Helping to build a brighter future for people in need


September 2014
In This Issue
What Back To School Means to COH
Because of YOU
Coming Up
 
Girl's Night Out  
Thursday, September 18
7-8:30pm

Now that we are all back in to the swing of things, a Girl's Night Out hosted by Lisa's Boutique in Needham comes at just the right time to find something new and pretty to wear as we move in to Fall.  All are welcome to drop in any time, 7-8:30pm Thursday, September 18,  at Lisa's, 1502 Highland in Needham.  15% of all purchases will be donated to Circle of Hope and refreshments will be served.  An RSVP is helpful but not required.  If you plan to come, please RSVP by clicking here.

October is Birthday Month for Circle of Hope!

Please mark your calendars for...

Birthday Cocktail Party
October 2nd is actually our REAL birthday and we will be honoring six years of serving Boston's most vulnerable citizens.  We will also have representatives from Etcetera, J. Hilburn, and Stella and DotLight snacks, cash bar. Thursday, October 2, 5-7pm at Marriott Residence Inn/Needham

Tuesdays at Not Your Average Joe's
Every Tuesday in October, bring this certificate (click here) to Not Your Average Joe's and 15% of your bill will be donated to COH!  And takeout counts!

Treat Others Well Cupcake at Treat Cupcake Bar
For the entire month of October, Circle of Hope is the featured "Treat Others Well" cupcake of the month at Treat Cupcake Bar, and HALF of all purchases will be donated to Circle of Hope. Festive, delicious and fitting for any occasion - a good grade, Friday night dinner, a party, whatever!






      
Special Requests
  • Towels
  • Baby & Toddler Fall Clothing
  • Jeans for all - children, women, men  
If you have any of the above, please drop them off at 65 Rosemary Street during any of our              
DROP-OFF TIMES:

 

Monday, 9-10 AM 

 

Tuesday, 4-5:00 PM

Wednesday, 9-10:00 AM

Wednesday, 3-4:00 PM

Thursday, 10-11:30 AM  

 

Saturday, 9-11 AM   

 

If you would like to make a financial donation to Circle of Hope, click here

 

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You Must Hear This...
 

  

It's notes like this that motivate us to work harder.  You, our supporters, will especially be moved by these words...
 

 

"Circle of Hope Inc.'s donations of new and gently-used clothing will be put to good use by patients throughout our program and will, no doubt, go a long way in meeting some of their most essential and wide-ranging needs."

 

 

Alyssa Brassil 

Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program 

Go To Crew Update   

 

Our Go To Crew once again came to the rescue.  Our plea was e-mailed on Labor Day, the day before we reopened, asking for Infant clothing size 6-24 months.  We knew that when we closed the doors in July for our summer break that the children's shelves were literally bare.  Beginning the very next day and all last week, dozens of bags of new and very gently worn clothing came through the door.  Thank you GTC!

We also want to welcome two new Go To Crew members, Fabienne Madsen and Caren Carpenter.  Thanks for being a part of this critical team!
 

 

The Go To Crew is a small group of supporters who receive an e-mail if a special need arises.  Being a member of the Go To Crew does not obligate its members to donate every time there is a need.  If you would like to be a member of the Go To Crew, or know someone who would like to be on this e-mail list, just respond to this e-mail, or click here.

 

 


Dear Friends of Circle of Hope,

What an amazing welcome back after our summer break!  The kitchen at COH is filled with an abundance of generosity thanks to all of you who waited for us to re-open and also told your friends and family about our empty shelves and neighbors in need.  We sent out three deliveries in the first 3 days we were open thanks to the incredible energy of our volunteer team of sorters and drivers orchestrated with expert precision and compassionate TLC by our very own Eileen Mullen, Volunteer Coordinator and magician.
 
We are so happy to be back and have so much wonderful news to share!  You'll read about some of our business partners, like the Closet Exchange, who, once again, donated lots of women's clothing and shoes so we'd be ready to hit the ground running this past week.  And, be on the lookout for our newest partner, Jenson's Cleaners, who had their first COH Business Clothing Drive and are about to make their first delivery of donations to Year Up.
 
Look no further for inspiration than the story and photo of Samantha Lee with her extraordinary generosity.  In celebrating a milestone in her faith journey she provided 700 pairs of socks for homeless individuals.  Samantha's perspective on meeting the needs of others emboldens us to ease the burden for homeless children facing a new school year in unfamiliar surroundings.  Samantha and her family have volunteered with COH since our doors opened in October, 2008.  Spoiler alert:  you'll be seeing a sneak preview about our birthday celebration in this issue.
 
Having time to step away from our daily pace at COH gave me a chance to reflect on the amazing kindness I experience every day at COH.  From the shelter/program directors expressions of gratitude to the joyful greeting of volunteers and donors crossing the threshold I am surrounded by so much goodness every day.  Let's go forward into fall aware of such warmth and kindness and how much it means every child, infant, woman and man that we serve. 
 

With deepest thanks,


Barbara Waterhouse
Executive Director 

What Back To School Means
at Circle of Hope      

 

The back to school "first day" photos have been swirling. All the neighborhood children waiting for the bus...the high school senior with a caption "last first day of school"...the brothers and sisters of varying heights (look how they have grown!). All with bright smiles and a positive outlook on the upcoming year. As you can imagine, September can mean something quite different for a homeless child. A report entitled, "Effects of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth" from the American Psychological Association states that the potential problems suffered by school-aged children include anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. The mission of Circle of Hope is to promote the dignity and wellbeing of people when they need it most. For children heading back to school, trying to fit in with the other kids, this is where we do our best work. 


The family of a homeless or "at risk" child has a daunting list of worries. Parents are working towards independence, trying to get or maintain employment, secure housing, and feed their families. Clothing is not only a way we can help children feel better about getting back in to the school groove, but it also relieves an expense for a parent who has difficult decisions to make on where to spend a limited income.

The role of Circle of Hope, with your support, is to take one less worry off the list of homeless and "at risk" families. As you are cleaning out closets and drawers determining what still fits on your own children, please think of Circle of Hope for those garments still in good condition. We look forward to delivering them to the children who need them most so they too can head out to school with a feeling of confidence and optimism for their future.

Because of YOU...
Because of people like YOU, Circle of Hope is able to help hundreds of people in Boston area homeless shelters and programs serving refugees and disadvantaged youth.  Here are some of our stories from this month...

Business Clothing Drive at Jenson's Cleaner                         
 
Thanks to all who supported the Business Clothing Drive held by Needham's Jenson's Cleaners.  What an overwhelming success.  For two weeks, the folks at Jenson's not only accepted your gently-used men's and women's business clothing, but if items needed to be cleaned (and sometimes just needed to be ironed!), they happily took care of it. 

And the icing on our cake?  The Needham Channel aired a story about it on their weekly news! 


COH Honored by Year Up         
 

On July 29th, the amazing organization, Year Up honored Circle of Hope with the Outstanding Community Partner Award. Our partnership narrows the opportunity divide for so many of Boston's promising youth. Learn more about Year Up at YearUp.org.


Yes.  One Person Can Make a Difference.
Samantha Lee donates 700 pairs of socks 
 
At the celebration of Samantha Lee's recent Bat Mitzvah, each table's centerpiece featured our recyclable bag. And following her big day, Samantha presented us with 700 pairs of socks to deliver to Boston's homeless. Here's an excerpt from the tag on the bag: "For her last three birthday parties, Samantha collected socks and other clothing items for homeless individuals and families.  Her Bat Mitzvah was another appropriate occasion to donate to Circle of Hope.... Samantha chose to donate new, clean socks for Circle of Hope to distribute. Each bag contains 4 packages of socks, one for every member of a family; in total, about 700 pairs of socks will be delivered to girls, boys, women, and men.  These bags will provide an item that we feel privileged to rarely think about, but one that will make a huge difference in the lives of our neediest neighbors. As Samantha becomes bat mitzvah, may she continue to contribute to the circles of hope that support others."

 

Thank you Samantha! 


Shout Out's               
 

So many individuals and businesses kept us on their front burner while we were closed for a few weeks over the summer.  We can't thank everyone
personally, but please know how very grateful we are to you for your overwhelming  generosity!
We would like to especially shout out THANK YOU to the Closet Exchange for the beautiful women's clothing they donated over the summer and Bonnie Matross-Antoniou at B in Touch Massage who hosted another toiletries drive and rewarded her customers  by donating complimentary massages! 


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