ROCKFORD RESCUE MISSION. I was homeless. I lost everything. My career. Very nearly my family. EVEN MY LIFE.

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1 Holiday 2016 Volume 52 Issue 4 ROCKFORD RESCUE MISSION I was homeless. I lost everything. My career. Very nearly my family. EVEN MY LIFE. Today, Cathy is looking forward to a joy-filled family Christmas, made possible through your compassion and generosity. Read her moving story of restoration on Page 5. P.O. Box West State St. Rockford, IL (815) rockfordrescuemission.org info@rockfordrescuemission.org Rockford Rescue Mission shares hope and help in Jesus name to move people from homelessness and despair toward personal and spiritual wholeness.

2 The Greatest YouLove Gift You Can Give Those MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Visit rockfordrescuemission.org for the latest information on these and other upcoming events. Good parents and grandparents want what s best for the children they love healthy bodies, safety, education, character development and emotional health. But there s an even greater gift you can give them a generational legacy of faith and values. Parents who instill a heritage of faith in their children offer their very best. Another way you can give your best is by prayerfully creating an Estate Plan that s structured to yield the best possible blessing for your loved ones and the ministries you care about like Rockford Rescue Mission. An effective Estate Plan will allow you to: Mitigate unnecessary taxation Eliminate potential stress and create peace Creatively communicate faith and values Community Thanksgiving Banquet NOON Great Room at Rockford Rescue Mission 715 West State Street Community Christmas Banquet NOON Great Room at Rockford Rescue Mission 715 West State Street NOV 23 (Wed) DEC 23 (Fri) For more information, contact Rus Howard at (815) or rushoward@rockfordrescuemission.org. Executive Director Tour and Lunch 2017 JAN 25 (Wed) 11:15 A.M. To reserve your place or for more details, call (815) SHOP FOR CHRISTMAS AT OUR THRIFT STORE! From Christmas trees to holiday decorations and collectibles, you ll find everything you need for the season at our Thrift Store. We also have a great selection of toys for the children on your list, as well as one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and loved ones. Use this special coupon and include us as the first stop on your Christmas shopping spree! Evening of Hope Telethon Watch our website for details! 2017 JAN 31 (Tues) Spend a Dollar Change a Life! $10 off any $25 purchase th Street, Rockford. IL Mon-Fri 9 a.m. 7 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m. 5 p.m. All proceeds benefit the ministry of Rockford Rescue Mission Limit one per customer No cash value Cannot be combined with other offers Expires 12/24/16 Premier of Paramount Pictures Same Kind of Different as Me 2017 FEB 3 (Fri) Based on the book by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Watch our website for details and visit YouTube to view the movie trailer.

3 The JOY of a A single Family Christmas! FOR CATHY, CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT FAMILY AND THE PLEASURE OF SHARING BELOVED TRADITIONS. BUT FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, SHE WONDERED IF SHE D EVER EXPERIENCE THAT JOY AGAIN. mom, Cathy was devoted to her little girl. Baking cookies, decorating the tree and singing their favorite carols made the holidays their special time together. When her daughter achieved their shared dream of going to college, she couldn t have been more proud. Yet at the same time, it left a huge void in her life. And she filled it with alcohol. I simply couldn t stop drinking, she says. Over time, addiction took its toll. Cathy became homeless, and her relationship with her daughter now married with a young son grew strained. It got so bad, she was dropping me off at a shelter because I couldn t live with them, Cathy says. Finally, believing she was a burden to those she loved, Cathy attempted suicide. By God s grace she survived, and while in the hospital she learned about Rockford Rescue Mission. Through our Life Recovery Program, the Lord is restoring her life and her family. And last Christmas she was welcomed back into her daughter s home. I got to wake up on Christmas morning with my grandson, she says. But her journey to joy didn t end there. Cathy took part in our Advanced Vocational Training (AVT) program where she earned her Food Sanitation License. She graduated in June and is working as the kitchen manager at Carpenter s Place, a job she loves, as it offers opportunities to minister to others who struggle as she did. Today, with the holidays just around the corner, she is grateful her job has given her the financial resources to buy gifts for her grandson. And once again she s looking forward to all the joys of a family Christmas. I m watching my daughter carry on our traditions with my grandson, and we re creating new ones, she says. It s amazing! Individuals like Cathy are blessed by your gifts and prayers, which empower them to find meaning that brings joy to their lives. Thank you for your continued generosity this holiday season and into the new year ahead. God bless you.

4 Reflections FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Dear Friend, One of my favorite Christmas memories is from when my boys were very young. We had lived at the Mission (our former location) for nine years, so we had always been close to our guests all homeless men at that time during the holidays. This year we had recently moved to our own place. We were facing our first Christmas without being on-site, which was very difficult for me. So as a family, we decided to make Christmas Eve a special event with the men. I wrapped boxes for each one with a T-shirt, gloves and holiday treats. Then we loaded the gifts, the boys and the dog into the car and drove to the Mission to celebrate. To this day, I believe we needed to be with the men just as much or more than they needed to be with us. They had become family. Today we continue to carry on that tradition, but in a much larger scope, through the kind hearts of friends like The young Pitney boys celebrate Christmas with Mission guests. you. This holiday season, you can be family for our guests who feel unworthy and alone. Through your gifts and prayers, and the activities you ll read about in these pages, we ll let them know they re loved. And we ll share with them the joy that comes through Christ s birth. I m so grateful for your continued partnership and the role you play in our Mission family. May you feel the joy your compassion brings to others. God bless you today and always. Partners in Hope, Bless a Resident at CHRISTMAS Individuals in our Life Recovery Program are not always able to spend the holiday with their families or provide a gift for their children during the Christmas season. For this reason, we invite your family, congregation or workplace to bless a resident and his or her family. By partnering with one or more of our residents, those individuals as well as their children will receive a personal gift during this special season in their lives. Each resident will complete a wish list of items that would be meaningful for them as well as a gift for their little ones. You or your group can simply request the name of a resident and a wish list will be provided to you with their requests. Our residents with children will wrap the gifts for their sons and daughters in time for Christmas. We ask that you limit your purchase to $50 per resident/family and deliver the gifts unwrapped to the Mission no later than December 16. Sherry Pitney Executive Director If you d like to take part in this heartwarming outreach, please contact Carol Ayars at (815) to request the name of a resident to bless.

5 LET BEJoy! THERE When they first come through our doors, the homeless men, women and children in our care may find it hard to remember the last time they felt a sense of joy in their lives. Despair, guilt and heartache more often describe what they re feeling inside. The holiday season gives us many opportunities to help them discover the joy that comes from the gift of God s unconditional love, which He gave us through the birth of His Son. Through your financial gifts, volunteer participation and fervent prayers, you can demonstrate Christ s compassion for our homeless guests and hurting neighbors and let them know they re not alone. You can be their family. This year s annual Christmas noontime banquet will be on Friday, December 23. We ll serve a traditional holiday dinner to as many as 700 people. Homeless guests in our shelters as well as residents of our Life Recovery Program will join in fellowship at our tables with hungry neighbors, along with local dignitaries, staff and volunteers. We ll also provide gifts of hats, gloves, scarves and hand warmers to our dinner guests. Children will also receive a book and stuffed toy. Your partnership makes this outpouring of love possible. If you can provide items from the list to the right, we d be truly grateful for your contribution. Your financial gifts help. A gift of $2.05 provides a meal and care for one hungry man, woman or child! We re truly grateful for whatever you can do to help! Items Needed for Banquet FOOD Ham Sweet potatoes Au gratin potato mix Ready-to-serve dinner rolls Canned green beans Individual pats of butter GIFTS Waterproof gloves Hats and coats (all sizes) Warm clothing Stuffed toys & children s books Our greatest need! Please deliver your donations to the Mission, 715 West State Street, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Grocery items will be accepted at the food service door on Mulberry Street; clothing and toy donations at the front door on State Street. How Your Gifts Changed Hearts and Lives in 2016* FOOD SHELTER MEDICAL CARE EMPLOYMENT HOUSING ADVOCACY & COUNSELING SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE 141,988 meals served 49,855 beds provided 2,474 patient appointments 203 secured jobs 647 secured housing 9,161 total sessions 2,214 spiritual decisions Financial support from individuals, churches, businesses and organizations make our programs and services possible. Your continued generosity will truly bless our ministry and those we serve as we end the year and move ahead into *October September 2016

6 When Did It Begin? A long-time Mission donor shares the story behind his heartfelt generosity WORKS! Center Offers 1-Stop Shop for Job Success Dear Sherry, When I was young (5 years old) my parents were not very wealthy back in the 40s. Everyone was just coming out of the depression, my family included. My father ran a small cafe where sometimes the only pay he d receive was buttons or nails or something of value to a young family with small children. Money and jobs were scarce. My parents taught me from an early age to look out for those who have less or nothing at all. Now I am in my 70s. Money is still tight, but I still care. M. Rockford Rescue Mission is grateful for faithful donors like you who choose our ministry to fulfill your calling to help those who are homeless and struggling. God bless you for your continued support. Set to open the first quarter of 2017, Works! Center at Rockford Rescue Mission is a skill development outreach that makes purposeful connections between employers and job seekers to prepare our community s emerging workforce for success. Works! Center expands the Mission s education and career services to provide under-prepared job seekers with a structured path to meaningful employment. The center brings together human services and educational partners with local employers to deliver soft skills, adult literacy, and careerreadiness and advocacy assistance. Career Snapshots in culinary arts, housekeeping, sanitation management and other fields will also be provided. Stay tuned for more information about how you or your company can become involved in this vital program!