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News of lives transformed—thanks to you!
DECEMBER 2013
A publication of Bu�alo City Mission
buffalocitymission.org716-854-8181
4
Your gift is tax deductible to the full extent of the law. We will send a receipt for your records.
Please make your check payable to: BUFFALO CITY MISSION P.O. Box 1748 Buffalo, NY 14240-1748
THANK YOU!To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at buffalocitymission.org or call 716-854-8181, ext. 429.
m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________
NAME
ADDRESS APT.
CITY STATE ZIP
To all outward appearances, David’s life seemed ideal. He was a respected physician, married to a psychologist, active in his community and financially secure. But then his wife fell ill with cancer. When she eventually passed away, David not only lost his life partner—he lost his sense of self.
“I just kind of dropped out and started wandering around,” David recalls. “And I lost everything...It took me a couple of years to admit that I was not sane.”
I was in darknessThe turning point came when David was at the funeral
for his brother’s son. As he sat there, feeling like an empty shell, his brother turned to him with tears in his eyes and said, “I want my big brother back.” David burst into tears at these words. “I immediately went over to the VA hospital and I said, ‘I think I’m broken, can you fix me?’”
David—who was also a Vietnam veteran—stayed at the hospital for 18 months. “I was in total darkness... I had to literally remember my name. I didn’t remember anything about who I was.”
After his release, David felt himself led to the Mission, where he joined the Discipleship Program. He says his time in the
program has helped tune him back in to the Word of God and to stay focused. “Of all the places I’ve been...all the fancy training I’ve ever had, this is the most profoundly influential that I’ve ever experienced.”
Found...in Christ!As David sees it, he may not have had a substance
addiction but he needed recovery nonetheless: “I was addicted to power, prestige, thinking that I was pretty much in control of my life.” Today, David has a different approach to living, based on Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.”
David is deeply grateful to all who support the Mission and help provide not only meals, but also the spiritual food that is now nourishing
him back to life and mental health. “Being here... has been the most rewarding thing that I’ve
ever been through in my life.”
This Christmas, please keep David and our other residents in your prayers as they continue along their recovery journey. Your donations have helped provide the services and resources they need to grow in hope and faith toward a better future—thank you!
I just knew that there was something special here
Yes! I want to help bring hope to hurting, homeless and hungry people this Christmas:
* * * CODE BLUE WEATHER ALERT * * *
Many thanks to everyone who joined in our 7th Annual Motorcycle Ride for the Homeless fundraising event a few months ago on August 10. More than 100 bikers took to the highway on a 50-mile ride that wound through Niagara County, ending at Gratwick Waterfront Park in North Tonawanda. Once again, all proceeds went to benefit Buffalo City Mission’s After-school Program.
Last year, participants in the ride raised more than $20,000—this year, they raised $25,000! What a blessing! Your support will help to continue providing hope and opportunities in a safe learning environment for the kids we serve. Thank you!
7th Annual Motorcycle Ride for the Homeless
Bikers raise $25,000 for BCM!
NMCAWHTOn track for the Hambone Express!
Give and receive this holiday season
The best gift of all
2 2 3
After his wife’s death, David lost everything. Then he came to the Buffalo City Mission—and found hope.
Connect with us online!Give on the go at our new mobile site: http://m.buffalocitymission.org/
Visit us at buffalocitymission.org for the latest updates, inspiring stories and more.
Holiday donations needed!
Thank you for your donations and support!
Other: • Disposable razors • Slippers (all sizes for men, women and children) Holiday food: • Non-perishable food such as instant
stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, canned fruit, corn, yams and green beans
Always on our wish list: • Furniture • All sizes of new and gently used clothing
for men, women and children • Non-perishable food items such as
canned fruit, vegetables and spices
URGENT BASIC NEEDS Women: • Bras (all sizes) • Underwear (sizes 5-12) • SocksMen: • Boxers (all sizes) • SocksBaby: • Baby wipes • Diapers (all sizes)
Below is our urgent wish list of much-needed items for the holidays and beyond. If there are items you would like to donate, we would be so grateful!
BY THE NUMBERSEvery gift you send helps to meet the practical needs of hungry, homeless people in our community in the most tangible way. Here are the latest numbers that show the impact of your support, from the beginning of 2013:
Those numbers represent real men, women and children whose lives have been touched by your compassionate generosity. Thank you!
160,000 meals
60,000 nights of shelter
2,451 bags of groceries supplied to poor and needy families
January–October 2013
2 3
From the Executive DirectorFrom the Executive Directorbuffalocitymission.org 716-854-8181
The best gift of allOur One Mission, One Hope Fall Campaign for 2013 is well
underway, with a goal of raising $2 million before December 31—just a few short weeks away!
The campaign has been established to raise funds for our recovery programs, so we can continue to offer crucial life-skills courses that give people the tools to make lasting life change. This includes classes on anger management, addiction relapse prevention, budgeting and proper nutrition. In addition, one-on-one counseling combined with support groups and Bible study helps to replace old, destructive habits with new attitudes of responsibility, accountability and self-confidence.
Another area that will benefit from the funds from this campaign is our Children’s After-school Program, which provides a safe, spiritual, nurturing and structured academic learning environment for all grades. This program also allows children to build strong relationships with peers and experience positive interaction with tutors and mentors.
If you’ve already given to the campaign, thank you! If not, please consider making as generous a donation as you can today. Your support will help us establish a strong financial foundation for the year ahead, so we can keep providing help and hope to people in need. Thank you!
Help us reach our goal before December 31
Thank you, volunteers!
To me, the holiday season is about being thankful for the birth of my Lord Jesus Christ—our great King who came to be a humble servant to His people.
I have a video where the narrator talks about the place where Jesus was born, and while he’s talking he walks through an old, deserted dairy farm. You can see that it is a cold and muddy place, as far from comfortable as you can imagine! The scene reminds me that Jesus wasn’t born in a beautiful castle, but a humble barn. And that shows me that serving others was never meant to be easy. It’s difficult work—but oh, the great rewards that come with it!
Every day at the Buffalo City Mission we see men, women and children come through our doors who are struggling to find hope. Seeing someone’s life change as they move from the darkness of their past hurts and addictions into the light of God’s healing love is the very best gift we at the Mission could ever receive at any time of year. And it’s a gift that your support makes possible, over and over again.
This Christmas, I pray that God will bless you and your loved ones with a wealth of peace, joy and love—for your donations have helped bring these priceless gifts to people in desperate need. Thank you for your compassion.
Stuart L. Harper Executive Director
Give and receive—with a charitable gift annuity!
We want to take a moment to recognize and thank our many volunteers who give so generously of their time to make a difference in the community. We simply couldn’t do our work without you!
The Buffalo City Mission and the community are partners in serving “the least of these” in our city. Individuals, churches, businesses and civic organizations—each one does their part to help meet the need, whether by
hosting donation drives, volunteering on-site or giving financially.
Holiday volunteer opportunities
Volunteers are especially needed during the holidays for activities such as our
Christmas events and Hambone Express. We’re preparing to serve about 200 meals on-site at the Buffalo City Mission, and distribute up to 3,600 meals to needy families and
individuals throughout the Buffalo area. It’s a big
job—and one that has deep impact for the giver and receiver alike!
“Serving others in need, bringing joy and connection to another person—especially when you may be the only person that they may see on this holiday—
is so rewarding,” says Suzanne Cervi, volunteer manager at the Mission. “It does your heart good to know you showed caring for someone else.”
If you are interested in serving as a volunteer this year, contact the Volunteer Department at 716-854-8181, ext. 404.
Through March 15, Buffalo City Mission is providing extra space to help more friends f ind shelter from dangerous winter weather.* * * CODE BLUE WEATHER ALERT * * *
together to hand out 3,600 holiday meals to families and individuals living in poverty in our community. This event is a wonderful way to share the love and fellowship of the Christmas season with those who might otherwise feel abandoned, forgotten and alone.
In addition to our Hambone Express dinner delivery, we’ll be welcoming 150-200 homeless men, women and
families to the Buffalo City Mission for a Christmas
dinner with all the
trimmings. Our goal is to create a “homey” and comfortable atmosphere in which our friends and guests will feel welcome, secure and most of all, loved.
How you can get involved
Prior to our Christmas event, we also hold a special Christmas Eve party at the Mission! The men, women and children in our community make wish lists for the gift bags they’ll receive at this festive event. If you’d like to know what items to donate to help fulfill the wish list requests, please contact the Volunteer Department at 716-854-8181, ext. 404.
As Executive Director Stuart Harper says, “Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave us so much, and it is great to model that love this Christmas through giving even a small token of the care that Jesus gives us each and every moment as we walk with Him.”
To f ind out more about how you can support our Christmas events and the Hambone Express, call 716-854-8181, ext. 404.
On track for the Hambone Express!
“ It does your heart good to know you showed caring for someone else.”
— SUZANNE CERVI VOLUNTEER MANAGER
This holiday season, you can help others and provide for yourself at the same time with a unique giving plan that’s a real win-win for everyone!
Set up a charitable gift annuity today and enjoy the financial stability of fixed-rate payments for the rest of your life, while
also designating a portion of these payments to support a charity of your choice—such as Buffalo City Mission.
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a gift that keeps on giving—to yourself and
to your community—for years to come! Find out more about charitable gift annuities today.
For information, call Aubrey Calhoun at 716-854-8181.
News of lives transformed—thanks to you!
DECEMBER 2013
A publication of Bu�alo City Mission
buffalocitymission.org716-854-8181
4
Your gift is tax deductible to the full extent of the law. We will send a receipt for your records.
Please make your check payable to: BUFFALO CITY MISSION P.O. Box 1748 Buffalo, NY 14240-1748
THANK YOU!To give a gift by credit card, visit us online at buffalocitymission.org or call 716-854-8181, ext. 429.
m $15 m $30 m $50 m $150 m $__________
NAME
ADDRESS APT.
CITY STATE ZIP
To all outward appearances, David’s life seemed ideal. He was a respected physician, married to a psychologist, active in his community and financially secure. But then his wife fell ill with cancer. When she eventually passed away, David not only lost his life partner—he lost his sense of self.
“I just kind of dropped out and started wandering around,” David recalls. “And I lost everything...It took me a couple of years to admit that I was not sane.”
I was in darknessThe turning point came when David was at the funeral
for his brother’s son. As he sat there, feeling like an empty shell, his brother turned to him with tears in his eyes and said, “I want my big brother back.” David burst into tears at these words. “I immediately went over to the VA hospital and I said, ‘I think I’m broken, can you fix me?’”
David—who was also a Vietnam veteran—stayed at the hospital for 18 months. “I was in total darkness... I had to literally remember my name. I didn’t remember anything about who I was.”
After his release, David felt himself led to the Mission, where he joined the Discipleship Program. He says his time in the
program has helped tune him back in to the Word of God and to stay focused. “Of all the places I’ve been...all the fancy training I’ve ever had, this is the most profoundly influential that I’ve ever experienced.”
Found...in Christ!As David sees it, he may not have had a substance
addiction but he needed recovery nonetheless: “I was addicted to power, prestige, thinking that I was pretty much in control of my life.” Today, David has a different approach to living, based on Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.”
David is deeply grateful to all who support the Mission and help provide not only meals, but also the spiritual food that is now nourishing
him back to life and mental health. “Being here... has been the most rewarding thing that I’ve
ever been through in my life.”
This Christmas, please keep David and our other residents in your prayers as they continue along their recovery journey. Your donations have helped provide the services and resources they need to grow in hope and faith toward a better future—thank you!
I just knew that there was something special here
Yes! I want to help bring hope to hurting, homeless and hungry people this Christmas:
* * * CODE BLUE WEATHER ALERT * * *
Many thanks to everyone who joined in our 7th Annual Motorcycle Ride for the Homeless fundraising event a few months ago on August 10. More than 100 bikers took to the highway on a 50-mile ride that wound through Niagara County, ending at Gratwick Waterfront Park in North Tonawanda. Once again, all proceeds went to benefit Buffalo City Mission’s After-school Program.
Last year, participants in the ride raised more than $20,000—this year, they raised $25,000! What a blessing! Your support will help to continue providing hope and opportunities in a safe learning environment for the kids we serve. Thank you!
7th Annual Motorcycle Ride for the Homeless
Bikers raise $25,000 for BCM!
NMCAWHTOn track for the Hambone Express!
Give and receive this holiday season
The best gift of all
2 2 3
After his wife’s death, David lost everything. Then he came to the Buffalo City Mission—and found hope.
Connect with us online!Give on the go at our new mobile site: http://m.buffalocitymission.org/
Visit us at buffalocitymission.org for the latest updates, inspiring stories and more.
Holiday donations needed!
Thank you for your donations and support!
Other: • Disposable razors • Slippers (all sizes for men, women and children) Holiday food: • Non-perishable food such as instant
stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, canned fruit, corn, yams and green beans
Always on our wish list: • Furniture • All sizes of new and gently used clothing
for men, women and children • Non-perishable food items such as
canned fruit, vegetables and spices
URGENT BASIC NEEDS Women: • Bras (all sizes) • Underwear (sizes 5-12) • SocksMen: • Boxers (all sizes) • SocksBaby: • Baby wipes • Diapers (all sizes)
Below is our urgent wish list of much-needed items for the holidays and beyond. If there are items you would like to donate, we would be so grateful!
BY THE NUMBERSEvery gift you send helps to meet the practical needs of hungry, homeless people in our community in the most tangible way. Here are the latest numbers that show the impact of your support, from the beginning of 2013:
Those numbers represent real men, women and children whose lives have been touched by your compassionate generosity. Thank you!
160,000 meals
60,000 nights of shelter
2,451 bags of groceries supplied to poor and needy families
January–October 2013
