Quarterly Newsletter - May 2020
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Bethesda House
A faith-based home for pregnant or parenting
moms and their babies.
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Missy's Message
Greetings,
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I hope this newsletter finds you and yours well. This has been such a crazy time for all of us! We are really looking forward to returning to some type of normalcy, as I’m sure you are as well. We’ve been continuing to serve young moms and their babies here at BH but to best protect them and our volunteers, we put a temporary hold on most services typically offered. Two of our moms gave birth at the beginning of the COVID pandemic.
In addition to caring for babies, our moms have been keeping busy completing online parenting/life skill classes. We’ve recently subscribed to a new program— which is fantastic— and will continue offering it to future moms as well.
We are in the process of opening things up here at BH in phases. Sadly, we have to cancel our annual gala which is our biggest fundraiser. We continue to be 100% volunteer run and depend on donations to cover our expenses.
Thank you so much for your continued support through these difficult times.
May God richly bless you,
Missy
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Upcoming Events
** 2020 VOLUNTEER TRAINING SESSIONS
07/15/20: 8:45am – 12:00pm
09/10/20: 8:45am – 12:00pm
11/07/20: 5:45pm – 9:00pm
Duxbury Church
2 Tremont St., Duxbury
** 2020 VOLUNTEER REFRESHER SESSIONS
07/15/20: 8:45am – 10:30am
09/10/20: 8:45am – 10:30am
11/07/20: 5:45pm – 7:30pm
Duxbury Church
2 Tremont St., Duxbury
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Mother's Day 2020
It wasn't the traditional Mother's Day of recent years but we were still able to make it a very special day. We were all blessed with a lovely meal thanks to my husband John. And, several volunteers supplied the moms with gift cards for gift baskets and family-style meals to stock the freezer! Thank you for a wonderful day!
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Snapshots of Our COVID Pandemic Experience
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We had a little photoshoot with our youngest residents.
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Through a generous donation from Faunce Church, we were able to purchase a quad stroller to get our babies out for walks.
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Virtual kisses went out on our Facebook page.
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We celebrated a mom's quarantine birthday with virtual best wishes from volunteers.
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Social distancing the best way we know how!
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Mom getting to spend some quality time with her new daughter.
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Two of the moms spoke about their progress and how they are handling the challenges due to the coronovirus pandemic in videoblogs on our Facebook page:
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Quest for New Swingset
With stay-at-home orders in place, we realized the need for an on-site swingset. We put out a request for support for a new swingset for our backyard and we received a tremendous response! Stay tuned to our Facebook page where we plan to post pictures soon of Bethesda House babies at play!
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2020 BETHESDA HOUSE SPRING GALA CANCELLED
Regretfully, we have made the decision to cancel the 2020 Bethesda House Gala due to the unpredictable restrictions on our community resulting from COVID-19.
We extend thank yous to our 2020 sponsors who ALL have agreed to sponsor our 2021 event.
-- Bellew Tile and Marble Co. Inc
-- Bridgewater Savings
-- Duxbury Church
-- Cornerstone landscape Supplies
We are so grateful to
Edward Jones: The Offices of John and Debbie Flanagan who will be returning as our Platinum level sponsor for the 2021 Spring Gala.
We hope that you will save the date of
April 10th, 2021 and plan to join us for this celebratory night featuring a silent auction and plated dinner at the 1620 Hotel in Plymouth Harbor.
OPTIONS FOR 2020 TICKET HOLDERS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME:
1) If you purchased a ticket(s) and would like to roll your ticket over to the 2021 Spring Gala, we can update your ticket(s) accordingly.
2) If you purchased a ticket(s) and would prefer a refund, we are able to refund $50 per ticket. (Unfortunately, we are unable to refund any purchasing fees originally charged.)
We look forward to celebrating with you next year and we wish you and your family healthy days ahead.
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BETHESDA HOUSE SOCCER TOURNAMENT: POSTPONED
Again, due to community restrictions related to COVID-19. we are unable to host our 2020 tournament in June.
We are working on the possibility of hosting a tournament later in the fall so please stay tuned for more information to come at a later time.
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Virtual Telethon in the Works
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In lieu of our cancelled 2020 fundraisers, a partner church has generously offered to work with other area churches on a virtual telethon to support Bethesda House. As details are worked out, we will be posting information to our Facebook page and website. We are excited for this new fundraising opportunity!
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Virtual Baby Bottle Drive
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As people are quarantined and staying at home, Bethesda House has suspended all of our baby bottle drives. As a result, we introduce to you a Virtual Bottle Baby Drive. Funds raised through this initiative will help us pay living expenses, purchase diapers, cleaning supplies, school supplies, and other miscellaneous items to support Bethesda House moms as they move toward self-sufficiency.
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Join the Bethesda House Prayer Team
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We are looking to form a prayer team. Back to what we’ve always said at BH: “There’s something for everyone at Bethesda House”. Some people are called to give financially, some give of their time in volunteering, and some do both. If you feel called to pray for BH on a weekly basis, please let us know by emailing
[email protected] and let us know which day of the week you are willing to commit to praying for BH. We need to envelope our moms, babies and the ministry in general in prayer. We will be sending a group email every 1-2 weeks with prayer requests.
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Volunteer Opportunity-- Baby Bottle Drive Coordinator
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Our Baby Bottle Drive Coordinator, Judy Schweighauser will be moving out of the area and will sadly no longer be able to volunteer in this capacity with Bethesda House. Judy did an amazing job working with local churches and managed this fundraiser wonderfully. We are looking for another people-person volunteer who is highly organized who can work with church leaders to plan 6-week collection periods at which time bottles are delivered and collected. This is a great time to step in and learn the ropes while all drives are currently suspended. If you are interested in taking on this role, please contact Missy Porter at
[email protected].
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Purchase a Choose Life Massachusetts License Plate and Give Back to Bethesda House
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Bethesda House has received the 2020 grant made possible through the purchase of these plates. When you purchase a Choose Life license plate, the cost of the plate is $40 more than your regular registration fee.
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Tribute Donations Made to Bethesda House
We are grateful that you would honor the special people in your life with a donation to Bethesda House.
Most recently, donations have been made as following:
- In Honor of Paul Walsh for his time, service, generosity and kindness to Ray Dupras and his family.
- In Honor of a young boy on his 12th birthday in April from his parents Brian and Lauren Logan. "He is truly a gift, along with all of our other children."
- In honor of Michael M. Leone
To make a tribute gift to Bethesda House, visit:
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Volunteer at Bethesda House
There are numerous areas where you can use your God-given talents to support Bethesda House, where opportunities are flexible depending on your availability. We require that you attend one of our 3-hour training sessions if you plan to provide direct care to the mothers and babies. Please attend our next training on July 15th to familiarize yourself with our organization, our mission, and with the various ways you can support Bethesda House. Training begins at 9:00am but we invite you to join us at 8:45 for coffee!
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Request to All Volunteers
At Bethesda House, policies and procedures are constantly changing and in order for us to keep up with our growth it is imperative that active volunteers are on the same page.
We are offering refresher sessions for those volunteers trained more than 1 year ago. You will be informed via email when you are due for a refresher training and will be asked to select from the following options:
2: Let us know that you are no longer interested/able to volunteer at Bethesda House. Please email
[email protected] to let us know that we should remove you from our volunteer alert lists. We understand that life is busy and that interests change but we hope that you will continue to support Bethesda House in other ways.
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Household Donation Needs
Bethesda House is in need of expendable items on a regular basis. Here is a list of our current needs:
- Dryer sheets
- Straws
- Disinfecting Wipes
- Disposable Gloves
- Food Storage Labels
- Bathroom Foaming Cleaner
- Air Freshener Gel or Beads
- Damprid Refills
- Cannon 280/281 ink
- Baby Wipes
- Windex
- Toilet Bowl Brushes
Bethesda House Amazon Wishlist
As with any home, we have a constant need of various household items. We have updated our Amazon wishlist for supporters to help make the new house a comfortable and nurturing home for our young moms and their babies. Check back frequently as we will be updating the list regularly!
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And, as always, thank you for your continued generosity.
Yours sincerely,
Missy Porter, RN
Co-Founder/Director of Bethesda House
Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Jeremiah 1:5
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Our mission is to provide a temporary home that is safe and nurturing for young mothers (either pregnant or parenting their child). The basis of our home is built on God's love and how life can be transformed through a relationship with Jesus.
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