Friendship House Fall Newsletter

2018 Fall Newsletter

You Are Enough

Kim Eppehimer, Executive Director

We live in a society where people are constantly told they are not good enough. They have the wrong sexual orientation. They have the wrong skin color. They worship the wrong way. They are living the wrong life or making the wrong decisions.

At Friendship House, we leave our differences at the door so we can serve God’s children with love, grace and compassion. Because it’s enough to just need help.

This past August, Delaware experienced the highest rate in overdose deaths from opioids than ever before. Recent reports indicate these numbers are beginning to level off nationwide. Not increasing but neither is it decreasing. Yet I do not feel like celebrating. Yes, a stable death rate is better than an increase. It is just not good enough, however.

It is time for each of us to say “enough is enough” and believe we are enough to make a difference. We are not called to do it all; we are called to do our part.

Click here to read the full article.

A Graduate's Story: Tayra

Kathy Griffin-Graham, Clothing Bank Director

Tayra, a bright student and high school basketball star wanted nothing more than to be loyal to all her friends and family. Falling prey to peer pressure was something she never dreamed would happen to her. She truly thought she was stronger and smarter than that. At 18 years old, she learned the difficult way peer pressure sneaks up on you and before you know it, you are making the worst choice of your life. In Tayra’s story, the wrong choice left her scared, scarred and incarcerated for 3 years.

Click here to read her story.

In Loving Memory of Donna Johnson

Donna, a graduate of our housing program, died September 13, 2018 from cancer surrounded by family and friends. I am grateful to work with a group of people who are so compassionate and generous who have allowed the Housing Staff to walk with Donna and to keep her safe during the last years and days of her life. Your kindness gave her strength to fight the good fight. It touched and gratified her family to know she had such a supportive community. Blessings to you all. ~ Marcy Perkins, Director of Housing

Our Amazing Volunteers and Community

Congratulations, Pat!

Congratulations to our longtime and dedicated volunteer, Pat Saunders, for winning the Governor’s Award for volunteering! We are so proud of her and also blessed to have her as part of the Friendship House family. Thank you, Pat, for close to 1,000 hours of volunteering you have gifted us at our Wilmington Empowerment Center, Andrew’s Place and at many of our other programs. You are a shining example of community and giving back.

Thank you Christ Community Church for inviting us to be part of your Trunk or Treat event where we gave out candy and literature about Friendship House. We are also grateful for the soap collection you coordinated on our behalf. We received enough soap at the Trunk or Treat to share it with several of our programs!

We recently hosted the Arrow of Light Den from Cub Scout 29 at our Clothing Bank as part of their service requirements. They hung several pounds of clothes and completed a clothing drive for us from their entire pack! Thank you for taking the time to visit us and gift us your talents of sorting and hanging clothes.

All Star Cast!

We had a special visit to our Clothing Bank from Senator Carper and newly elected State Treasurer Colleen Davis. Thank you for spending time with us and our job trainees! We enjoyed sharing what we do with you, and why we are needed in the community. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to volunteer with us and to make a difference for those we serve.

Support Friendship House's Mission

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

~Anne Frank

The need of those we serve is growing, and we are asking for your help. Without government funding, we rely on churches, individual donations, and community grants to support Friendship House. Did you know it costs $111,000 a month to run Friendship House? We have already given over $100,000 in financial assistance and are expecting to give another $30,000 before the year is over. We have helped over 350 people get birth certificates this year, costing us over $16,000—and the requests keep coming. We have worked with over 120 people in our housing program and served over 7,500 people from our Clothing Bank. Please consider donating today.