Volume 35

September/October 2017

SPARROW ’S L INK VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER

Current Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Painters Needed! We are in need of volunteers to help paint the interior of one of our affordable housing properties

located in Woodstock, in preparation for a new family to move in at the end of October. The date for this project is Saturday, October 14th from 8 am—1 pm.

If you are interested in helping, please click on this link to sign up:

http://signup.com/go/ZrkUMDL

New Child Care Program Volunteer Opportunity Do you enjoy working with children? Consider volunteering in our Child Care Program!

Volunteers help out on a rotating basis, while the moms are in their weekly Parenting Class. This program is held on Tuesday evenings from 6:30—8:00 pm in McHenry.

Sparrow’s Nest Store Volunteers We can always use more help at our Sparrow’s Nest Thrift Stores. Please encourage your

friends, family and neighbors to consider volunteering with Home of the Sparrow!

Fall Diddley 2017 Volunteers are needed for the 32nd Annual Fall Diddley at the Boone County Fair Grounds in Belvidere,

on Saturday, October 14th from 9 am – 5 pm, and Sunday, October 15th from 9 am – 4 pm. Fall Diddley is a wonderful arts and crafts show featuring over 300 skilled artisans and crafters.

This annual event is sponsored by the Mental Health Resource League (MHRL), and the funds raised provide financial aid to mental health related agencies in McHenry County,

including Home of the Sparrow. You can help Home of the Sparrow by signing up to volunteer, which helps keep us in the running for MHRL Grant Funding.

Volunteer shifts are available throughout the day, and volunteers help in various areas including check-in, bakery sales, raffle ticket sales, shopping bag sales, plant sales, publicity and traffic control.

Volunteers receive free entrance into the fair the day of your shift!

For more information about these volunteer opportunities, please contact Jennifer Kolarczyk, Volunteer Program Coordinator at jkolarczyk@hosparrow.org or 815-271-5444.

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Providing Hope, Opportunity and Support that empowers women and children, as they

journey from homelessness to self-sufficiency.

Sparrow’s Link Page 3

Autumn is a great time to

declutter and get organized before the holidays!

Home of the Sparrow Can Help!

Our Logistics Team offers FREE pick up of furniture and other large items that you, your friends and family wish to donate to

our Sparrow’s Nest Thrift Stores.

Simply click on the Schedule a Pickup Now! icon above (also found on our website) and you will be taken to our scheduling page.

Many of our donors have used this easy online scheduling tool. Donors without access to a computer may call 815-271-5444 to schedule

a FREE furniture pickup. Please allow up to 10 days to schedule a pickup, as our Logistic team stays very busy.

Through the use of four trucks, our Logistics Team logs 1500 miles a week picking up and delivering donations and helping clients move.

This translates to 6500 miles a month, 78,000 miles per year!

All donations are tax deductible and help support the women and children in our Shelter and Affordable Housing Programs.

Thanks in advance for your generous donations and support of Home of the Sparrow!

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Thanks to our Volunteers in Action

Volunteers from RSM had a great time helping at our Birdies, Brats and Beer

Charity Golf Outing on September 11th!

Volunteers from the Illinois District Singles Ministry helped with yard work and power

washing at our AHP in Fox River Grove.

Volunteers from First United Methodist Church in Crystal Lake

painted doors and walls in our Shelter in August. Volunteers from Grace Lutheran Church in

Woodstock installed a brick patio and a backsplash at our AHP units in Woodstock

and Crystal Lake in September.

Volunteers from Old Navy had fun together painting one of the ILUs

in our Shelter in September.

Other Businesses & Organizations

Allstate volunteers helped at both our Mundelein & Palatine Nests.

Pioneer Center volunteers helped at our McHenry Nest, and also assembled Golf Game Bags for our Golf Outing.

Sun City-Huntley Lions Club volunteers help out at the Woodstock Nest Store each month.

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Thanks to our Volunteers in Action

F O R M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N O N H O W Y O U R G R O U P C A N H E L P , P L E A S E C O N T A C T M I C H E L L E L U S M A N N A T

M L U S M A N N @ H O S P A R R O W . O R G O R 8 1 5 - 2 7 1 - 5 4 4 4 X 2 4

Volunteers from RSM did a great job painting, staining

and weeding at our SAP Unit in McHenry in August.

Student volunteers from Stevenson High School’s Service Outreach

Program enjoy helping out at the Mundelein Nest Store every Friday

afternoon throughout the school year!

Volunteers from Tighe Kress Orr had a great time as a team laying mulch, power washing

gutters, and cleaning windows at our AHP in Algonquin in September.

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Volunteer Spotlight

Headquarters Volunteers

Many thanks to our wonderful Headquarters Volunteers who help greet clients, answer phones,

document donations, fill shelter orders, stock and organize inventory, handle filing and data entry,

and assist with special projects throughout the year. They are always friendly, helpful and

professional, and we are so grateful for their dedication and commitment to Home of the Sparrow!

Roberta Dana

Kathy

Mary Jo

Heather

Sue Judy

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Volunteer Spotlight

Zurich North America Volunteers

Catherine, and her Mom Bonnie, both Cary Sparrow’s Nest Store Volunteers, have a heart and

passion for Home of the Sparrow’s mission. For the second year now, they have hosted over ten of

Catherine’s co-workers from Zurich North America in her home. Together, using items donated

throughout the year to the store, they made over 100 Christmas wreaths and decorations

to be sold at the Cary Nest during the holidays. They had so much fun being together,

and sharing their creative talents all for Home of the Sparrow!

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Shout Out to BGV Motorsports

BGV Motorsports has been a longtime

supporter of Home of the Sparrow.

This summer they hosted the First

Wednesday Cruise Nights at

Sweet Melissa’s Pizza & Pub in Lakemoor,

as well as the 2017 Sideouts Sports Tavern

Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show in October.

Both of these events were well attended

and benefited Home of the Sparrow!

We are so grateful for their support!

Shout Out to A to Z Literacy

Many thanks to the wonderful volunteers from A

to Z Literacy, who visited the Shelter in June

and provided a wonderful Read Aloud and

Reverse Book Fair. The children really enjoyed

this event, which allowed each child to select

three new books to read and keep!

Summer Meals for our Shelter Residents

Shout Out to the following restaurants and individuals who donated a delicious meal to our

shelter residents on Thursday nights this summer. These meals allowed the women and

children in our shelter to enjoy a family meal together before their weekly Education Program.

Chick-fil-A in Crystal Lake Olive Garden in McHenry

Chipotle in McHenry Wendy’s in McHenry

Culver’s in McHenry Willow Creek Volunteers Cindy & Emma

Kim & Patty’s in McHenry Willow Creek Volunteer Gabrielle

Home of the Sparrow Volunteer Sue Willow Creek Volunteer Lindsey

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Holiday Gift Program As the holidays approach, we ask that you remember Home of the Sparrow in your holiday giving plans.

The women and children who come to Home of the Sparrow are homeless, and often have very little

family support. Your generosity will touch the hearts of these women and children, and will make a

lasting impact on their lives. We also hope that by giving, you will experience a sense of

fulfillment and peace, knowing you have made a difference to someone in our community!

We have three great ways to give for our Holiday Gift Program this year.

Both individuals and groups/businesses can be a part of giving!

Gift of Hope – Our greatest need this year is the Gift of Hope. One spark of hope can change

the journey of a mother or child for the rest of their life. By giving a monetary

donation this holiday season, here’s the Hope you can provide: $25 can provide a new pair of shoes for a child

$50 can supply a week's worth of gas to get to and from work

$100 can pay for a week of groceries or a month of utilities for a family

$250 can provide a week of childcare for a working mother

$500 can provide one month's rent for a family.

Please go to www.HOSparrow.org to leave your Gift of Hope Donation.

If you prefer, checks can be made out to Home of the Sparrow and sent to our address below.

Gift of Opportunity - By giving gift cards, it empowers women to take control of their lives

and gives them the Opportunity to be active participants in purchasing crucial items for

themselves and their families this holiday season. These items include clothing, shoes,

groceries, gas, and prescriptions. We are seeking gift cards to places like Aldi, Meijer, and

Walmart, as well as gas gift cards to BP, Shell and Mobil Gas Stations.

Gift of Support - By adopting a mother or child in our program, you will have the ability to provide

Support during the holidays. By purchasing items on their holiday wish list, you will make their

holidays a little brighter. We ask that all gifts be brand new and unwrapped.

All gifts should be dropped off no later than Friday, December 155h at our

Administrative Office, located at 4209 W. Shamrock Ln, Unit B, McHenry, IL 60050.

Our office is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 am—5:00 pm.

For more information, please contact Michelle Lusmann or Jennifer Kolarczyk at 815-271-5444.

Home of the Sparrow is a 501c3 organization, and your gifts are tax deductible.