Double Birthdays for City Mission

Double Birthdays

Twins Isabel and Giovanna DeRosa celebrated their 11th birthdays in April this year. The sisters knew they wanted to have a great party, but mostly that they didn't want any gifts! That's right, these girls asked the guests to not bring a birthday gift for them but to consider bringing a monetary donation to City Mission instead!

Isabel and Giovanna were very pleased with the turn out for their party and said humbly, "some of the guests did bring a donation and gifts, too!"

Thank you, young ladies, for your kind and giving hearts!

Lemonade for City Mission

Lemonade for City Mission

After hearing about the fire at City Mission, Isaac Cox and his grandmother knew they wanted to help. His grandmother suggested doing a lemonade stand and Isaac sprang into action right away. Selling his homemade recipe for 50 cents a glass, he quickly collected $180 from generous people who passed by. President/CEO, Dean Gartland is pictured here with Isaac and his lemonade stand sign. We are grateful for young entrepreneurs, like Isaac, who have a heart for the Mission.

If you have a fun and unique way to help City Mission we would love to feature you in the memo. Send your story and pictures to Maria Stockman, mstockman@citymission.org, or stop in the administrative office at 382 West Chestnut Street, Suite 108.

Sandra Kay Mesler Dance Studio Donates

Sandra Kay Mesler Dance Studio Donates

Thank you to the Sandra Kay Mesler Dance Studio who recently stopped by City Mission to drop off a donation. The studio held a Dance Recital where they held a 50/50 drawing with the proceeds benefiting City Mission.

Pictured here with the check is Director of Development for City Mission, Dr. Sally Mounts and Roxanne Wray, one of the teachers from the Dance Studio. Thank you Roxanne and all of those who participated!

Washington High School Collection for City Mission

Wash High Collection

Thank you to Washington High School band and football team, who helped raise money for City Mission last week. You may have seen these Prexies standing on the sidewalks collecting money for the Mission, and if you donated, thank you!
"City Mission is very thankful to Washington School district for getting involved and helping bring more awareness to the community about the Mission's needs post-fire," says Dean Gartland of City Mission. "I'm very proud of these students for their service to our community."

City Mission: Fire Damage

Early last Tuesday morning, City Mission's kitchen caught fire, destroying both kitchen and dining room. Three of the men's dormitories, the Medical Clinic and attic sustained major fire, smoke and water damage as a result. Thankfully, no one was injured. Houseman, Keith Groves successfully evacuated all 58 men from the building.

Throughout the last week, we have received an overwhelming amount of community support in the form of donated bulk food, donated prepared meals and monetary donations. City Mission Board of Directors, staff and residents want to thank each and every person, church and organization who donated. We are deeply humbled and grateful for this outpouring of support. Thank you!

The Mission will not be closing the doors! Our men's shelter has been temporarily relocated and the senior staff and Board of Directors are working diligently to create a more optimal long-term living solution for our male residents. While the Chapel building that caught fire may not be inhabitable for 6-9 months, City Mission will continue the life-changing ministry that you so faithfully support.

If you would like to make a monetary donation to City Mission to help us continue to provide meals and keep daily operations going, please click this link or mail checks to 382 West Chestnut Street, Suite 108,Washington Pa 15301.

If you would like to provide a prepared meal please contact Judy Sandy, Food Services Manager to sign up, (724) 263-3185.

Attorney Addresses Residents

Attorney Addresses Residents

Thank you to Rachel K. Lozosky, Esq. of Peacock Keller & Ecker, LLP,  for speaking to our residents about criminal convictions and employment. Ms. Lozosky also provided valuable feedback to some of our residents for their specific situations. If you or your law office would like to speak to our residents or staff, please contact Sue Gartland, sgartland@citymission.org. 

Operation StrongVet

Operation StrongVet 

City Mission is proud of its involvement in Operation StrongVet, a handpicked collaborative of five unique non-profits which assist veterans by providing a core group of complimentary services. Together with Checkpoint, Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Neighborhood Legal Services, and Elevate, we strive to constantly improve veteran's services in the Southwestern PA region. City Mission's area of expertise is veteran's homelessness.  Since the region is home to 214,000 veterans, we consider our work in Operation StrongVet to be important indeed.

New Office Space

New Office Space

As City Mission expands to provide more services to the homeless, our Board of Directors and President/CEO have had to take a hard look at our somewhat cramped office space on 84 West Wheeling Street to determine how to best serve our residents. As a result, many of the City Mission administrative personnel recently moved to 382 West Chestnut Street, Suite 108 ---a new location right behind the Washington Hidden Treasures Thrift Store. 

One of the major benefits of the move is that it allows us to relocate the City Mission Programs Department into the white office building located to the left of the Mission. The space that the Programs Department formerly occupied before will now be repurposed into classroom space. This move is opening up great opportunities to bring new programs and classes to our residents. 

Volunteer Dinner

Volunteer Dinner

Pete K., Dean Gartland and Joe Engle

Thank you to all of our volunteers for your hard-work and dedication to serving at City Mission! Last Thursday evening, we were blessed with the opportunity to celebrate many of City Mission's wonderful volunteers at the Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. With over 120 people in attendance, we heard from Chairman of the Board, Mr. Dave Tenison, President/CEO of City Mission, Mr. Dean Gartland and Keynote speaker and resident, Pete K.

Pete spoke of how his life has been transformed through programs at the Mission and AA. Through God's provision and grace, Pete celebrates 16 months of sobriety.

City Mission's RSS Intake Supervisor, Nick Butler and his band "Men of Redeemed" entertained the crowd with their rendition of What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.

Thank you to Food Service Manager Judy Sandy and her team, who provided a wonderful meal. Thank you to Shop N' Save and Giant Eagle for providing dessert and to the Trinity Anglican Church and Rev. Karen Stevens for providing the venue for the dinner. 

  

City Mission: A Deeper Look

New Wheels?

Are You Getting a New Car? 

Are you getting ready to replace an old vehicle with a newer model? If so, we'd love to take your old car off your hands! 

City Mission accepts vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Please call Doug Bush at (724) 222-8530 x 225 for more details.

Backpacks for Avis

Backpacks for Avis

Thank you to Crossroads Ministries/Library Baptist Church's FX group for packing and donating a whole car full of toiletry-stuffed backpacks to Avis Arbor. 

 

The ladies at Avis and their children received the backpacks with grateful hearts and big smiles! Raising children while homeless is not easy and donations like these mean a lot to our residents. Thank you for making a difference in their lives!

Volunteers!

Volunteer Opportunities 

Are you looking for  volunteer projects this summer? Do you want to serve in a place that offers life-changing programs? Contact City Mission Volunteer Manager, Sue Gartland to volunteer at City Mission, or at one of our four Hidden Treasures locations!

 

Resident Story - Stacey

 Thanks for the many donated items that have come from your annual Spring cleanings! Resident Stacey, who helps out a the Donation/Recycling Center when she isn't in classes or groups, expressed amazement at the fine array of clothing, household items, and room décor that comes to us.

"We have bags of things that come in all day, and they're quality items," she said. "The donors are really wonderful to the Mission."

Kingdom Kids Donate to City Mission

Kingdom Kids Donate to City Mission

Kingdom Kids at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Prosperity PA recently put together 29 welcome bags that included toiletries, towels, washcloths, Scripture verses and pictures handmade especially for new residents coming into City Mission. With the help of their adult sponsors, this group of youngsters conducts a couple of collections a year for City Mission. We are grateful for their compassionate hearts.

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

We want to thank all of our volunteers for their hard work and dedication to serving City Mission. Because of our wonderful volunteers,
life-changing ministry happens
 here every day.

If you're a volunteer, please allow us to celebrate you! Come to the 2015  Volunteer Appreciation Dinner at Trinity Anglican Church on  May 14 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Please  RSVP by May 7 to Sue Gartland,sgartland@citymission.org.

Have You Seen These Trucks?

Have You Seen These Trucks?

Spring has officially sprung! If you, like many others, are doing spring cleaning, you may find yourself with some items that could be donated. Donated items can be dropped off at theCity Mission campus located on 84 West Wheeling Street in Washington, or at any Hidden Treasures location. If you have a large number of items, you can also schedule a City Mission truck for pickup. Please call (724) 222-8530 ext. 211 for more information.

God Never Gave Up On Me!

Current City Mission resident, Matt S., talked movingly of the life realizations that led him to get help for his addiction issues: " ... I went back to my tent carrying my garbage bag of clothes. I sobbed so hard. God showed me how I had hardened my heart. For more than 20 minutes, I sobbed uncontrollable tears. Then all of a sudden, I started to praise God." To read more about Matt's story of life-change please click here for the full story in the Spring edition of Rescue Line.

 

Your Support Provides

Your Support Provides

Thank you to everyone who has supported City Mission financially, through in-kind donations and prayerfully. In the last month, we have been able to provide the following:

• 8,771 meals
• 2,521 nights of shelter for men
• 1,028 nights of shelter for women and children
• 103 food bags
• 469 medical interventions

Through our programs, we see incredible life-change in our residents. This occurs because of your donations. We are very thankful for the opportunity to serve those who come through our doors. Thank you.

Avis Arbor

Avis Arbor

The shelter provides an environment that allows our residents to grow and to heal, thus leading them back to independent living. By focusing on the root problems that cause homelessness (lack of affordable housing, underdeveloped employment potential, lack of income, chronic substance abuse, mental health and medical problems and under-developed spirituality) City Mission provides a secure base for women who formerly lived on the streets or had less than ideal living situations.

Genevieve S, is one of the many smiling faces you'll find serving in Feed My Sheep Dining Room. She said her time at the Mission is "a new lease on life and a blessing."  When Genevieve got here she started classes that included Bible study. "It really brought my faith back," she said. "I had almost given up on God, but now I have a new outlook on life and my faith in God is stronger!"

It Gives Me Hope

Resident Merlin M. has been at City Mission for a month now and really likes it. "It's a great organization with great people," he said. "It gives me hope for humanity because the people who stay here ---and the people who run the Mission---have an abundance of love and understanding."

USC Rotary Donates Funds for CET

Thanks to the Upper Saint Clair Rotary, who provided us with a generous donation for our Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) program for residents. CET is a revolutionary new therapy that has been shown to build new neural capacity in the brain. Pictured here are Pete Muck, treasurer of the USC Rotary and our Director of Development, Dr. Sally Mounts. We really appreciate this Rotary club--each year, they generously support a number of well-deserving regional charities.

Rostraver Hidden Treasures Celebrates 2 Years!

Join us for a celebration of two years in the Rostraver area with City Mission's Hidden Treasures Store on April 11 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Jimmy Sykes will be providing live entertainment, and we'll have food, prizes and a special anniversary sale

Resident Story - Matt S.

Resident Matt S. is so grateful for City mission. "God is working on my heart every day here. He has placed godly people in my life and I continue to grow in His love and word. This Mission leads men and women to a life of healing."

McCausland Men's Shelter

The McCausland Shelter for Men, established in 1941, provides services to homeless men with or without addiction and/or mental illness. All residents, whether they need to stay in the Mission for a night or a year, receive hot meals, clothing, showers and a safe place to sleep.

The shelter provides an environment that allows our residents to grow and to heal, thus leading them back to independent living. By focusing on the root problems that cause homelessness (lack of affordable housing, underdeveloped employment potential, lack of income, chronic substance abuse, mental health and medical problems and paucity of spiritual development) City Mission provides a secure base for men who formally lived on the streets. 

Additionally: 

• In FY 2013-2014, the McCausland Shelter served 315 adult men and provided 24,543 nights of shelter.
• City Mission has experienced overcrowding as homelessness has spiked in our region. However, no one is turned away. The Shelter also houses up to 25 men each night in the overflow Chapel area during cold weather.
• According to recent studies, the average success rate of substance abuse treatment centers is between three and eight percent. The success rate for McCausland Shelter residents for FY 2013-2014 was far higher - 45 percent overall in the domain of substance abuse recovery alone.
• Over 37 percent of Shelter residents enroll in our long-term program, where they receive free medical care, legal services, vocational training, Biblically-based counseling, internal case management and outside referrals. The overall success rate for FY 2013-2014 was 39 percent for men who stayed in the program for longer than 90 days.
• McCausland Shelter staff works collaboratively with over 30 other organizations, ranging from community hospitals to drug and alcohol providers to mental health facilities and other social service agencies, to serve the resident population.

Birthdays for City Mission

Ten-year-old Oliva Vettorel, pictured here with her mother Kyra, recently had a birthday party and asked all of her friends to bring donations to City Mission instead of gifts. "Most people that come here to City Mission don't have much," she said. "And I already have lots of toys." She presented the Mission with a generous donation check.

"Olivia has a very generous heart," said mom Kyra. "She's always trying to find new ways to help people."  Thanks so much for helping City Mission, Olivia!

Hidden Treasures Grand Opening

On Tuesday, March 17 City Mission celebrated the grand re-opening of Hidden Treasures in Washington. Hidden Treasures was formally located on Jefferson Avenue but closed that location at the end of December 2014. Hidden Treasures can now be found at the corner of West Beau and Washington in the old Three Rivers Auction Building.

City Mission is very blessed to be serving in the community of Washington and wanted to invite everyone to join in this grand celebration. Over 75 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and heard remarks from Mayor Brenda Davis and State Senator Camera Bartolotta.

Thank you to County Commissioner Irey Vaughan, County Commissioner Maggi, Senator Bartolotta, Dean Gartland, Mayor Davis and County Commissioner Shober for coming to City Mission's Grand Re-opening of Hidden Treasures in Washington.

Calling All Volunteers!

Pictured here is the American Baptist Women's Ministries group who volunteered at the Monongahela Hidden Treasures Store on March 7.

Thirteen ladies sorted and priced clothing and bric-brac. The group is planning on making this a monthly project. They would like to encourage other women's organizations to prayerfully consider doing a project like this; the time went fast and they accomplished a lot for the store. 

Donations From the Whole Family

We love community involvement at City Mission!  Pictured here is Michael Tyhonas, a high honors student at California High School, sorting donated toiletries for the women of Avis Arbor and putting them into colorful zippered bags. This is a family charitable activity ---Michael's mother Michelle, who owns a nail salon, offers a $5 off coupon to anyone who donates to the ongoing project.

"The Gathering" Benefits City Mission

For the Community Service Phase of Christopher Freitag-Shaw's Senior Project, he arranged an event titled "The Gathering" that promoted togetherness and unity for the community. It included inspirational music from groups within the community as well as Donna Bussey from City Mission, who spoke on the Mission's plans for its Veterans Shelter Project. Donations for the Veteran's Shelter were raised through a free-will offering and the selling of refreshments. Thank you, Christopher for organizing this entertaining and educational evening!

Mark Your Calendars

On March 17, City Mission will celebrate a grand re-opening of its Washington Hidden Treasures store at a new location. Hidden Treasures in Washington, formerly on Jefferson Avenue, can be found on the corner of Washington and West Beau Street in the former Three Rivers Auction building with free parking directly across the street.

The opening ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. in Hidden Treasures with prayer, remarks from noted figures of City Mission and the community, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, benediction and an invitation to shop the new store. Everything is on sale and with a St. Patrick's Day-themed opening, there will be plenty of savings for those who attend the celebration!

Feeding the Hungry

For the homeless and hungry, a good, hot meal can be the first step to recovery. Once we meet the physical needs of our residents we can address the spiritual needs and reach out to them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

City Mission served 92,336 hot meals in the fiscal year of 2013-14. We serve three nutritious meals per day, 365 days per year (with some modifications for holiday schedules) for our residents and the community. Meal times can vary; please call (724) 222-8530 ext. 222 to speak with the Food Services Manager for an updated meal schedule.

To make a donation please click here. 

Assembly 588 Donation

Assembly 588 Donation

Many thanks to Assembly 588 of the National Slovak Society (NSS)! The organization recently made a generous donation to City Mission. Pictured here with Director of Development Dr. Sally Mounts are Joe Stefka, Chairman of the NSS National Board and Annette Stefka, Recording Secretary of Assembly 588. We love working with community groups that share our vision of ending homelessness.

Longtime Partner

Thanks to our Longtime Partner

We'd  like to take this opportunity to thank our longtime partner in tackling homelessness in the region, United Way of Washington County. Last year, the United Way assisted us by providing funding for our McCausland Men's Shelter, Avis Arbor Women and Children's Shelter, Arbuckle Medical Clinic and Samaritan Care Services. We appreciate their help more than we can say!

Amazon Smile

Do you shop with Amazon? If you do, did you know that you can continue shopping with Amazon and donate to City Mission at the same time?

"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." - Amazon

Visit amazonsmile.com, and choose "Washington City Mission" as your charity of choice. 

Freezing Temperatures

It's an understatement to say that it gets a little chilly in Western Pennsylvania in the winter. In the last week though, we've barely seen temperatures above freezing. In times like these, many individuals who normally don't have shelter come to City Mission's doors in hopes of a warm night of sleep. Thankfully, through your contributions, we have Emergency Cold Weather Shelter. Our cold weather shelter runs from mid-October to mid-April when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. 

Each evening, approximately 20 men help move the chairs from the chapel and line the room with mattresses. It's not an ideal sleeping situation, but it is warm and safe.

As City Mission seeks to expand our facilities, it is our prayer that we will be able to house more men, woman and children in our long-term program. But we will also continue to run our Emergency Cold Weather Shelter, offering "shelter from the storm" to those who need it.

If you'd like to make a financial contribution to this effort, please donate here.  

The Power of Prayer

As part of her work therapy program, Patty C. works in the Donation and Recycling Center. Patty was able to take a few moments from sorting donated books to talk to us about her experience as a resident at City Mission. As she spoke of her rehabilitation process, she talked about the power of prayer and how it changed her life. "When you pray it really works," she said. "At first it was chaotic [for me], then I started to pray. I really like it here now."

We are blessed to hear many stories like Patty's, where the power of prayer has changed his/her outlook on the situation. As a staff, we pray for our residents daily and have the opportunity to pray with our residents as well. We ask that you keep our residents and programming in your prayers, as we continue to seek God's Will at City Mission.

City Mission seeing ‘uptick’ in cold weather shelter | Observer-Reporter

City Mission seeing ‘uptick’ in cold weather shelter | Observer-Reporter

Sweet Sunday

Sweet Sunday was a huge success, as we reported last week. Through the fundraising efforts of a dedicated group of board members, sponsors, staff and volunteers, not to mention hundreds of generous attendees, City Mission's 21st Annual Sweet Sunday brought in the highest day-of-event total ever. This money will go to our life-changing programming, helping us to restore men and women from homelessness to independent living.

We couldn't have asked for a better day; with 50-degree weather in February, we had quite a turnout! Thank you to our volunteer photographer, Kevin Ramski, who helped capture the day through pictures. To see all the pictures from Sweet Sunday, please click this link. 

Sweet and Silly Fun with TBC and City Mission

Some of our friends at The Bible Chapel are getting excited about Sweet Sunday and decided to do some baking of their own! Check out these videos for some sweet fun! Please share with your friends!

Sweet Sunday Video 1 | Sweet Sunday Video 2 | Sweet Sunday Video 3

Sweet Sunday

We've been sharing a lot lately about Sweet Sunday. Many of you have been participating for a long time, and some may have never heard of this event until recently. Whatever the case may be, we invite you to join us for this wonderful event. 

Sweet Sunday is City Mission's largest fundraiser and one of the most talked about events of the year!

Please join us on February 8, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe from 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. It's an event for the whole family and people of all ages. Enjoy live entertainment all day while you snack on sweet treats from one of our 20 dessert vendors! When you've had enough of the sweets, head over to the Sweet Sunday Cafe for some lunch and don't forget to visit the Kid's Korner, Sweet Sunday auction baskets, silent auction items and of course the Wreath of Wealth!

With all these great activities, Sweet Sunday is definitely worth a visit. All proceeds benefit City Mission's programs and services ---and support our vision of ending homelessness one life at a time! 

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please contact Shelby Knapp for more information, sknapp@citymission.org, or (724) 222-8530 ext. 236.

Hope

We met Jacob K. in December while he was serving in the kitchen. He told us that he had only been at the Mission for about a week, but that he was already starting to feel good about himself --- and was learning a lot about faith. "I feel free here. I have a new life. It's given me a lot of hope," Jacob said.

One of our staff members prayed with Jacob and was privileged to be present when he accepted Christ as his personal Savior.

We praise God for using our staff to minister to those we serve and for your generous donations that allow us to continue this ministry!

Paying it Forward for Avis

Paying it forward for blessings received is a frequent conversation in the Gray household. Bria, Rian and Jenna are pictured here with care packages for our residents in Avis Arbor. The care package bags contain healthy snacks and fruit drinks, and the Gray family's hope is that these goodies will brighten someone's day. The girls also took the time to write encouraging messages and draw pictures on each bag. Thank you, Gray family, for being so generous!

Sweet Sunday

Sweet Sunday

City Mission's annual dessert festival, Sweet Sunday, will be held on February 8, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe from 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. The event has been going on for over 20 years now and this year is going to be even bigger and better than before! As City Mission's largest fundraiser and most anticipated event, all ages are invited to come for a very sweet day of fun and desserts. Dessert vendors range from youth, school and civic groups to professional bakeries and businesses. There are plenty of returning favorites and also some new groups. A special section called Kid's Korner, with entertainment, face painting and crafts, dedicated to kids. There are also regular and silent auction baskets and the ever-popular Wreath of Wealth. With live entertainment all day, desserts and lots of kid's activities, Sweet Sunday is definitely worth a visit. All proceeds benefit City Mission's programs and services ---and support our vision of ending homelessness one life at a time!  Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please contact Shelby Knapp for more information, sknapp@citymission.org, or (724) 222-8530 ext. 236.

Paying it Forward

Quenton D. came to City Mission when his apartment building transferred to new ownership and he lost his place to live. "I stayed with relatives and friends, but that wasn't great---one of them even stole money from me," he reported. He came to City Mission, and lived here for 6 months. "It helped me get back into Christianity," he said. "Now I go to several church services a week." Last week, Quenton moved to an apartment in Washington and plans to visit City Mission often. "God has been good to me," he said. "Now I want to pay it forward."

Have You Seen These Boxes?

Incoming donations are sorted and distributed to help clothe City Mission residents and the working poor of the community. They're also sold in Hidden Treasures Thrift Stores, where all proceeds benefit City Mission programs.

City Mission's donation boxes are located in various businesses, organizations and churches throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. By utilizing these boxes near your neighborhood, you can conveniently donate clothes and household items to City Mission.

Donation boxes are maintained and serviced by City Mission employees, residents and volunteers.

If you are interested in placing a donation box on your business or church property, please contact Director of Mission Initiatives, Jerry Oxford, joxford@citymission.org, (724) 222-8530 ext. 216.

4 Months Sober - Thanks to City Mission

James F, pictured here, has really turned his life around since coming to City Mission. He has 4 months of sobriety, is working on getting his driver's license back for the first time since 1988, and wants to go to school to be a Drug and Alcohol counselor. "God is the most awesome wonder I can picture," he told us. "He is patient and forgiving, and He gives us so many chances. I've turned my life over to Him 100%."

Cold Weather Shelter

Last week's weather was bitterly cold and most of us had warm houses or apartments in which to take shelter. Unfortunately, this isn't the case for everyone. City Mission is grateful for the opportunity to offer shelter to those in need on nights when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. This past week we housed up to 29 men per night in our emergency shelter area.

If you'd like to get involved with this City Mission ministry through volunteering, call (724) 222-8530 ext. 248 ---or for a list of items needed, call ext. 210.