I was a stranger and you invited me in..." 

Matthew 25:35 NIV

Past Events

Our Friday night FUNDnight at CT's Deli was a hit! We would like to thank CT's Deli and Staff for helping us raise just over $1000.00 with 50% of bar sales, tips, basket raffles and 50/50 drawings.

Thank you to who all came to enjoy great food and support NATH - Frederick Place.

Also a BIG Thank You to (Jared Kay Music) by the one and only Jared Kropidlowski for the wonderful live music!

Executive Director Corner

In Times of Uncertainty

 

Community is at the heart of everything NATH - Frederick Place does. With new state mandates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and Safer-At-Home, we want you to know that the health and safety of our residents, staff, volunteers and community members, is our top priority. As a 24/7 shelter, we cannot simply close our doors to those in need and we will continue to work to fulfill our mission.

The population we serve can be some of the most vulnerable to sickness due to high stress and unhealthy lifestyle choices. We also have many facing issues with mental health and substance abuse and the continued need to focus on treatment and finding positive outlets. We continue to offer support and comfort for those who are experiencing high anxiety and uneasiness along with the security and relief of a roof over their head.

Thanks to our fiscally responsible Board of Directors we are able to keep our doors open and pay our staff who are essential to our services. As you may know, we are 90% supported by donations and fundraising. In light of the current situation we have had to already cancel our Budding Artist fundraiser and are concerned about the future of several of our upcoming fundraisers such as our Bill Miller Memorial Golf Scramble, May 31 and our Brewer Bus Trip, June 13 which we may be looking at potentially postponing. We hope you can support us in future fundraisers once we get through this unforeseen period.

1) Meal volunteers are still necessary to our program and to help cut costs. We ask that meal volunteers make the meal at home and deliver it to the front door. Our staff will gladly take the meal and prepare it per instructions. You can also utilize the local restaurants that are delivering and have a meal delivered to Frederick Place. If you would like to provide a meal please visit our website to sign up:

2) Donations of cleaning supplies and food are still being accepted. Staff will meet donors at the door to take these items as necessary.

ABSOLUTELY NO CLOTHING DONATIONS AT THIS TIME .

3) We are dependent on monetary donations to keep the lights on and continue to provide shelter, basic needs and case management for current and future residents, if you would like to make a donation please do so online or send a check to NATH - Frederick Place, PO Box Cox 913, Rhinelander, WI 54501

Upcoming Events

Tribute Corner

In Honor of

Jennifer Rudawski

In Memory of

Richard Schwall, Catherine Schwall

&

Pauline Schultz

Partner Corner

“Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.”

― Mother Teresa



When I arrived at work on March 18, I did my usual “hello” to the residents watching TV, and I felt my eyes well up with tears. I knew work would be different that night, but Darryl’s empty chair made it real. No more spirited talks about politics. My political education halted. I would no longer hear, “How you doing today?” by someone who meant it and waited for my answer. My fellow insomniac would no longer be here to make sure there is fresh coffee on when I arrive. As usual the atmosphere of Fredrick Place had changed, and I was affected more than I anticipated.

When Darryl arrived, he had the complete grumpy old man persona going on. He did not talk a lot and did not want to be here. It was as if Frederick Place was a prison he’d been forced to endure. In his defense, he had reason to be angry. His landlord sold the property that housed Darryl’s bachelor pad, and he was forced to go to a shelter. As his last day there drew near, he turned to his familiar coping mechanism and drank to the point where he received a free ride to the hospital. It was then discovered he had pneumonia. When he arrived at Frederick Place, Darryl looked rough and gruff. The antibiotic would take care of the pneumonia, but only he could change his attitude. There was something about Darryl that made me rise to the challenge. He only spoke to me when he needed his medication. He did not always remember his medication, so I began reminding him. Yeah, Darryl did not like that. He eventually started thanking me and eventually wondered out loud what he would do if I wasn’t there to harass him about taking it. He always ended that statement with a chuckle. Our conversations rarely went over ten words until the night he strolled in the office to tell me he did his chore. Everything changed that night because of Rachel Maddow. Darryl noticed I was listening to her while I worked and started telling me he liked the other shows more because Rachel takes too long to get to the point. The horror! I commenced to tell him her show format was what I loved about Rachel. We agreed to disagree, and our bond began. Discussions of politics, in my experience, usually drive a wedge between people, not act as a catalyst to friendship. Darryl was extremely knowledgeable, and I became a sponge. We didn’t always agree and that was what made it so enjoyable.

Darryl is a very private man, so I really don’t know much about his life before Frederick Place. Every so often he would talk of his past but not at length. Darryl is an educated man born and raised in Chicago. He was approached to play minor league baseball, though he chose education over sports. After he graduated, he went to work in the financial field. When he retired, he wanted nothing more than a place to call his own, his laptop, and a smart TV. As I wrote earlier, he had what he wanted, lost it and hoped to be living his retirement dream again soon.

He did become quite frustrated with the housing issue. Darryl’s income was not enough to afford rent, utilities, and food. After leaving Frederick Place, he ended up going to a nearby town in which he found a hotel that would rent to him by the month. He bought the smart TV and has his laptop, but the establishment has no Wi-Fi. When he called, I could tell he was thirsty for knowledge of current events so I rattled off as much as I could in the short amount of time we had because he was about to run out of minutes. Darryl will eventually get Wi-Fi, but in the meantime, I jot down the highlights of the week so I’m ready to tell him in the few minutes we have on the phone. He may never call again, but I will keep writing down what I think he would get a kick out of hearing.

Darryl was both a lesson and a blessing. Barb, the lady I wrote about last month, “woke” me, but Darryl created within me sense of duty, that my vote matters. He seems convinced the two of us will be going to Milwaukee for the Democratic National Convention. Oh, what a pair we would be there. I keep telling Darryl I will think about it. In truth I know that it won’t be long before we are no more than a memory to each other.

I am a better person for having met Darryl, although he can’t seem to understand why. He thanked me for giving him a sense of self-worth, and I didn’t understand that one either. In my opinion he has so much to share and give to others, but he doesn’t see that. When he left, I packed away my beloved coffee mug with Pelosi and Trump on it. Inside I tucked a note that told him to consider this mug as a daily reminder of his self-worth.

We may never see each other again but thanks to Nancy and Donald we will always remember each other. He, every time he drinks from his new mug, and I will think of Darryl every time I drink coffee without the mug. I won’t miss the mug, but I will miss the man with the mug who was such a blessing in my life. 

Are you a member of Thrivent?

Apply for your Thrivent action Team to assist NATH.

Go to Thrivent.com/action team to get started. Here are some questions you may see when applying. What is the need you and your volunteer team want to tackle? How will your volunteer team spread generosity in your community? When will your project take place? How will you use your $250 seed money to make a bigger impact?

Once you submit your application, it’s typically review within a few days. When you project is approved, you will get to customize a hand packed Thrivent action kit based on what your team needs, including promotional banner, Live Generously T-shirts, step by step guides, invitations, thank you notes and a $250 Community Impact Card to use as seed money to get your project off the ground.

Some of the ways you could help NATH/Frederick Place, would be as a sponsor for Summer Raffle, Anniversary Benefit, Harvest Hoedown, Soup for Shelters, Golf Scramble or by preparing a meal or two for the house residents. Any contributions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you to all who use Amazon Smiles

to Help NATH when you shop

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at  smile.amazon.com , you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as  Amazon.com , with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from nearly one million organizations to support.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to  smile.amazon.com  from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to  smile.amazon.com  to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

Each month many partners in the community donate meals to Frederick Place. This month the staff and residents thank the following individuals and groups. 

Laura Macfarland

Mary Nelson

Mike Mack

Rhinelander Café and Pub

Robert Wolf

RoseMary

St Kunegunda & St Theresa Church

T&M Towing

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran

Church - Rhinelander

Xylina Graf

Ever ask how you can help? Become a meal provider for the residents of Frederick Place. There are multiple ways that this can happen.

We will call you the week prior to let you know how many residents we currently have at the house and if there are any known allergies. You will normally be cooking for approximately 16 residents and 1 staff member. You can make whatever you would like to make, we ask that you also bring a gallon of milk for dinner as well.

We have changed the way we are having people sign up and will begin to utilize Sign Up Genius for this volunteer endeavor as well. You will find the calendar below, marked with symbols that represent days that need meals. Sign Up Genius with the most updated calendar. If you would like to help out, click on the button below and find a date that will work for you and sign up to bring a meal. It is a way to bless many with one simple act of kindness.