red chair times - Furniture Bank of Central Ohio

FURNITURE BANK OF CENTRAL OHIO
RED CHAIR TIMES
Spring 2015
www.furniturebankcoh.org
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Susan and her boyfriend
Jamal came to the
Furniture Bank of Central
Ohio through the Salvation
Army’s Jobs to Housing
program. Previously
homeless, the couple and
their two children- three
year old Jasmine and 11
month old Eliana are
moving into an apartment
in Northeast Columbus.
Susan and Jamal picked out
mattresses, a couch, chairs,
coffee table and end tables,
a bookcase, a tv and kitchen
items to furnish their new
home.
WELCOME STEVE & SARAH!
Steve Votaw has been on the job
as the President since January 19th.
Steve served as the Chief Executive
Officer of Directions For Youth and
Families for 17 years. Most recently,
Steve was the Executive Director
of Learn4Life Columbus, focusing
on the cradle to career initiative for
children and students in Columbus.
Sarah Rooney has been named as
the Development Director. Sarah
comes to the Furniture Bank from
The Wexner Medical Center at
The Ohio State University where
she was Assistant Director for
Development for Major Gifts. Sarah
brings a wealth of knowledge and
experience in fundraising, marketing and special
events. Sarah is originally from Oklahoma and
occassionally lets her southern accent come
through!
T U R N I N G
E M P T Y
I am honored to be the President of the
Furniture Bank of Central Ohio and look
forward to meeting you in the coming
months if I haven’t already. From the
minute I walked through the door during
the interview process, I was astonished
at the commitment and dedication of our
Board, staff and volunteers.
As you’ll read on the next page, each family
receives furniture valued at nearly $1,000.
That impact, and value we bring to the
community, is one of the best in Central
Ohio. It is truly amazing.
For example, this little
boy visited and picked out
this small ottoman he is
sitting on. He then carried
it around for the rest of the
appointment- pretending to
be just like our warehouse
staff. Most of us thankfully
will never experience what it
is like to sleep on the floor,
but our families do.
Helping families and kids like this is what
we do each and every day- giving families
struggling with poverty, homeslessnes,
domestic violence and other severe life
crises a chance to stabilize their lives. And
it’s all thanks to caring and compassionate
and compassionate supporters like you.
As the new President, I am committed
to the strong foundation laid by you- our
volunteers, donors, Board and staff. We will
be working together to meet the needs of
our families. The world is changing rapidly
and we too must change. I ask you to join
us as we strive to help turn empty houses
into homes for more families.
H O U S E S
I N TO
H O M E S
RED CHAIR TIMES
KITCHEN CHAIRS
We’re adding a new product line
to our woodshop! Kitchen chairs
will be debuting this spring
thanks to a grant from the Upper
Arlington Rotary Club.
Kitchen chairs are a difficult
item to keep in stock, so we’ve
developed this version built by
our volunteers.
Wood is donated by Sauder Woodworking
Co. and volunteers from the Woodworkers of
Central Ohio developed the prototypes and
jigs so more volunteers can easily assemble
kitchen chairs to go with our tables!
SAVE THE DATE
Our annual Big Hearts gala has been set for
Friday, September 11th at Strongwater Food
and Spirits in Franklinton!
This reimagined event will feature the band
These Guys Live and is like nothing you’ve
seen before! Stay tuned for more information!
Thank you to our
1268
furniture donors this year!
BLUE JACKETS BUILD!
DOUBLETREE DONATION
“Jacks” of All Trades
DoubleTree Worthington is undergoing
rennovations and we were the recipients of
their old furniture.
Columbus Blue Jackets players #10 Jack
Skille and #7 Jack Johnson sand a bed frame.
The Columbus Blue Jackets volunteered one
afternoon in our woodshop in December 2014.
Thanks to their donation of more than 300
pieces of furniture, families will have some
very nice and heavy dressers, tables and
chairs! Manager Dan Ouellette and Driver
Kevin Chesshire pictured during a recent
pickup.
837
Families Served
through March 25, 2015
#52 Kerby Rychel builds with
Woodworkers of Central Ohio
President Mike Quinn
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SERVE A FAMILY?
Our staff and volunteers recently visited a number of thrift stores
to measure the value of the items a family receives when they
visit the Furniture Bank. How much do you think it would cost to
purchase a house full of gently used furniture? The results were
surprising!
It would cost over $900 to buy a house full of furniture at a
second hand store! You would also have to visit more than one
store, and then arrange to transport the furniture back to your
home. We visited Volunteers of America, Goodwill and Habitat
for Humanity’s ReStore locations
throughout Columbus.
The Furniture Bank of Central
Ohio is able to provide a house
full of furniture in a one-stop shopping environment that is
delivered the same day to our clients homes for about $450.
We think that’s an incredible value for a family and for our
partner agencies. Together, the value of the furniture plus
the cost of pick up, transporting and storing furniture, then
working with agencies to schedule appointments, and deliver
the furniture adds up to more than $1300.
Throughout the year, we provide more than $5.6 million
dollars in value to the Central Ohio community as we help
turn more than 4,000 empty houses into homes.
SPRING CLEANING?
Call 545-3838 to arrange a pick up!
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Mattresses
Dressers
Couches
Stuffed chairs
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Kitchen tables
Coffee tables
End Tables
Dining chairs
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Washers
Dryers (Electric)
Refridgerators
Stoves
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Dishes
Kitchen utencils
Pots and pans
Towels
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Sheets
Blankets
Pillows
TVs (under 32”)
WAYS TO HELP
• Hold a housewares, pillow or linen drive at
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Students from Columbus School for Girls
made fleece tie blankets. They visited
our warehouse to donate them and learn
about the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio.
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your work, church or civic group
Volunteer as a personal shopper and help
families pick out furniture
Volunteer in our woodshop- building and
painting tables, chairs, frames and dressers
Give online at furniturebankcoh.org
Designate us during your workplace giving
campaign
Shop through the Kroger Community
Rewards and AmazonSmile program
Tell your friends and family about us!
RED CHAIR TIMES
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Columbus, Ohio
Permit No. 609
118 S. Yale Ave.
Columbus, OH 43222-1369
www.FurnitureBankCOH.org
614-272-9544
VISIT OUR ONLINE AUCTIONS!
FURNITUREBANKCOH.ORG/AUCTION
Jacqueline and her 5 year old came to the Furniture Bank through the Veteran’s
Administration after being homeless. They gave us this note to thank you for your help.
STAY CONNECTED
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Go to www.FurnitureBankCOH.org.