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Welcome House Newsletter
December 2011 Issue 22
In This Issue
Spread the Word
Job Openings
Cost of Child Care Soars
Inspriation for the Holidays
Adopt-A-Family Success
Make An Impact
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Child Care Cost Creates Huge Burden For Families
toddlers

The financial crisis, along with rising child care costs, is creating a large burden for many local families. According to the Census Bureau, families below the poverty line paying for child care spent almost 40% of their monthly income on child care in 2010. That is more than the government estimates they should spend on housing. The average cost for child care now averages $138 a week($552 a month). In 1985, the average was $81 a week (adjusted for inflation). Welcome House case managers work with clients to find subsidies to help offset the high cost of child care. 

 

The cost of child care and the unemployment rate is also changing who the primary caregiver is for children. The Census report found 10% of children between five and eleven years old are caring for themselves. The number reaches as high as 17% for single mothers. Most of the mothers in these households are working or in school. Thirty-two percent of fathers now stay home with their children while the mothers work, compared to 26% in 2002. Researchers attribute the changes to unemployment but also to the fact that women's wages have steadily risen since 1978 while men's have stayed steady. 

 

12-Year-Old Inspires Christmas Celebration

A bored little boy staying in the Emergency Shelter was the inspiration for a holiday celebration at Welcome House this year. He told a case manager he was bored while his mom attended a recent parenting workshop so the case manager had him write down his wish list for Santa Claus. On his list were video games and hot toys every 12-year-old boy wants. But he also wanted jewelry for his mom. This led Arica Morgan, a case manager at Welcome House, to organize a Candy Cane Shop for the children to pick out presents for their parents this Christmas.

Arica said the list reminded her how much families served by Welcome House are like her. "Most us are a paycheck or two away from their situation...and kids still want to celebrate the holidays."

On December 8th, sixty people came through the Candy Cane Shop. Parents ate and listened to holiday music while their children shopped in the next room. Siblings chose their own gift for mom or dad and then they picked a family gift. The family gift was a large travel bag filled with toiletries. The most popular gifts for mothers were new jewelry and purses. All of the gifts and the food for the event were donated to Welcome House.

Santa Claus made a special appearance at the event. A five-year-old boy asked Santa for a home for Christmas. Another boy told Santa he wished his mom and dad could get along and be happy like they were before his family was homeless. Welcome House is working to make these dreams come true and eradicate homelessness in Northern Kentucky. Please remember the agency and the clients we serve this holiday season.

Thank You for Making Our Adopt-a-Family Program a Success

31 boxesOur adopt-a-family program is a huge success this year. We have dozens of companies, churches and other groups sponsoring Welcome House clients for Christmas. We also have several individuals and families participating to make sure our neighbors have a wonderful holiday.

31 donations w/women
Thirty-One donated purses, back packs, re-useable bags and more

Aside from the adopt-a-family program, we'd like to thank the organizations who have chosen Welcome House to be the recipient of large in-kind donations. This includes Wild Flavors who brought in five SUVs filled with cleaning supplies, Thirty-One gave us more than $125,000 in merchandise, and Stamp It Up donated 1,000 items through the Today Show Toy Drive. Thank you to everyone who gives to Welcome House during the holidays and throughout the year.

Want To Make An Even Larger Impact This Holiday? 

New numbers out this week show people are spending more on holiday gifts than they did last year. According to comScore Inc. (an internet tracking company), online spending is up 15 percent from 2010. More than $24.6 billion has been spent this season already. Will these numbers also translate into more charitable giving?

Welcome House served more than 7,100 people in 2010. As we wrap up 2011, the agency still sees a great need in our community. Local families continue to face economic struggles. Welcome House is working with these families and individuals to find or keep their homes, secure employment and help them further their education goals in an effort to obtain a better income.

This year, donors are giving gifts of all varieties. In the first nine months of 2011, Fidelity Charitable reports gifts of complex assets (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) was five times higher than the same time frame last year. Please consider making a donation to Welcome House this holiday season. You can make a stock donation through your financial advisor. You can make a monetary donation by going to our website and clicking on the donate now button.

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