The holidays are a time for family get-togethers and joyful traditions. They are a time of food, presents, and fun. They can also be a time of stress especially for those families without a place to live. Homeless families have no place to put up decorations and often little to no money to buy presents for their children.
“We haven’t really had a traditional Christmas since we’ve been homeless. Our tradition, if you can remember, is that we put a tree up every year after Thanksgiving,” said April a single mother at our Girard Street Apartments, to her 13-year-old son, Josh.
Josh was quick to say, excitedly, “I remember that. It was fun. We would go down to the shed and get all the decorations. That was my favorite time because I helped put the tree up.”
For the families at Community of Hope still searching for a place to call home, it’s volunteers and donors that make all the difference in their holiday season. In particular, we have one group that provides holiday cheer year after year to our residents.
This year marks the 21st year that Dodie and Jim Brady and their nonprofit, Global Harmony Through Personal Excellence, have taken the children and families from Girard Street and Hope Apartments for a day of holiday activities. It began in 1990 when the Bradys’ god daughter, Rebecca, was tutoring children at Community of Hope and found out that the kids wanted to join in her holiday caroling trip. Each year since then the children go to a nursing home to sing Christmas carols and give out their own handmade cards. Then the Bradys invite the families back to their home for a party, described by one of the participants as a “winter wonderland.”
Julie Gallagher, Community of Hope Case Manager, shares that, “Our families are so touched by what the Bradys and the volunteers at Global Harmony do each year. They say, ‘They don’t know me, but they invited me into their home.’”
While our families are searching for a place to live, Community of Hope is able to provide a temporary home for the holidays where parents can celebrate with their children. Thank you to the Bradys and to all of you who make the holidays so special for our residents.
