|
|
Fall is here and the Joseph's House guys spent some time in downtown Fremont, exploring the autumn-themed hay sculptures on view.
|
|
|
|
The Mary's House ladies are enjoying the fall so far. They recently went to a nearby pumpkin patch for the afternoon and did a hay ride while they were at it.
|
|
|
|
The fall season means getting back into routines for the ladies at Hope House. Classes at Noorthoek Academy, Arts in Motion, Friendship Group, the Go Getters group at Calvary Church, and Artists Creating Together's ACTion Choir are back in swing and they love it! We are thankful for these opportunities for the ladies to grow in relationships, spiritually, and expand their minds and talents!
|
|
|
|
Pictured above are Elizabeth, Angie, Melanie, and Stephanie, posing in front of the beautiful sunflower field at Ed Dunneback & Girl's Farm in Grand Rapids.
|
|
The Grand Rapids residents got together with their friends from First Evangelical Covenant Church. They did an acorn craft and had lots of fun!
|
|
|
The Faith House men have been keeping busy this fall, visiting and supporting the City of Walker Fire Department, taking pumpkin walks, baking spooky cookies, listening to music, and meeting some fun characters!
|
|
|
|
|
The Mary's House gals love helping out in the kitchen. Pictured above is Liz and Beth Anne mixing together the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies.
|
|
|
Britt made it a goal of hers to make roasted pumpkin seeds this season. She researched a recipe, followed the instructions, and was able to make some delicious pumpkin seeds all by herself. Way to go, Britt!
|
|
|
|
This fall, Mary's House and Joseph's House's outdated ingress/egress pathways were fully replaced, with new ADA-compliant steps and entree ramps installed by Post Randstad LLC, a local construction company. The Safe Harbor residents and staff are grateful for the new barrier-free entrances, which will allow for improved access and safety on a daily basis.
|
|
|
Safe Harbor has been blessed to have had Kiri as a staff member at Hope House over the past four years, but we now wish her the best as she starts a new job and begins the next phase in her career. Kiri is pictured above, far right, with the Hope House ladies and staff members during a Christmas party last year.
Kiri's favorite memories from her time at Hope House come from sitting around the dinner table with the ladies, laughing, joking around, and talking about their days. Rhonda would often buy napkins with conversation questions on them, and Kiri and the ladies would pick a few and go around the table so everyone could answer.
One time, a napkin posed the question, "You get to make the rules, what are they?," with a girl wearing a crown drawn on it. This question quickly turned into, "You are queen of Hope House for one day. What is your rule?" The ladies would answer with things like desserts for every meal, never having to clean, everyone going on vacation together, and how there must be a structured time for naps multiple times a week! After everyone answered, they would wave to the table like a princess in a parade. It made everyone laugh every single time. It's memories like these that Kiri will forever cherish when she thinks about her time at Safe Harbor.
The Hope House residents and staff are sad to see Kiri go, but are excited for her as she begins her new job! Thank you for all your hard work over the years, Kiri!
|
|
|
New Staff at Hope House
We are pleased to welcome Kristyn Meines, who will serve as Relief Staff at Hope House; Kristyn is pictured above, left, with Katie.
Hope House also welcomes Michele Dozeman and Sharia Hamilton, both of whom will be working as Community Living Supports with several of the residents. Emma VanAndel has joined the Hope House team as a weekend staff member. We are very blessed to have such caring staff members to come alongside our residents time and time again!
|
|
New Staff at Mary's House
Sydney Wisniewski joined Mary's House this October, after previously serving at DayBreak Adult Day Services, where she got to know many of the Mary's House residents and staff.
So far, Sydney's favorite part of working at Safe Harbor is being able to work with six amazing women every time she goes to work! Sydney is currently pursuing a master's degree in Elementary Education. When she's not working or studying, she enjoys spending time with her family.
|
|
|
New Staff at Joseph's House
We are excited to have Kristie Epplett join the Joseph's House staff. She will be working as a Direct Care Worker for the residents. Kristie lives in Spring Lake, MI and has a background in special education. She has experience as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional. We are very happy and blessed she has joined the Safe Harbor team!
|
|
|
Angie recently celebrated her 46th birthday. Here she is with peanut butter pie -- her all time favorite! Happy Birthday, Angie!
|
|
|
Providing around-the-clock housing and care for our residents requires a wide variety of different needs, some big, some small. Please consider helping us fill a need for one of our four group homes from the listing below.
A complete listing of current needs may be found on our website (click here).
You may mail a check to Safe Harbor at 862 Forest Park Rd., Muskegon, MI 49441, and write the need you are underwriting in the memo line (e.g. vacuum cleaner). Feel free to contact Rick Larman, Executive Director, at 616.340.5942 or rick.larman@safeharbormi.org, for more information.
Mary's House
-Spring cleaning day with the residents -- washing windows, cleaning walls, power washing, cleaning gutters, and landscaping (no financial donation, but rather a donation of your time!)
-Furniture for the living room — sofa and recliner; $500+ each
Joseph's House
-Repair of moisture damage in resident’s bathrooms and fresh coat of paint in residents’ bedrooms, $600-$800 (supplies and labor); this is the home’s most pressing need, as the moisture has progressively worsened
-6 new twin mattresses for the residents, $200-$300 each
Hope House
-Metal shelving unit for garage, $100
-Carpet steam cleaner, $130
Faith House
-Faith House is blessed to not have any needs at this time
|
|
|
Here are some of the recent items from our Needs List that have been met, thanks to the generosity of our supporters!
-Family room TV, Joseph's House
-YMCA gym membership for the residents, Faith House and Hope House
|
|
|
|
|
|
