Merry Christmas. From The Desk Of Peggy. Happy New Year. Thank you for your gifts to AROH

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1 Merry Christmas Happy New Year From The Desk Of Peggy Christmas Edition 2015 Thank you for your gifts to AROH In the heart of your mission statement and motto there have been many people that felt hopeless find a new life and the purpose God had for them in living at A Ray of Hope home. And beyond that you have keep families with children in their homes and renew their hope to have a safe place to raise their Children. A Ray of Hope shall provide a safe harbor for those in the community with nowhere else to turn. It will provide those who seek help not only With food, clothing and shelter; but with knowledge and a avenue to develop competency in meeting life s financial, emotional, family and Legal rehabilitation challenges, AROH Motto Offer a hand up, rather than a hand out in order to build self-respect and dignity We are so grateful to all the wonderful people who donate time and resources so we can serve and do the work that we embrace and love doing Thank you for being a stakeholder in others recovery Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

2 Page 2 From the Desk of Melenie Haidys LETTERS A Ray of Hope a place for people who have slipped through the cracks. What an awesome ideal! It is so encouraging to witness so many blessings on a daily basis. Our shelter on 5 th avenue is almost completely guest run. We encourage our residents to use their God given talents to help produce a healing atmosphere. They are given and explained a set of guidelines on their entry date based off of the 10 commandments, and it s amazing how they flourish. From planning and cooking meals, keeping the house neat and tidy, to helping our wonderful Hope Thrift Supervisor Miss Lynn with maintaining the store and pickups and deliveries. It may be interesting to know as well that quite often it is a guest of the shelter that is answering the phones here in the office and helping other families in need with their personal crisis. Who better to empathize with people in need than those who have personally gone through similar experiences? It warms my heart to see them welcome homeless individuals into the house for a hot meal or a shower. Together we share personal triumphs and console each other through personal struggles. The family dynamic in the house is surreal. I am so blessed I get to witness and feel the Holy Spirit in action on a daily basis. The Ray of Hope has been the Biggest Blessing in my life, they have been there to help me in restoring my self-worth and dignity in myself and help me remember I AM important in this world. I want o give a sincere thanks to Bob, Peggy, Melenie, Bill, and Lynn who have become a very big, important, and very positive Role Models in MY life and have become family to me. I am very grateful and appreciative of A Ray of Hope and it has truly helped me to keep my Faith and offered a hand up, not a hand out. Sincerely, Cody Lindahl I came to A Ray of Hope from the hospital; I had never been unemployed, much less homeless and had medical issues to boot. To say I was feeling sorry for myself was a definite understatement. I was given a few days to adjust, and then Melenie was at my door! Over the next week she and I talked and my attitude and outlook improved. What Melenie and Bill do and deal with says more about them than written words can ever do. Never the less, I thank them and will keep them and A Ray of Hope House in my prayers. Thank you and God Bless, Theresa Harris-Powell Hi Peggy, this is Debbie Bosley. I want to reach out to you to tell you that I, once again, am so thankful for the outreach, love and care the Ray of Hope is showing Cody, as you did his mom. He's such a good kid with a loving heart. He and his brothers have had a rough road as you know, he has such a strong will and desire to succeed and be a productive citizen. His confidence has boosted since being there, he really enjoys the staff and the residents there, he says "it feels like family". That says volumes coming from a 19 year old. Thank you to you and the staff for living and showing Christ's love to those in need. You, Bob and the Ray are a blessing

3 Page 3 LETTERS Dear Peggy, I have been meaning to write to you to let you know some of the recent changes I have noticed at the Ray of Hope residence in Kalispell. As you know, getting the guests grouped together, on time, and organized for the TB testing has been difficult in the past. Between my busy schedule and theirs, communication has been no easy task. The new assistant director, and past resident, Melanie, has really stepped up to the challenge. She has been so helpful writing clear concise message boards to the guests, as well as reminding them to get tested. She seems to run a tight ship, but has a soft heart. She has been very professional. I have noticed that the house seems to be more organized and jobs are being delegated and accomplished. The place is looking nice for the holidays. I also want to put in a kudo for Bill who is always a blessing of encouragement to me as well as the guests with his smile and positive attitude. Sincerely, Kathleen Anderson,BSN,RN Dear A Ray of Hope, Thank you for helping me and my family in our time of need, we are very thankful for this blessing. When we felt we had nowhere left to turn your family at A Ray of Hope was like a light in the dark. I am the only one working in our family, while I am proud of this it can also be very stressful supporting the three of us on our own. Now I can enjoy the time I have with them stress free. We will forever be grateful, thank you!!! Gonzalez Family When I first started at Ray of Hope, I really didn t know what to expect. I have worked at correctional facilities and I have also worked with refugees. It has been my experience that a person can get lost in the shuffle at an institution, and I expected to see a similar situation at AROH. I have been working with AROH for about a year now. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the professional manner in which they conduct daily operations at the shelter. But what really struck me was the empathy shown to those staying at the shelter. AROH emphasizes their motto; A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out. AROH is a working house, ie guests help to maintain the house. I feel that this policy helps to build self-esteem and is conducive to the building of self-worth. This policy also helps the guests by allowing them to help each other and this in turn builds positive relationships. By fostering the growth of symbiotic relationships with other human beings, the guests become better prepared for life after they transition to a selfsufficient relationship. While being pleasantly surprised at the ROH, I must say that a corresponding amount of dismay occurred when I realized how great the need is in the Flathead Valley. I work in the office at ROH and I must get at least 10 calls or visits a day from those in need asking for help. The forms of help required vary from individual to individual, of course. But some things remain constant. The tears in a young mother s eyes when she can t make the rent. The fear in the eyes of an elderly person who is afraid that they will have to spend a cold winters night sleeping on the streets. The confused young man who hasn t eaten in a day or two and who needs a coat. I see these things on a daily basis and it is impossible not to be human and not be touched by these things. All that I can say is Thank God for the ROH. This valley has a terrific need for places like AROH and A Ray Of Hope is needed in the valley. Sincerely Yours, Kraig Eby.

4 Page 4 A Ray of Hope Primary Purpose A Ray of Hope s primary purpose is to serve those with nowhere else to go, we at A Ray of Hope find ourselves on the front lines of the fight against addiction and family homelessness. Each day we strive to meet Flathead communities needs and work diligently to eliminate these issues in the Valley. To help meet the need of family homelessness A Ray of Hope is starting work on a women and children s homeless facility which will house up to 25 women and children nightly and help these families thrive. There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help. -Jan Schakowsky Too break the cycle of homelessness. A few of the services we provide free of charge are: Provide education, counselling and job training while self-documenting hours worked to acquire job skills and good work ethics. Provide pregnant women a way off the streets in a safe shelter until they can be provided a safe home. Provide a Mountain Retreat offered at no cost to those coming off drugs and alcohol to spend time in an intense 12 step program. Provide funding for women with children to pay rent and utility bills throughout the year, to prevent them from becoming homeless. A thrift store to provide needed clothing and house hold items for people who have lost everything sometimes due to their own poor choices, or to fire and other issues they had no control over. Provide safe shelter, meals and showers to an average of 20 people a day. Provide bus and train fair to people to help them get back to family members that can give them a hand up. Provide clothes to individuals in need of professional or specific items for job interviews, to ensure they are looking their best. Provide education, counselling and job training while self-documenting hours worked to acquire job skills and good work ethics. Provide pregnant women a way off the streets in a safe shelter until they can be provided a safe home. Provide a Mountain Retreat offered at no cost to those coming off drugs and alcohol to spend time in an intense 12 step program. Provide funding for women with children to pay rent and utility bills throughout the year, to prevent them from becoming homeless. A thrift store to provide needed clothing and house hold items for people who have lost everything sometimes due to their own poor choices, or to fire and other issues they had no control over. Provide safe shelter, meals and showers to an average of 20 people a day. Provide bus and train fair to people to help them get back to family members that can give them a hand up. Provide clothes to individuals in need of professional or specific items for job interviews, to ensure they are looking their best. Provide people who come in filled with body lice the medication needed to destroy the lice. We provide them with clean clothes and a clean bed helping to restore their self-esteem. Provide people discharged from the hospital with no place to go to heal, a safe place to recover.

5 Page 5 Letters Dear A Ray of Hope, I want to thank you for the Adopt a Family program, without it my children probably wouldn't have any gifts to open. To know there is a family who wants to adopt mine and help my family through this struggling time, is beyond any thanks I can give. The Lord does work through others to reach many, and this program goes to show that God is not dead! This program means so much to me! Being able to see the joy in my children's eyes makes my heart melt and to know YOU helped me makes me cry of happiness. I plan to Adopt a Family in the near future to pay my respect forward. Saying Thank You does not show my appreciation. God Bless all of the families who are struggling like mine, and bless the families who are lending a helping hand. You are all so wonderful for what you do. I appreciate you in so many ways it's so hard to put into words!! Again, I want to thank you from the bottom of my Dear A Ray of Hope, You are living proof that God answers prayers. I didn t know what to do when I got out of the hospital. I found a job but my first paycheck wasn t nearly enough to cover even the necessities. I was afraid that my 2 year old daughter and I were going to go without. I prayed to God asking for help and A Ray of Hope came to mind. I asked for assistance and you all helped me pay my necessary bills and even offered to help make Christmas a reality for me and my daughter. I am forever grateful for your help all the wonderful caring people who run your organization. I would encourage everyone to donate to A Ray of Hope because they truly do help those in need. Thank you for all you do. God Bless Jessica McCormick Jessica McCormick

6 A Ray of Hope PO Box 5407 Kalispell MT Non-Profit US Postage Paid Kalispell MT Permit # 125 Return Service Requested «AddressBlock» Visit us at Phone A Hand Up Not A Hand Out MISSION STATE- MENT Helmville 2340 Hope RD WE have good workers that need a Hand up with Work Call A Ray of Hope shall provide a safe harbor for those in the community with nowhere else to turn. It will provide those who seek help not only with food, clothing and shelter, but also with knowledge and a avenue to develop competency in meeting life s financial, emotional, family, and legal rehabilitation challenges. Shelter 46 5th Av West Kalispell MT PH Please send donations to PO Box 5407, Kalispell MT Thrift Store 105 6th Av West Kalispell MT PH