news

lotus house letters
06.08
news
Second Birthday Celebration. On
March 30th, friends and family of the Lotus
House Women’s Shelter gathered for a
heartwarming celebration of the second
birthday of the shelter, the grand opening of
its long awaited new resource center, and
most importantly, over 200
women served! Dressed in pink
to match the color of the new
resource center, the Lotus House
family welcomed party-goers,
assisted in giving tours, and
applauded the successes of
those who had completed the
program in the prior year. Thanks
to our celebrated, 16-year old,
artisanal baker, Shelby Hinds,
everyone enjoyed our amazing
birthday cake, featuring the
colorful wall mural that greets
newcomers to the Lotus House.
Guests and visitors alike mingled
throughout the afternoon and
shared the relaxed shade of the Lotus House
gardens listening to the soft sounds of harp
music. For all, it was a time to be joyous and
grateful at how far we have come.
A Bit of History. Some of you have shared
this wonderous journey with us from the very
beginning. Lotus House opened its doors in
March 2006 to provide shelter and support
and serve as a resource center for women
who are homeless, whether due to domestic
violence, untreated medical or mental health
issues, disabilities, loss of employment or other
economic reasons. Just a year later, we opened
guests enjoying a meal
our “maternity wing” to serve homeless women
who are pregnant and their infants. Now on
our second birthday, we have received the best
birthday present we could have hoped for - a
long awaited community resource center that will
enable us to not only expand our programming
and financial issues facing women who are
desperately seeking a better way of life for
themselves and their children.
Who We Serve. Over half of the women
we serve were chronically homeless before
coming to Lotus House; over 55%
report suffering domestic abuse,
child abuse or violent crimes;
nearly 70% suffer from mental
health issues, medical issues or
both, and 35% have histories of
substance abuse. Approximately
10% of the women we serve are
in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and
6% are under 21, in some cases
aging out of foster care. Often,
Lotus House is the shelter of “last
resort” for our guests, having
used up their time at temporary
shelters, safe houses and rehab
centers, and many come to us
lotus house gardens and new resource center
from the streets. In the face of so
and services at the shelter but reach out to women many challenges, we are proud to say that
and children in need in our neighborhood as over 65% of the women at Lotus House now
well. New programs at the Lotus House include have successful outcomes, including securing
basic cooking and nutrition, healthy lifestyles, placement in permanent supportive and
and job training for the restaurant industry, and
outreach initiatives to improve access to health
care for women in the Overtown community are
in the planning stages.
Over 200 Served And Counting! Lotus
House has served over 200 women since its
establishment. We have been proud mothers
to over fifteen newborns and another eight
infants since opening the doors of our maternity
wing, with more on the way! Our
combination of free transitional housing
facilities and wrap-around support
services focused on the gender specific
needs of homeless women, including
women who are pregnant and their
infants, are unique in Miami-Dade
County. We provide much needed
support and access to a wide range of
resources and benefits to address the
many mental health, medical, legal,
educational, employment, housing
food handlers certification graduate lunch
independent housing, assisted living facilities,
and sometimes reconciliation and reunification
with family. Though Lotus House seeks to
provide essential resources and support, each
woman’s path and success is her own and the
Lotus House is about empowering these special
women to become whole again. Your support
makes their dreams of hope, success and
fulfillment come true. You are truly making a
difference in the lives of women and children in
need with your donations and we thank you!
programming
highlights
Our Programming is Designed to
Empower Women to Succeed!
With multi-faceted, comprehensive and
coordinated programming, Lotus House seeks
to support, connect, uplift, and empower
women to succeed. Each woman accepted
into the Lotus House has an individual action
plan for improving her quality of life on every
level, achieving greater self-sufficiency, and
transitioning to alternate permanent housing.
She shares in the responsibilities for the daily
operation and up-keep of the Lotus House in
a community environment, with daily chores
including meal preparation, laundry, cleaning,
and grounds maintenance as part of basic life
skills building. In addition to shelter, food and
clothing, Lotus House provides access to a
wide range of support services and resources
such as medical and mental health treatment,
educational workshops, tutoring, employment
assistance, social services advocacy,
and legal referrals, as a well as a host of
enrichment activities such as creative writing,
dance, music, art classes, and so much more.
Pre-natal care, birthing and parenting classes
and early infant development are arranged for
pregnant women and their infants through free
community resources. Lotus House counselors
and resource coordinators meet with each
woman weekly for life coaching, individual
and group counseling, social services support,
and referrals to a wide range of resources to
assist her in fulfilling her action plan. Though
Lotus House seeks to provide the resources and
support essential to achieving individual action
plans, each woman’s success is her own and
the Lotus House is about empowering these
special women to become truly who they
were meant to be.
first graduates of the food handlers certification course
employment placement specialist, our office
serves as a real-world classroom, providing
guests with access to computers, basic office
equipment (such as copiers, fax machines,
postage, etc.), office and paper supplies everything needed to get and keep their new
jobs! Thanks to recent grants from the Dade
Community Foundation and Junior League
of Miami, we are able to provide access to
much needed interim and reduced cost day
care for our new mothers re-entering the work
world. We also provide tokens to and from
job interviews and work, as well as help with
the first pair of work shoes or uniform for a
new job. This very important programming
is critical to the success of each and every
woman at the Lotus House.
Computer Classes and Job Training
and Placement
Lotus House provides individual and group
instruction in computer basics, as well as
individual assistance with resume preparation,
interview skills, dressing for success with
our donated clothing, job searches and
placement. Managed by Maria James, our
Basic Cooking Skills and Food Prep
Job Training Program
Thanks to this year’s grant from the Miami
Women’s Fund, Lotus House has two new
offerings. All guests are invited to participate
in our Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles Classes
combining information on low cost, low fat,
nutritional cooking with a weekly exercise
program, offered by volunteer nutritionist
and personal trainer Anette Weber with the
assistance of our famous (and only 16 years
old) artisonal baker Shelby Hinds and her mom,
art class projects
daily programming board
Katherine Hinds. For those seeking to enter the
food industry, Lotus House offers an intensive
week long basic food prep, kitchen safety,
and food handling course taught by guest
chef Pamela Manresa, complete with state
certification for successful graduates. Calling
all restaurants and caterers - join us in providing
job opportunities for our dedicated graduates!
Contact Maria James at 305.438.0556 or
[email protected].
Just For Love and Fun
Lotus House provides a host of enrichment
activities to heal, educate, connect, uplift and
just plain have fun! Khrys Kelly, our program
director, coordinates our talented volunteer
instructors and staff to ensure we have
something for everyone. Most days begin with
an inspirational meditation for those gathering in
the community room followed by anything from
art classes to beadworking, yoga to hiphop
dance, body talk, celebrating sobriety groups,
creative writing and poetry, the occassional
musical concert, gardening, frequent birthday
celebrations, movie nights, game nights (and
the competition is usually spirited with Khrys’
two daughters in the game), beach trips and
barbeques, Sunday teas, and the list goes on!
Many thanks to: Florida International University,
Peggy Nolan and Isabel Moros Rigau for
teaching us through art to touch our creative
source and rejoice in our interconnectedness;
Pam Freer for beadworking and our crystal
connections; Christelle Chopard for reminding
us life is a dance; Pam Jones for yoga to unify
mind, body and soul; Belkis Galainena for
listening to our bodies talk; and Brian Peterson
and the many FIU tutors and other volunteers
who so generously give their time and talents
each day so that others may heal and grow!
about us
Formed in 2004, the Sundari Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit, non-denominational, public charity organized for charitable and educational
purposes, including specifically providing relief to homeless, poor, distressed and disadvantaged women and children. Sundari Foundation
founded and operates the Lotus House Women’s Shelter, a free, non-denominational, holistic
residential facility and resource center providing shelter, sanctuary and comprehensive support
services for homeless women and children. Lotus House is situated in the heart of the historic
African American district of Overtown in Miami, Florida, an area suffering from extreme
poverty and urban blight in one of the poorest large cities in the United States. Lotus House
provides free housing for up to a year, three meals a day, clothing, and comprehensive
support services, such as individual and group counseling, computer classes, job placement,
access to medical and mental health services and a wide range of community resources,
along with educational workshops and a host of enrichment activities such as art, creative
writing, field trips, and much more. The shelter also includes a special wing for women who
are homeless and pregnant and their infants, arranging pre-natal care, birthing and parenting
the lotus house main building
classes and early infant medical care and screening, to ensure these fragile families can look
forward to a better way of life. Lotus House is not a typical shelter but a place where the minds, bodies and spirits of women and children
most in need are afforded an opportunity to learn and grow on every level. For more information on the Sundari Foundation and Lotus House
Women’s Shelter, please see the Foundation’s brochure and website at www.lotushouseshelter.org.
of the donor and/or his or her loved ones.
Lotus Endowment Fund
In December 2007, the Lotus Endowment For donations of $1, $3, $5 Millon or more,
Fund, Inc. was formed to the Endowment Fund will name the community
secure the financial stability center, maternity wing, and main house,
and long term viability of respectively, at the shelter in honor of the
the Sundari Foundation, so donor and/or his or her loved ones. There are
also naming opportunities
that the Lotus House Women’s
associated with the many
Shelter will serve as a resource
gardens, lotus pond, and
for women and children in need
sitting areas at the shelter to
for generations to come. A
honor our donors to this very
benefactor of the Fund gifted the
important fund. Let us help
land and buildings comprising
you select an appropriate
the original Lotus House facilities
possible naming opportunity in our memorial
or legacy that
to the endowment fund, which
tranquil gardens
achieves your goals, through
has in turn leased them to the
Foundation under a fifty year lease, for a dollar structured gifts and/or estate planning, and
a year, which renews in perpetuity so long as provides appropriate recognition for your
the property is used as a shelter for homeless generosity.
women and children. This was an important first
step toward achieving our goal of ensuring the Art portfolio By and About Women
long term financial stability of the Foundation to Benefit the Endowment Fund
and Lotus House. The Lotus Endowment The Lotus Endowment Fund will offer an
Fund is organized and operated exclusively exclusive, limited edition of 100, signed,
as a supporting foundation for the Sundari
Foundation and its initiatives, including the Lotus
House Women’s Shelter. The Endowment Fund
is also a 501c3 non-profit corporation affording
donors the same tax benefits for their donations
as donors to the Sundari Foundation receive.
The immediate goal of the Endowment Fund
is to raise a minimum of $5 Million over five
years, with a longer term goal of building
a larger fund sufficient to ensure that the
operating and capital needs of the Foundation
are adequately provided for in perpetuity. At
this time, the minimum donation which the
Endowment Fund is accepting is $10,000.
For donations of $50,000, the Endowment
Fund will install a bench in the garden of
the Lotus House in honor of the donor and/
or his or her loved ones. For donations of
$100,000, the Endowment Fund will install a
plaque in a room of the Lotus House, in honor
portfolios of photographic prints, entitled
By and About Women, featuring the work of
10 leading contemporary women artists, on the
subject of women. In addition to the artwork
of our featured artists, the portfolios will also
selected writings and poetry of some of the
women who have called the Lotus House their
home. Each portfolio will be “housed” in a
beautifully designed box of jet-black fabric,
adorned with an exquisite silver lotus flower, the
universal symbol of enlightened compassion.
The portfolio will be priced to increase as
editions sell, but will be offered for a limited
time only for the price of $10,000, with all
proceeds benefiting the endowment fund. The
portfolios will be offered through a series of
private VIP receptions and exhibitions around
the country at a select group of participating
galleries, private art exhibition spaces, and
our lead underwriter, Sotheby’s. This special
project is intended to both raise awareness
of the Lotus House, as a prototype women’s
resource center and shelter addressing the
special needs of homeless women and
infants with a unique mind, body and spirit
paradigm, and build the endowment fund
needed to ensure the financial viability of
the shelter as a resource for generations of
women and infants to come.
For more information, please contact:
Constance Collins Margulies, President
Lotus Endowment Fund, Inc,
445 Grand Bay Drive, PH1B
Key Biscayne, FL 33149
(305) 613-1573 or [email protected].
many thanks to our funding sources and supporters
Foundations and grants for 2007-8:
Bank Atlantic Foundation 2007 ($2,500)
Braman Family Foundation 2008 ($5000)
City of Miami - Public Services and Emergency Shelter Grants
Dade Community Foundation 2008 ($10,000)
Health Foundation of South Florida 2008-9 ($97,000)
David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation, Inc. 2007 ($5000)
Junior League of Miami Project Lift 2007-8 and 2008-9 ($10,000)
Ethel and George Kennedy Family Foundation
2007-8 ($50,000)
Lannan Foundation 2007-8 ($15,000)
Dr. John T. MacDonald Foundation
2006-7 ($50,000) and 2007-8 ($55,000)
Margulies Family Foundation 2006-7 (Over $1 Million)
Miami Dade County Homeless Trust
Miami Dade Transit
Oprah’s Angels Network 2008-9 ($25,000)
P.L. Dodge Foundation 2007-8 ($15,000)
Sol Taplin Charitable Foundation 2005-06 ($25,000)
and 2007-08 ($25,000)
Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade County, Inc.,
2006 ($15,000), 2007 ($10,000) and 2008 ($18,000)
Individual and corporate donors in 2007-8:
$25,000 and up
Christie’s
Jay and Elizabeth Lotspeich
Constance Collins Margulies
Martin Margulies
$10,000 and up
AXA Art Insurance Corporation
Jorge and Yvette Arevalo
Lin Arison (AFO, LLC.)
Donald and B. Carlin
Francie Horvitz
Podhurst Orseck, P.A.
Axel Stein (Sotheby’s)
Christine and Marty Taplin
Rosie Gordon Wallace and Friends
Faith Xenos
$5,000 to $9,999
Total Bank and Adrienne Arsht
Jerry and Brenda Bengis
Elaine Berkowitz
Ramona Boucher
Gary and Niety Gerson
Evelyn and Bruce Greer and Greer Family Fund
Julie Grimes and Camillus House
Dorothy Lichenstein
David and Renee Lieberman and Friends
John Lang Looby
Marvin and Elayne Mordes and Friends
Chris and Julie Petricone
Janelle Reiring
Larry and Pat Stewart
Kathryn and David Villano
Diane Walder, M.D.
Angela W. Whitman
Louis Wolfson III
$1,000 to $4,999
Dar and Lalita Airan (Airan Associates)
Gayle Bainbridge
Robertson Bennett
Richard and Shelly Bermont
Braman Family Foundation
Sydney Cohen
Vincent Damian
Rosa and Carlos De la Cruz
Barry Fellman (Center for Visual Communication)
Aaron Fleishman
Orlando Gelpi and Key Bank
Constantine Grimaldis
Richard and Arlene Haft
Janet Harrison
Fred Hochberg and Tom Healy (Hey Day Foundation)
William Allen and Janis Horn
Manuel Gonzalez and Jose Iraola
Ron Kriss and Akerman Senterfitt
Dianne and Mark LaRoe
Catherine Lee
Ira and Carol Licht
Margaux’s Miracle Foundation
Medicis Global Services Corporation
Shelly Levan Margolis
Maria Millares
Stephen and Sandra Muss
Yvette Perez (Y.P., Inc.)
Francien Ruwitch
Judy Orin
Barbara Schiff (Schiff Family Philanthropic Fund)
Ronald and Hermina Seiden
Dahlia Morgan and Leslie Schreiber
Gordon Sokoloff
Amayra Robles and Deborah Shure
St. Stephens Episcopal Parish
Rosa Sugranes
John Sumberg and Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP
Diane Walder, MD
$250 to $900
Patricia and Frank Carter
The Arts Connection
James C. Cosmides
Berta C. Gallagher
Boca Museum Collectors Forum
High Ridge Country Club
Richard Franklin
Friedman and Friedman Law offices
Brad and Susana Houser
Jay and Joan Jacobson
Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman
Susan Lerner and Junior League of Miami
Seaboard Marine, Inc.
Gordon Miller
Sybil Pulver
Deborah and Dennis Scholl
Wilma Burkin- Siegel
In-kind donors for the new Lotus House
resource and community center:
All Interior Supply, Inc.
ASI Modulex
Bill Cody Plumbing
Designing Restaurants
Burton Hersh and HVC Architects
Shelby Hinds Cake Designs
Leon Johnson
Jorda Enterprises, Inc
Martin Z. Margulies
George McElhaney and Family
Kevin Schwarte
Southern Coast Enterprises
Volunteers for special recognition in
2007-2008:
Shelby Hinds
Ilona Agency
Kimberely Marreno
Dr. Gordon Miller
Sonic Art House
John Sumberg and Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price
and Axelrod LLP
Art Donors for our 2007 Art Auction:
Artina Abraham
Miroslav Tichy and Arndt & Partners
Pipilotti Rist and Luhring Augustine
David Rosenbloom and Betty Bellman MD,
Jacob Karpio Galeria
Sabine Hornig and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Charles Long and Tonya Bonakdar Gallery
Neil Winokur and Janet Borden, Inc.
George Sanchez-Calderon
Clara Poupel and Cancio Contemporary Art
Tom Zimberhoff and Cancio Contemporary
Clamp Art
Alison Elizabeth Taylor and James Cohan Gallery
Andres Serrano and Paula Cooper Gallery
Su-en Wong and Danese Gallery
Dinaburg Arts
Natasha Duwin
Howard Greenburg Gallery
C. Grimaldis Gallery
Joao Louro and Gallery Christina Guerra
Contemporary Art
Liselot van der Heijden and LMAK Projects
Galerie Ernest Hilger
Lalla Essaydi and Edwynn Houk Gallery
Ron Haviv and Hasted Hunt
Anthony McCall and Sean Kelly Gallery
Marla Hamburg Kennedy
Gotz Diergarten and Kicken
Angelika Rinnhofer and Paul Kopeikin Gallery
Cathy Leff
Alfredo Jarr and Galerie Lelong
Rob Fisher and Cohan and Leslie
Estate of Roy Lichtenstein
Sang-Ah Choi and Gering and Lopez Galley
Jules Lusson
Davide Cantoni and Daneyal Mahmood Gallery
Justine Cooper and Daneyal Mahmood Gallery
Hector Maldonado
Joel and Sheri Mallin
Robert Mann Gallery
Constance Collins Margulies
Martin Z. Margulies
Will Ryman and Marlborough Gallery
Do-Ho Suh and Lehmann Maupin Gallery
Megan McLarney
Luisa Maria Mesa
Lawrence Miller Gallery
Venessa Monokian
Hugo Moro
Justine Kurland and Mitchell-Innes and Nash
Ivan Navarro
Abner Nolan
Peggy Levinson Nolan
Suzanne Opton
Patrick Painter Inc.
Joel Perlman
Micheal Cloud and Max Protetch Gallery
Tim Hyde and Max Protetch Gallery
James Rosenquist
Ralph Senzamici
Jackie Nickerson and Jack Shainman Gallery
Malick Sidibe and Jack Shainman Gallery
The Estate of Hannelore Baron and Manny
Silverman Gallery
Allison Smith
Courtney Smith
Matthew Weinstein and Sonnabend Gallery
Donna Steffens
Bernice Steinbaum
Noah Sheldon and D’ Amelio Terras
Sara VanDerBeek and D’ Amelio Terras
Spencer Tunick and I-20 Gallery
Giselle de Vera
Alec Soth and Weinstein Gallery
Zak Gallery, Berlin
James Welling and David Zwirner
Neil Winokur and Janet Borden, Inc.
Su-en Wong and Danese Gallery
Tom Zimberhoff and Cancio Contemporary
And again, many thanks to our donors, large and small and too numerous to list, who provided much needed support for the work of the Foundation
thru their purchase of tickets and art work at our 2007 annual art auction and dinner, the proceeds of which make everything we do at the
Lotus House Women’s Shelter possible.
become a sponsor! reserve your tables early!
the sundari
foundation, inc.
& martin z. margulies
family foundation host the
fourth
annual contemporary art
auction and dinner on
11.08.08
limited sponsorship opportunities available at the following levels:
presenting $50,000, benefactor $25,000 and patron $10,000.
tickets are offered at the following levels:
supporter $250, silver $500 and gold $1,000.
silver and gold level purchasers are invited to a private champagne
preview at 6:30pm the evening of the event.
Call 305.365.2478 for more information or email [email protected] to make
reservations and learn about our Sponsorship Opportunities!
events
calendar
For more information call Ciara Jones at 305.365.2478 or email [email protected]
Monthly Lotus House hosts Breakfast in the Garden, followed by a Tour of the shelter, twice monthly. This is a wonderful and
very personal way to learn more about the shelter, see our programming and daily activities firsthand, and meet some of our guests. Join
us and invite a friend.
06.13.08
Mid-Summer’s Eve - Annual Gathering of Honorary Board and Friends at the home of Martin and
Constance Margulies for an update on the activities of the Lotus House and other initiatives of the Foundation. Learn more about how you can
help. If you are interested in joining the Honorary Board, call Ciara Jones at 305.365.2478 or email [email protected].
07.04.08 Lotus House celebrates the 4th of July with a Barbeque and Ice Cream Social, noon to 3pm. Everyone is welcome!
donate You can make a difference!
Special Items Needed
Vehicle (New or Gently Used)
Warehouse/Storage Space
Playground Equipment
Baby Items
Baby bottles
Pacifiers
Baby blankets and clothing
Baby socks and shoes
Diapers (sizes 1-5)
Baby wipes
Baby shampoo, lotion, powder,
diaper rash cream
Nursing pads
Breast pumps
Baby food (stages 1-3)
Baby formula (milk and soy
based)
Crib sets
Baby furniture
Women’s Items
Feminine products
Toiletries
Underwear and bras (all sizes)
Socks
Women’s clothing all sizes
Shoes (dress and casual)
Interview clothes (suit)
Bed sets (sheet and comforter)
Household items
Dishes
Silverware
Cups
Laundry detergent
Cleaning supplies
Towels
Appliances
Mop, broom and dust pan
First aid kits
Your support is essential to our work to empower women most in need to become whole again and truly who they were meant to be. On behalf of the homeless women and
infants we shelter, thank you for your compassion and commitment to the Lotus House and the mission of the Foundation. We accept both monetary and in-kind donations. Dropoffs at the shelter can be made any time between 8am and 7pm, seven days a week. Please ask for Rosanna, Irma or Maria and remember to request a receipt. Donations
to The Sundari Foundation, Inc. are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Federal Tax ID of the Foundation is 810652266. To make a monetary donation, please go to our website lotushouseshelter.org or make checks payable to: The Sundari Foundation, Inc. and send to :The Sundari
Foundation, Inc. at the Lotus House 445 Grand Bay Drive, PH1B, Key Biscayne, FL 33149, Attn: Constance Collins Margulies.
Honorary Board Directors
2007-2008
Yvette & Jorge Arevalo
Brenda Bengis, Esq., & Jerry Bengis
Elaine Berkowitz
Ramona Boucher
Belkis Galainena
Niety & Gary Gerson
Terri & Michael Josephs, Esq.
Sharron Lannan Korybut
Catherine Lee
Renee & David Lieberman
Beth P. Lotspeich
Martin Z. Margulies
Ilona Oppenheim
Alina Perez Stable
Yvette Perez
Aaron Podhurst, Esq.
John Sumberg, Esq.
Christine J. Taplin
Faith Xenos
Operational Board Directors/
Officers 2008
Constance Collins, President
Natasha Duwin
Burton Hersh, Vice President
Claudia Kitchens
Marti Mang, Treasurer
Isabel Moros-Rigau
Peggy Nolan
Brian Peterson
Maggie Rossi
Kathryn Villano
Sydney Cohen, Secretary
217 NW 15th Street, Miami, Florida 33136