Finding my Hero - Saint Francis Shelter

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Finding my Hero - Saint Francis Shelter
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FALL 2014
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Finding my Hero
by Misty Rozier, shelter mom
All my life I searched high and low for a hero. I sought one in my
father and mother but was left wanting. I searched so long and
hard until I gave up. I was convinced that the only hero to to be
found was that of god and not of this earth. So when my family
broke apart and lost everything it was to my faith I turned. I
would pray every day for God to show me the way, be my light
in the dark, to no avail. Slowly I felt the absoluteness of the
darkness that had consumed my family, my heart, my soul.
After a year of moving from state to state seeking employment
and stable housing, we remained homeless. All our applications for shelters were turned down because they were full or our
family was too big to accommodate. We lived out of a car that legally seated 5, but there was 6 of us. The kids got dressed
and ready for school in the McDonald’s restroom. We slept in parking lots that were open 24/7 hoping not to be caught by
the police because they could take our children away for sleeping in a cold car. I despaired that this was my life and that my
children would suffer from my short comings.
I prayed until my eyes filled with tears and I heard God tell me not to despair and that my hero had been found and would
be sent my way. I was weary and tired but I believed. Two weeks later I had a meeting with Kim at St. Francis Shelter. Kim
was very straight forward. She said “we want to help you but you have to be willing to help yourselves as well.” She asked
if we were willing and we both replied “yes!” We were shown to our apartment . . . beds for everyone; even some food in
the kitchen. My husband and I cried. The people at St. Francis are kind, loving and forgiving. St. Francis is my hero.
The staff at St. Francis helped us find employment, housing assistance and taught us how to budget our
money. For the first time I felt peace in a safe and stable environment. They gave us hope.
Since we have been at St. Francis my husband has secured full-time employment and is up for a promotion. All of my
children are enrolled in school with backpacks and school supplies thanks to St. Francis. We are very close to moving out on
our own to become productive members of our community. None of that would have been possible without each and every
person that supports St. Francis Shelter. You are all heroes.
“Before we came to St. Francis Shelter we were living in a car. It
was a terrible time for our family and I felt like giving up. Things
got so much better after we came to St. Francis. I love helping in
the St. Francis library after school. I just want to say thanks to all
the people who support St. Francis. ” - Kaili, shelter teen
“A Safe Place for Families”
Kim’s Corner
“Saddle Up” was a 10 gallon hat success!
William and Deborah Voves, Jim Green and Kathy LelackGreen and Randy and Cindy Johnson ”cowboy up” for a
good time at our “Saddle Up” event.
On a very warm Sunday afternoon in
September, over 200 people
“Saddled Up to Support St.
Francis Shelter” at our annual
fall fundraiser graciously
hosted by Ken and Sheila
Harrison at their spectacular
Crystal Springs Ranch.
Guests enjoyed an evening
of delicious food, specialty
drinks, live music and inspiring stories.
Judge Lindsay Partridge spoke of his sincere belief in our
programs that provide the structure and support homeless
families need to ensure that their children are safe and
secure. He said, “Without St. Francis Shelter there would be a
huge hole left in our community.”
Our hostess Sheila
Harrison shares a laugh
with St. Francis Shelter
founder, Virginia McClure,
at the ranch.
2014 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Christopher J. Casebeer, Chair
Kim Hoyt, Vice Chair
Marilyn Boman, Treasurer
Brena Moyer Lopez, Secretary
Scott Daniels
Pete DeMuniz
Jamie Diehl
Dee Emmerson
Eric Fiskum
Lucinda Jackson
Nicole Kennedy
Diana Ramallo
Aimee Steketee
Misty Rozier, a shelter mom, (see full story page 1) described her
family’s journey from living in a car to fulfilling her dream of
moving into a house thanks to SFS. Board Chair Christopher
Casebeer emphasized the ever-growing waiting list for our
shelter due to the closure of several Salem-area shelters this
past year. He concluded with the good news that 92% of the
families who live at SFS are able to move into permanent,
safe and stable housing.
We are so grateful to our donors and volunteers for their vital
contributions to fulfilling our mission and making our fall
fundraiser an overwhelming success.
“It is in the shelter of
each other that the
people live.”
Irish Proverb
Kimberly Lemman, Executive Director
Hats Off to Our Sponsors!
Welcome New Board
Member Jamie Diehl
“Ed and I support St Francis Shelter
because we feel strongly that all
children belong with their family in a
safe environment. St. Francis Shelter
helps so many families get a new
start…together.” - Jamie Diehl
Ken and Sheila Harrison
“Our mission is to provide safe, temporary housing for families with children
by working in solidarity to recognize their innate worth and dignity.”
thank you!
Your kindness makes safe shelter a reality for vulnerable families.
Special thanks to all of those who volunteered or donated to our shelter from May - October.
GRANTS
City of Salem General Fund
Community 101, Oregon Community Foundation
The Hitchman Foundation
Kubin Fund of the Salem Foundation
Trust Management Corp.
United Way of the Mid Willamette Valley
BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS
AKT CPAs and Business Consultants
Amadeus Cafe
Caruso Produce
CD Redding Construction
Concept Systems
DeMuniz Investigations
Ferder, Casebeer, French & Thompson
Fischer Hayes & Associates
Fiskum Properties, Prudential Real Estate Professionals
Garrett Hemann Robertson
Goldwing Road Riders’ Association
Harrison Industries
The Home Theater Company
Drs. Howerton, Hopkin and Kennedy
Kaiser Foundation
Knights of Columbus 5060
Mission Properties
Mountain West Investment Corporation
Overhead Door Company of Salem
PepsiCo Foundation
Salem Foundation - Kubin
Salem Rotary Club
The Shutterbug
Southside Speakeasy
Steketee Custom Homes
INDIVIDUALS
Patrice Altenhofen
Dave Anctil
Neil and Martha Anderson
Barbara Barrie
James and Lonna Bauer
Delana and Russ Beaton
Sibylle and Richard Beck
Clara Bricher
Marilyn and Don Boman
Bob and Debbie Boss
Bill Brandt and Lois Cole
Pat Brimm
Jerome Butler
Kathleen and Peter Callero
Nic and Megan Callero, in honor of Kathleen Callero
Sam Callero
Kevin and Eliza Canty-Jones
Jeff and Aimee Carter
Cathy Caruso
Dorothy Caruso
Joe Caruso, Caruso Produce, Inc.
Judy Caruso
Kristin Caruso
Mike and Amy Caruso
Tom and Anne Caruso
Chris and Sara Casebeer
Scott and Carrie Casebeer
Miriam Chipps
Ardis Christensen
Karen Clevering
John and Cindy Collier
Rick and Kirsten Collins
Karen F Cook
Sandra Cooper
Scott and Margaret Daniels
Kathy and Al Davidson
Larry Davis
Shawn and Kelly Davison
Diane DeFuria
Michael DeFuria, in honor of Kathleen DeFuria
Lisa DeMille
Paul and Mary DeMuniz
Pete DeMuniz
Ed and Jamie Diehl
Leslie and Peter Dinsdale
Gene and Elesa Doll
Ron and Diane Donaca
Charlotte Dyke
Mary and David Edmonds
Brian Edwards and Diane Hyland-Edwards
Edna Ehrensing
Dee Emmerson and Barry Ahlstrom
Kendel Emmerson
Doug and Leigh Enger
Monica Nuno Ernst
Ferder, Casebeer, French & Thompson, LLP
Tonk Fischer
Jack and Nancy Fischer
Eric and Holly Fiskum
Nan and Steve Forster
Avis Telders
Jason and Mary Thompson
Darcy Toronto
Jeff and Pam Vale
Donald and Patricia Van Hees
Greta Van Veen
Angelica Vega
Anthony Vena
Deborah and William Voves
Doug Walker
Carol Wong
Pete and Kelly Yunker
Zenon Zygmont
A huge thank you to our
friends from “Lydia’s Love”
who provide amazing
birthday parties for our kids
each time they celebrate a
birthday. This month the
Reptile Man visited and a
“slithery” fun time was had
by all!
Terry and Tom Gallagher
William and Patricia Galligan
John and Dolores Gander
Cathy Golly-Dunlap
Michael and Leann Goodenberger
Michael Grainey
Dorothy Green
Jim Green
Lester Green
Kay Hamill
Ken and Sheila Harrison
Kevin and Sarah Harrison
Carol Hawley, in memory of Warren Hawley
Bill Hayden
Gene Heinle and Rod Rumford
Carl and Jaime Heitz
John and Kathy Hemann
Dorothy Henry
Joe and Peggy Herb
Kelly and Dan Herb
Maxine Higgins
Monica Holland
Dale Hoppe
Claudia Howells
Ronald Iseri
Lucinda and Ron Jackson,
in memory of Charles Delph
Troy Jackson and David Such
Mary and Art James
Bruce and Cathy Jarman
Steve and Donna Karter
Kerisa Kauer
Rob and Sue Keith
Virginia McClure
David McElfresh
Bill and Judy Meier
T. R. Melton
Jo Ann Miller
Judith Mills
KK and Patrick Monaghan
Mike and Carrie Mosar
Lee and Carla Moyer
Len and DeAnn Munks
Bob and Kerri Myers
Jim Nicholaou
Marilyn Nicholaou
Greg Oldham
Jacqueline Olmstead
Gary Olsen-Hasek
Charles and Susan Ortiz
Lindsay and Sherri Partridge
Gary and Catherine Pederson
Joyce and Ron Peters
Barbara Phillips
Karen Piter
Lester Purcell
Corinne and Parke Raffensperger
Diana Ramallo, Amadeus Restaurant
Wally and Kathrine Reed
Marni and Cory Redding
Jamese Rhoades
Neil and Kathleen Rogerson
Betty Ann Rohde
Joseph Rossitto
Christine Ruffing
Louise Rupp
A very special thank you to Marilyn
Boman who has served on our Board
of Directors for over 20 years. She also
spends time in our office each week,
taking care of bookkeeping duties.
Most recently Marilyn created and
donated this beautiful quilt, which
we raffled off at our fall “Saddle Up”
event. We are so grateful to Marilyn for
her years of dedicated service to the
families at St. Francis Shelter.
(pictured with her daughter Teresa Aki)
Nicole and Gabe Kennedy
Chuck and Karen Kimball
Marlene and Ronald Krebs
Linda and Edward Krick
Ron and Leslee Lahey
John and Lori Lassen
Brenda Lawrence
Bob Ledford
Kathy Lelack-Green
Bill and Genna Lemman
Phil and Kim Lemman
Jim and Deborah Long
Mike and Susan Long
Brena and Francisco Lopez
Gayle Lundmark
Nancy and Bill MacMorris-Adix
Kay Martens
Phil and Dana McBrien
Parviz and Maudie Samiee
Nancy and Stephen Sanchez
Art and Marge Schmidt
Charlene Schnurbusch
Sidney Shuptrine
Chris and Linnae Sielicky
Dan and Rachel Smith
Paula and Jim Stageman
Carl and Annie Stecker
Miriam Steketee
Charlie and Aimee Steketee
Ellen and Tom Stevens,
in honor of Kim Lemman
Jeff and Robin Stoutt
Paul Stratman
Don and Susan Stuhr
Patricia Swigart
Layne and Tiffera Tarbox
IN-KIND DONATIONS
(THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE)
Chelsea Evans
Dorothy Caruso
Judy Caruso
Nan and Steve Forster
Dorene Freshner
Samantha Harrington
Carol Hawley
Carl and Jaime Heitz
Mary and Wayne Helms
Kelly and Dan Herb
Steve Herb
Marcia Hutchins
Mary Ann and Darrell Jabin
Lucinda and Ron Jackson
Russ and Annie Jones
Nicole and Gabe Kennedy
Bob Ledford
Bill and Genna Lemman
Kim and Phil Lemman
Robin and Richard Lieurance
Rob Melton
Jack Palmer
Tiffany Putman
Shelly Quarry
Julie and Mike Rohwer
Greg and Penny Smith
Lisa Solterbeck
Paula and Jim Stageman
Don and Sue Stuhr
Debbie and Andy Vobora
VOLUNTEERS
Teresa Aki
Jasmine Barella
Tillie Barella
Blanchet High School Students
William Barnes Photography
Don and Marilyn Boman
Eric and Kim Boman, Grapes and Barley
Debbie Boss
Bob Buckley
Kathleen and Peter Callero
Kevin Canty-Jones
Cathy Caruso
Dorothy Caruso
Kristin Caruso
Judy Caruso
Stephen and Marcia Chapter
Delinda Coburn
Larry Davis
Jamie Diehl
Ron and Diane Donaca
Jayne Downing
Dee Emmerson
Nan and Steve Forster
Janet Graham
Sheila Harrison
Jack Helterline
Spencer Helterline
Kelly Herb
Marcia Hutchins
Ron and Lucinda Jackson
Brenda James
Br. Richard LeFure
Phil Lemman
Martin Lopez
Oscar Lopez
Regina Meuller
Lesa Milldrum
Nestor Pavon
Norm and Karen Roberge
Genny Rogerson
Jeanneil Rogerson
Melodie Roth
Jenny Sizzler Band
Paula and Dr. Jim Stageman
Cary Valencia
Eric Wellard
NONPROFIT ORG
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1820 Berry Street SE • Salem, Oregon 97302
sfssalem.org • 503-588-0428
If you want to add someone to our mailing list, or if you received multiple copies,
please contact Kim Lemman at 503-588-0428 or [email protected]. Thank you.
Holiday Help is as Easy as 1-2-3
1 Donate an item from our Winter Wish List
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• Blankets and sheet sets for twin and full size beds
• Gasoline gift cards
• Mixing bowl sets
• Grocery gift cards
• First aid kits
2 Embrace Families with a Monthly Gift
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$10
$25
$50
$100
$250
new pillows
healthy snacks for Library time
kitchen essentials for 1 family
case management for 1 family
utility bills for 3 families
3 Sponsor a Child for the Holidays
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If you would like to help make the holidays merry for a shelter child, please call our office at 503-588-0428
or email [email protected]. We wil match your generosity with the special holiday needs of a shelter child.