“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” Martin Luther King Jr.
A big THANK YOU to Girl Scout Troop 670232 for fixing dinner last week for PADS guests! The girls worked hard to make a delicious home cooked meal. Troop leader Wendy Hougas and her husband served the guests. Thank you for your kind spirits & hard work. The guests loved it and were very appreciative!
We received a wonderful bounty of generosity from the families of the First United Methodist Preschool. Thank you for your kindness! The guests at Grundy Area PADS will be very thankful to receive your love!
A few words about PADS from Brent Newman to start your day!
“I was asked earlier in the season why I volunteer at PADS. I’ve struggled for months to answer the question because my time there is deeply personal. Tonight I have finally found my voice.
This evening three guests were so proud because they have found employment as a result of their time at PADS.
This evening a fourth guest has been called back for a second interview and is just praying he gets the job.
This evening one volunteer has the flu. Not one but two other volunteers stepped up to replace him.
This evening a guest is battling cancer. He'll soon be leaving PADS because PADS helped him find assistance to afford an apartment where he'll be able to have a better chance of winning his fight.
This evening another volunteer is there despite working today, driving from Joliet to volunteer, and being required to return to his job at 5:30 tomorrow morning.
This evening two guests are children who received a hot meal and a place to stay before they return to school tomorrow. Their sister is too young to go with them, but she'll sleep safely at PADS tonight also.
This is just a one night, and I was only there for a few hours to get the shelter opened, but the stories at PADS go on week after week: stories of struggle and heartache and kindness and love.
I volunteer at PADS because, in its finest moments, PADS is the embodiment of hope in a world desperately in need of hope. I want to be even the smallest part of helping to bring that hope to life.
It's not too late. We can still use your help. Please - come join us!”
What an amazing story shared with us by Judy Stemen:
Jim was one of PADS first guests! When PADS closed for the season, he pitched a tent out on Cemetery Road and spent his time writing and reading, which he was very passionate about. He published his first book, "Raise The Flag" in 2012, while living in his tent. This book is a collection of five short stories.Jim moved to Seattle, Washington four years ago where he tented and rode his bicycle, Blue Cloud, all over Seattle and the surrounding area taking pictures. These pictures he eventually had published in a photo journal entitled "Seattle Summer". His second photo book is entitled "Wildflowers of Cascades". (opinion of a friend:"Seattle should have hired him to do their tourism promo with photos")
His most recent publication is "Bloodhound Charlie". Jim writes in the foreward: Bloodhound Charlie is a fiction story. The characters in this doggie do-good dog gone story are fabrications, fictional persona, and are not to be construed to be real so to protect the innocent. The author's views in this story are First Amendment Freedoms for amusement, literary exposition, fiction, and do not reflect the views of anyone including the author.
Jim has been able to lose the "homeless" label as he now resides at the Plymouth Mayflower which he says provides shelter for the weary and weather!
You can find Jim on Facebook and purchase his books on Amazon.com
PADS would like to give a huge thank you to Larry Wharrie, celebrity bartender at Hook’s Hideaway in Morris on January 20. He chose Pads to be the recipient of all the tips he raised which at this time is over $1400 with more coming in!!
Pictured: PADS treasurer Marilyn Yuhas receiving donation from Suzy Hooks.
Look at this wonderful bounty of snug warm socks! Thanks to Deb Baker for collecting over 70 pairs of socks through her Host Ukraine fundraiser for our PADS guests. For every pair she sold, the We Help Two project donates a pair to us. The 16 adults & kids we currently have staying at PADS will surely appreciate this warm gesture tonight!
‘Twas the night before Christmas…
Grundy Area PADS opened our shelter at the Peace Lutheran Church at 6:30 PM. We had MANY wonderful donations from area contributors…
As everyone bedded down for the night, cookies and milk were set out for Santa. Employees of Maria’s restaurant delivered stockings for all the guests – another wonderful surprise for the morning! In the morning, there were gifts galore under the tree! The guests looked on as the children reveled in each package they opened.
I had an opportunity to sit and talk a bit with one of our new guests. This was a tough time for him, as his marriage of 40 years came to an abrupt end. He was suffering from depression. He repeated to me often of his gratitude, saying, “I can’t remember being this happy. Watching the kids open their gifts on Christmas morning and being able to sleep in a warm and comfortable place instead of under a viaduct is truly wonderful.”
His demeanor and gratitude are things that are more precious than gold and should give us ALL a reason to keep going about the PADS business. I strongly believe we are making a positive difference in people’s lives. One never knows when the next opportunity may come to impact another’s life in a meaningful way. We cannot choose when the need may arise, nor the manner in which it is revealed. But, we can choose to rise to the occasion and allow our humanity and compassion for others to flow through us.
We would like to give a huge shout out to the Mazon Methodist Church for providing Christmas gifts for ALL of the PADS guests this year. Thank you for your generous spirit this holiday season. Merry Christmas!
A little something to warm your heart this holiday season...
"As we worked on the puzzle together, a couple of the reactions of this friendly and somewhat precocious little 3 year old really gave me a chuckle. Whenever we tried to connect pieces that didn’t go together, she’d say, “Nahhhhh….” in a really deep and growly voice and shake her head. But what was even more adorable was how she would acknowledge those connections that were correct. She would say, “Mmmmhmmm…..mmmmhmmmm” with the intonation of a detective who has just uncovered a new clue. I was also impressed how tenacious this little girl was at working with this puzzle whose pieces, due to some overuse, did not want to stay connected, did not get frustrated or lose her temper. She just really enjoyed the process. Before we finished, her older brother came over to lend a hand, too. Once the puzzle was complete, she got an invitation from another 3 year old to come play with paper airplanes that his dad had just masterfully crafted. The two threw paper airplanes into the air and chased them to their carpeted landing strips all around the room, running and making airplane sounds while piloting their mini air force.
...sounds like a slice right out of a Norman Rockwell painting, doesn’t it? Kids playing, parents and friends looking on adoringly…but this scene didn’t play out at a family birthday party or neighborhood picnic. In fact, until about 1 week ago, these playful, busy little three year olds didn’t even know each other. Now, they are eating two meals a day together, spending their evenings playing together and sleeping under the same roof, the roof of a church that is hosting the Grundy Area PADS shelter from which their families are currently receiving help because they are homeless.
It is likely that within a few weeks, one of the families will be moving on due to some opportunities that will help them out of homelessness, but will also take them out of state. I wonder if these two little friends will miss each other when one moves away? I wonder if their paths will ever cross again? I wonder what the future holds for these little people? Will one of them be the next Jim Carrey, Dr. Phil or Suze Orman, all who have described a period of homelessness in their lives?
Of course none of us knows what their future holds. But I am so thankful that I know where they are tonight. As the frost was already developing on the ground when I got home, I learned the low will be 14 degrees tonight. Yet, our two pilots have safely landed at Peace Lutheran Church where they are sleeping in a comfy cozy environment with their parents close by. They had a very tasty meal of fried chicken and fixin’s donated by U.C.Davis Callahan Funeral Home for dinner and tomorrow morning, one of the volunteers has already promised biscuits and gravy for breakfast. The overnight volunteers will make a sack lunch that will be made according to their specific requests.
You know, I doubt that either of them even realizes they are homeless tonight. I know for sure they know they are loved.
Come be a part of this heartwarming opportunity. You will make a big difference in their lives, but they will make an even bigger difference in yours. We need you. Our pilots need you...at any one of the four landing strips throughout Morris on any given night. Your help is needed. Call Tammy, our Volunteer Coordinator, at 815-474-7899 to find a shift on a day that works for you. "
Thank you for sharing those warm thoughts this holiday season with us Denise Gaska!
1409 N. Division St.
Morris, IL 60450
(815) 942-3245
Help@Grundypads.org
