MASH Spring News.indd - Mystic Area Shelter and Hospitality

Homeward
Spring 2011
Bound
From the Executive Director
Page 2
Local Business Raises
Funds for MASH
Shaklee Benefits MASH
Page 3
MASH Helps Homeless
Families of Veterans
Page 4
Head Start Initiative
UBC Volunteers
Turn Out for MASH
Homelessness in CT
Dear Friends,
We love our great state. Connecticut has so many strong positive aspects – the sense of
community identity in each city and town, our beautiful shoreline, our gorgeous fall season.
During these hard economic times, though, we know that life here can be tough for some
members of our community.
Every year, all Connecticut shelters participate in a census of the homeless in our state.
That study provides a sobering view of the causes of homelessness in Connecticut – chief
among them, the very high cost of housing. You’ll see, on page 4, a few of the findings from
that study.
The families that MASH serves are often those whose lives have been upended by a
financial crisis. The crisis might be the loss of a job, an expensive car repair, or the removal
from the household of a breadwinner through divorce or an illness, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following armed service deployment, as you will read on page 3.
These families often are just getting by on limited incomes before a crisis hits, and they
may have little or no safety cushion and few – if any – family or community supports on
which they can depend in a time of crisis. That’s where MASH comes in.
By supporting MASH, you support local services in the shoreline portion of New
London County to shelter homeless children and parents, to help re-house these families
to permanent housing, and to help families at risk of homelessness to remain housed.
MASH works in close partnership with other service providers to meet family needs – from
employment search to educational requirements of special needs children – so that we can
help move our client families toward self-sufficiency and success.
Thank you for helping MASH to help families with children in need in our community!
Swingin’ for MASH
Page 5
How to Support MASH
Page 6
Dominion Grants
MASH $10,000 for
Energy Efficiency
Contact Information:
ph: 860-245-0222
fax: 860-245-0035
www.mashshelter.org
Lisa Tepper Bates
Save the Date: Iron Chef Competition & Auction for Action
MASH will hold our 5th Annual
“Iron Chef Competition & Auction for
Action” Friday, June 3rd from
6 to 10 p.m. at Saltwater Farm Vineyard
in Stonington. The event will feature silent
and live auctions of terrific merchandise
and adventures provided by our generous
local business supporters, complimentary
full bar, hors d’ouevres and live music.
Mark your calendar for this fun, fabulous
event to support MASH!
Photo by Walter Van Dusen
MASH Welcomes
New Team Members
The Iron Chef Competition & Auction for Action 2010 participants:
L to R: Souz Chef Gerry Klender; Executive Chefs Chaz Paull and
Jaime Fowler; Souz Chef Kevin Rogers.
Local Business Raises Funds for Homeless Families
Glenn Dean, Owner of Coogan Gildersleeve Appliances, knows what it means to face tough circumstances as
a child. “I grew up on the south side of Pittsburgh – it was
a tough neighborhood. By Saturday, there was no food in
the house.” Through hard work and determination, Dean
moved up in the world, eventually buying Coogan Gildersleeve from the founding partners. “I’ve been very fortunate, and I want to give back,” he said. With that spirit in
mind, Coogan Gildersleeve hosted a fundraising event on
January 15th to support MASH efforts to help families who
are homeless or at risk of losing their housing.
Conscious of the difficult times many local families are
facing during the recession, Dean and his staff, including his
daughter, Coogan Gildersleeve Vice President Kate French,
and Sales Director Lucy Navarro, decided in 2009 to do
something to help. “We wanted to stay local – and help an
organization that is focused on our community,” said Kate.
So Coogan Gildersleeve decided to support Mystic-based
MASH. The first event in January 2010 was a great success,
and the Coogan Gildersleeve crew decided to do it again
in 2011.
Guests enjoyed a free, delicious brunch and bid on
silent auction items generously donated by other local
businesses. WBMW Radio Station “Wake Up Show” host
Teresa Barry and WBMW Account Executive, Garrett
Reed, did a live remote radio broadcast, adding to the
excitement of the event. Coogan Gildersleeve asked members of the community to bring to the store donations of
items that MASH can use in re-housing families who are
homeless (including full sets of dishes and pots and pans,
sheets and towels). In addition to the valuable in-kind
donations, the event raised nearly $4,500 in silent auction
proceeds and cash donations.
L to R: Lisa Tepper Bates, Kate French, Lucy Navarro, Cheyenne, and Glenn Dean, owner of
Coogan Gildersleeve Appliances, Inc..
One of the wonderful things about a small town like
Mystic is the close-knit community – including our businesses – and the fact that neighbors look out for each other.
Lucy noted that her two daughters and Kate’s two children
(Glenn’s grandkids), Cheyenne and Cody, organized and
worked at the event together. “This is really about families
helping families in a time of need,” said Lucy.
Glenn, Kate, and Lucy are terrific examples of business
leaders going out of their way to help neighbors. Thank
you, Coogan Gildersleeve, for supporting MASH’s work to
help families facing homelessness in our community!
Live Healthy, Live Green, AND Benefit MASH
Shaklee is the number one natural vitamin and food supplement company in the U.S. and a world leader in non-toxic,
biodegradable home products. Shaklee has won numerous, respected national awards for environmental leadership – including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awards for Climate Protection and Green Power Leadership. At the same
time, Shaklee has a long history of corporate philanthropy – including sponsoring humanitarian relief following natural
disasters and promoting development efforts in the third world.
Simply through buying the supplements and household products you use every day through this Shaklee site, you can
enable a generous donation to MASH! Check out what’s available at www.MASH.myshaklee.com – MASH earns a
portion of the sales proceeds on every order placed!
-2-
Homeless Families of Veterans
A Conversation with Rob Simmons and Rev. Dr. G. Kenneth Carpenter
MASH founder, the Reverend Doctor G. Kenneth
Carpenter, and retired Army Colonel and former
Congressman Rob Simmons hold a special place in their
hearts for veterans and their families. Both men understand the stress of combat, since each of them earned the
Bronze Star Medal for their service in Vietnam. “While the
impact of war takes many forms, Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most pervasive and long lasting effects,” Rev. Carpenter notes. As a licensed clinical
marriage and family therapist, Rev. Carpenter understands
the impact PTSD can have on a family: “The stress on
the family when a parent is suffering from this illness can
be extraordinary,” he said. More and more U.S. service
members returning from active duty are diagnosed with
PTSD – sometimes immediately, sometimes years after
their service. This means an increasing number of families
facing severe consequences of the PTSD of a breadwinner,
among them homelessness.
Simmons, a Member of the Connecticut Veterans Hall of
Fame, “but homelessness among our veterans’ community
is a national disgrace.” Rev. Carpenter concurred, citing
the need for special supports: “Knowing how vulnerable
these families already are as they cope with the illness of a
parent, I am so pleased that MASH can help these families
stabilize their housing situation,” he said.
The VA has devoted significant new resources to medical and psychiatric care for veterans, and has launched new
efforts to assist homeless veterans. But there is a gap in the
system that leaves some veterans’ families without support:
the VA has no resources for family members of veterans
suffering from PTSD when the veteran has left the family, if
Veterans Benefit Administration supports are not in place.
The veteran and his family may well be eligible for benefits,
but applying for them can be a lengthy process, and families
may need support in the interim. “We usually think of the
veteran when we think of the scars of war,” Simmons said,
“but the price of war is also paid by the families – the wives,
children and in some cases the husband – and this is where
MASH is a blessing for these families.” MASH is able to
provide shelter, re-housing, and homelessness prevention
services for families of veterans who face a housing crisis
due to a breadwinner’s struggle with PTSD.
“During World War II, the whole country was part of
the war effort. Today, veterans come home to a country
where life continues much as usual – there is not the same
degree of involvement and support veterans have experienced in the past,” Rev. Carpenter observed. It is important
to support our veterans – and their families – when they
return from service in war zones. “When I travel around
people thank me for my service,” Simmons explained, “but
the best way we can thank veterans and their families for
their service is by supporting local organizations like MASH
in their critically important mission.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (or “VA”) describes
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a psychiatric
disorder that can occur following life-threatening events
such as military combat, serious accidents, or violent
personal assaults. PTSD sufferers experience a range of
physical, psychological, and cognitive symptoms that can
be severe and long lasting. PTSD frequently occurs in
conjunction with related disorders such as depression
and substance abuse. PTSD can impair a sufferer’s ability to function in society, resulting in instability with regard
to work, marital problems, divorce, family discord, and
difficulties in parenting.*
MASH has seen a number of recent cases in which
one result of PTSD is the removal from the family of a
veteran parent who is the primary breadwinner – causing
a drop in income that can threaten imminent loss of housing. “Homelessness in America is a national tragedy,” said
PTSD and the U.S Armed Forces
• One in five returning troops are diagnosed with serious
PTSD symptoms; less than 40% will seek help.
• For troops suffering from combat trauma, two out of three of
their marriages are failing. 200,000 military marriages
have been broken, more than 27,000 in 2009 alone.
• Nearly 1/4 of our nation’s homeless population are veterans.**
* Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center on PTSD, ptsd.va.gov
** Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Foundation of America, www.ptsdusa.org,
and National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, www.nchv.org
-3-
MASH Chosen for Statewide
Head Start Initiative
UBC Volunteers Turn Out
for MASH
MASH is proud to have been chosen by the state of
Connecticut Department of Social Services to receive
new support for children in shelter who can benefit from
Head Start and Birth-to-Three programs. Under this
new initiative, children in the MASH shelter will receive
in-home visits from a TVCCA/Head Start expert who will
assess needs and connect MASH families to services that
can help their children succeed. Early intervention with
children who have special educational needs or who are
experiencing particular stress, like homelessness, is proven
to help these kids get the best possible start in life. We are
pleased to offer this new service to our client families!
On Sunday, October 24, the Union Baptist Church
(UBC) of Mystic brought out over 40 volunteers to help
with yard work, cleaning and maintenance at MASH
shelter units in Mystic and Groton. “Members of our congregation came together and decided that they wanted to
have a day each year dedicated to ‘Faith in Action,’ ” said
UBC Outreach Minister Rob James, “Dedicating time and
energy to support MASH was a natural choice for us, given
our long history together, and the volunteers had a great
time!” On behalf of the client families we serve, MASH
is so very grateful for all the support we receive from the
generous congregation at UBC!
Homelessness in Connecticut in 2010
Every year, all Connecticut shelters participate in a census of the homeless in our state. Here are
some statistics drawn from that study*:
• In 2010, Connecticutʼs emergency shelters served 11,700 people, including more than
1,500 children.
• Connecticut had the 5th highest cost of living among U.S. states in 2010. 80% of poor
households in the state pay over 50% of their income on rent.
• The primary cause of homelessness in Connecticut and the U.S. is a lack of the financial
resources required to pay rent.
• 40% of Connecticut adults in homeless families said that domestic violence contributed to
their homelessness.
* “Portraits of Homelessness in Connecticut,” February 2011, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness,
www.cceh.org/pdf/portraits_full.pdf.
Swinginʼ for MASH
MASH supporters had a great time at the MASH
Swing Dance Benefit, Sunday, November 14 in the Grand
Pequot Ballroom at Foxwoods Resort and Casino. Nearly 250 guests danced the night away to the fabulous live
music of “Eight to the Bar,” and enjoyed the complimentary hors d’ouevres and cash bar, raising over $5,000 to
support MASH and our work. Many thanks to Foxwoods
for their generous sponsorship and to Board Members,
H. Bruce Fielding and Mike Mondello, and the terrific team
at the Fielding office for making this event such a success!
-4-
MASH Welcomes New Team Members!
In addition to Executive Director
Lisa Tepper Bates and Office Manager
Pam Mola, MASH welcomed three great
additions to our team in 2010. Here
are the team members who support our
client families to help them achieve selfsufficiency in permanent housing and
access the resources parents and children
need to succeed.
Jaime Parker, MASH Case Manager, brings eight years of experience in
social services to her work at MASH.
Jaime worked as an in-home family therapist
in Virginia, where she was stationed with
her husband, Brandon, a U.S. Navy Petty
Officer, now assigned to the Sub Base in
New London.
After many years of retail management and human resources experience, Noreen Zupnik has brought her
talents working with people to her work
as MASH Housing Coordinator. Noreen works with homeless families to find
appropriate and affordable housing as
quickly as possible, helping to reduce
each family’s time in emergency shelter.
Marlynn Benker, MASH Social
Worker, brings to MASH extensive experience in social work with children and
families, including through her 19 years
as a school social worker. Marlynn focuses
on follow up services with former shelter families whom MASH has helped to
re-house.
Board of Directors
Neil Kluepfel
President
Jeffrey Anderson
Vice President
Sharon Burelle
Secretary
Karen Roman
Treasurer
Rev. Ann Aaberg
Rev. Dr. Ken Carpenter
H. Bruce Fielding
Cynthia Ladwig
Melvin Olsson
Michael Mondello
Jack Morehouse
Betsy Moukawsher
Back Row, L to R:
Noreen Zupnik, Housing Coordinator;
Jaime Parker, Case Manager;
Marlynn Benker, Social Worker.
Beth-Ann Stewart
Front Row, L to R:
Pam Mola, Office Manager;
Lisa Tepper Bates, Executive Director.
Staff
What Can You do to Support MASH?
Donate! MASH is always in need of the
following items, new or gently used:
• Full sets of dishes, silverware, glasses,
mugs, and pots & pans
• Sheet sets for twin and full size beds
• Comforters and bed spreads for twin
and full size beds
• Pillows and blankets
• Bath towels, hand towels & washcloths
We also need cleaning supplies on an
ongoing basis: All-purpose spray cleaners,
window cleaner, paper towels, sponges, tall
kitchen garbage bags, liquid hand soap,
and shampoo.
When we are re-housing families from
shelter to permanent housing, we often
need furniture, but cannot store it. If you
have furniture you would like to donate,
and can wait a few weeks for us to pick it up
– please let us know!
Volunteer – if you are interested, please
send an email to [email protected].
MASH often needs volunteers for tasks
including providing birthday cakes or
holiday meals for families in our programs;
and helping us manage, arrange pick-up,
and sort donated goods.
Thank you for your support to MASH and the
families we serve!
-5-
Lisa Tepper Bates
Executive Director
Pam Mola
Office Manager
Jaime Parker
Case Manager
Noreen Zupnik
Housing Coordinator
Contractor
Marlynn Benker
Social Worker
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT #7
MYSTIC, CT 06355
119 High Street, Mystic, CT 06355
Dominion Grants MASH $10,000
for Energy Efficiency Upgrades
Grant Part of $2 Million Dominion Effort across Region
In December, Dominion Nuclear Connecticut awarded the Mystic Area Shelter & Hospitality (MASH) $10,000
to make energy efficiency upgrades to their shelter facilities
for homeless families with children.
“We are proud to support MASH’s work to help homeless families with children in our community,” said Nancy
Bulkeley, Community Affairs Representative for Domin-
ion, as she presented the check to MASH on December 21.
The grant to MASH is part of Dominion’s “EnergyShare”
program, through which the company is distributing over
$2 million to emergency shelter providers in Virginia, Ohio,
West Virginia, Connecticut, and 10 other states to improve
the energy efficiency of their facilities. “The great value of
this grant is that it will help the MASH shelter save money
month after month,” Bulkeley continued.
With the grant funds, MASH was able to improve shelter
insulation, install new energy-efficient appliances to replace
older models, and upgrade seals around windows and doors.
Bates noted that the funds MASH saves in the operation of
emergency shelter, including fuel costs, can support MASH
efforts to re-house homless families and provide modest
financial assistance to help families at risk of eviction to
remain housed.
L to R: Nancy Bulkeley, Community Affairs Representative for Dominion;
Lisa Tepper Bates, MASH Executive Director; Jeff Anderson, MASH Board VP