you give them money? Should you buy them food? These options provide only temporary relief, but at the Orange County Rescue Mission, we want to suggest a way that you can make a permanent difference in homeless people's lives:

Refer them to us!

We have downloadable and printable cards with the services we offer and a map to our emergency/transitional facility in Santa Ana. Click here to download the cards in PDF format. Print them out, keep them in your car and hand them out to the homeless people you encounter.

If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, click the link below.

What it means to be a Christian

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 4007 Santa Ana, CA 92702
Street Address: 1421 Edinger, Ste. B Tustin, CA 92780
Phone: (714) 247-4300 Fax: (714) 258-4451
Toll free: (888) 946-HOPE (4673)
Web: www.rescuemission.org