November 2010 - Martha`s Home

FRIENDS OF MARTHA’S HOME
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Future Home for
Mothers with Children
1208
With Grateful Appreciation to
The Remodelers Council of
Texas Panhandle Builders Association
Clearing the Way for New Beginnings
Brian Watson
Home for Families
John Jenkins Cobblestone Custom Home Design
City Glass
Marble Depot
Stock Building Supply
Habitat for Humanity
Casey Carpet One
Bobby Sanders Remodeling
Cole Stanley Custom Homes Double E Cabinets
Morrison Supply
Franks Repair Plumbing
Rick Redman Electric
Eagle Eye Inspections
Golden Spread Concrete Joe Norman & Company
Border States Electric
Rhynhart Roofing
Allied Waste
N&B Homes
Tascosa Brick Uncommon Twists Garden Center
From our Executive Director
As the cold weather approaches, the need for shelter for homeless
women and children increases. Earlier this year, Martha’s Home was blessed
with an opportunity to help meet this need. Thanks to the many donors
and supporters of Martha’s Home, we were able to purchase the property
next door to our other three homes. This acquisition came with an incredible proposal from the Texas Panhandle Builders Association who graciously
volunteered to level the existing house, and build a brand new four Connie Garcia
bedroom, three bath home to satisfy our greatest need…an additional home
for mothers with children. With this new house, Martha’s Home will be able to give shelter and
support to an additional 20 families a year.
We now await the construction of the new home, and weather permitting, it could be
completed before this Christmas. And then, the real work begins! I can assure you that even
though it may be the holidays, the new home will be filled up in no time with four more
families. With more residents come additional costs to feed, house and clothe all of these
people. We are so thankful for all the help that allowed us to purchase an additional home and
we hope and pray the same community that pitched in to make this new home possible will
continue to support Martha’s Home.
As you think about your end-of-year contributions, please remember all the women
and children that might be spending their Christmas in a homeless shelter. Martha’s Home
still needs your ongoing financial support to care for their needs, at the holidays and throughout next year.
My Family’s Future
My name is Denise Harley. I’m a single mom
with two boys, Brian, age 12 and Braedyn, age
9. The last couple of years have been hard for
me to maintain stable housing. Both of the
boys have chronic conditions which causes
them to be ill a lot. Last year, the two of them
missed a combined total of 31 days of school. I
have no one else to watch them, so when they
miss school, I must stay home. I don’t have the
kind of job that has sick leave. When I’m not at
work, I don’t get paid. Needless to say, it did not
take long for me to fall behind in rent and get evicted.
Thank God I had gotten on the waiting list at Martha’s Home. When Connie called and
told me they had a room available for me and the kids, I was happy and excited, but also
scared. I had never been in a situation like this before, but the staff at Martha’s Home made it
feel like a home and not a shelter. My children like it and it has given me a chance to get back
on my feet. I went to Cosmetology school two years ago and was beginning to think my
dream of owning my own salon was just that, a dream. But with the help provided by Martha’s
Home, I’m taking my state exam soon. I am also ready to enroll in classes at West Texas A&M
University in the spring. I want to work for another salon while I earn a college degree in
business. Lord willing, one day, I will open my own salon.
Martha’s Home will always be a part of my family. I can’t wait to be able to give back
and help other homeless women and children the way the staff of Martha’s Home has helped
me and my boys.
That was Then...This is Now.
I never planned to be homeless. Unfortunately, like most homeless people, I
became homeless due to circumstances beyond my control. In 2008, the year of the
last local homeless census, more than 2,500 people stayed in an emergency shelter or
transitional housing programs in Amarillo. In this article, I will share the events that led
me to become part of our city’s homeless statistics. I will also share how I finally found
the assistance I needed at Martha’s Home.
I was raised in a very dysfunctional and abusive family. My father’s definition
of a spanking was to beat you with a leather belt until you would bleed. For weeks
after each beating, my body would be covered with welts. Despite this abuse,
throughout my childhood I always tried to be better. I joined every sport that there
was to stay away from home. At every school sporting event, I would always look up
into the stands and see all of my classmates’ parents. I kept hoping that one time my
parents would show up to watch one of my games. I kept looking for them all through my childhood. They never came.
Finally, in the 12th grade, I dropped out of high school. Ten years after I left high school, I earned my GED. Throughout
my adult life, I would always end up with controlling, abusive men, which I thought was normal. I had turned to alcohol to hide
the pain. Drinking gave me some liquid courage to fight back against the men who abused me. Time after time, I vowed to
do better, but I couldn’t escape the patterns from my childhood. I always went back.
Well, on May 16, 2010, I decided that I was finished. I couldn’t take anymore, and I wanted to end my life. I overdosed
on some pills that didn’t even belong to me. To make sure I got the whole handful down, I drank a bottle of straight vodka. I
woke up in the Pavilion Treatment Facility. I stayed there for 18 days. I received lots of help from the caregivers at the Pavilion,
but as I recovered from the overdose, I realized that I had nowhere to go. I couldn’t return to my former abusive living situation. I had become a statistic. I was homeless.
On June 4, 2010, I was discharged from The Pavilion and went straight to the Domestic Violence Shelter (DVS). I
stayed there for 73 days. While living at the DVS, I realized that giving up was no longer an option. I had to turn my life around.
I knew I needed to be able to get a job so I could support myself. I started knocking on doors to get into school. A lot of times
I had doors shut in my face and was told “no”. I was so frustrated at times that I just wanted to give up, but I didn’t. I just kept
knocking. I set my sights on earning a college degree.
As I struggled to find a way to enroll in college classes, I also relocated to Martha’s Home. I moved in on August 16,
2010. Martha’s Home is a place where the staff members really care and do everything in their power to help you succeed.
They make you feel safe and give you lots of encouragement. Thanks to the help I have received from the Martha’s Home staff,
I am now attending Amarillo College. Living at Martha’s Home is like having the home and family that I had always dreamed
of. I love it here.
by Sherry L.
Working Toward Success
After giving my notice for my former job, I looked forward to starting my new job. However, two days before I was to start, I
was admitted to NWTH with Vertigo. I had to be off work for seven days, and this was the beginning of my being homeless. I
came to Martha’s Home really not knowing what to expect, but I found a home, not just a place to stay. I am now working
full-time again with a company where I also have full benefits. Martha’s Home gives a hand up ... Not a hand out!
by Debbie B.
Thank You, Goldie!
Goldie Hermsmeyer and Myrna Raffkind
Martha's Home has had many benefactors through the years but none has been more
loyal and committed than our dear friend, Goldie Hermsmeyer. Goldie has been associated with Martha's Home since it was founded in 1987. In fact, she was instrumental in
raising the money for the purchase of the first Martha's Home residence. She worked as
a volunteer at Martha's Home, and when she was no longer able to volunteer because of
health reasons, she began contributing financially. Because of her generosity many
homeless women and children have been given hope and opportunities through
Martha's Home.
Scholarship Update
SAVE THE DATE!
Thanks to the Paul F. & Virginia J. Engler Foundation’s generous
scholarship grant, Martha’s Home is now able to assist
residents in achieving higher education. So far, three scholarships have been awarded:
Eden C. – Single mother with a one year old son. Eden
finished her senior year while moving around among various
friends and relatives. After moving into Martha’s Home, Eden
impressed us with her ability to care for her young son, obtain
her high school diploma and hold down a job while being
homeless. She is a young lady of uncommon maturity and
intelligence. We were honored to be able to assist her in
enrolling in the Amarillo College of Nursing.
Melissa G.- Single mother with three children ages 8,
12, and 14. The family became homeless earlier this year due
to domestic violence. Melissa has exceptional children who
are very respectful and well-behaved. They love school and
have been able to maintain good grades in spite of having to
abruptly leave their home and change schools. The whole
family has demonstrated remarkable resiliency, which is a
testament to Melissa’s dedication as a parent. She knows now
that she is their sole source of support and she must make the
changes necessary to break the cycle of violence and create a
better future for her children. Melissa is also enrolled in the
Amarillo College of Nursing.
Toni D.- Single mother with 3 boys, twins age 11 and
a younger son age 5. After a broken relationship, Toni fell into
a deep depression and struggled with bouts of anxiety. She
had no real skills or education and could not afford to stay in
the home. Martha’s Home was able to give the family a stable,
safe place to stay, so Toni could get the therapy and treatment
she needed. Today, the family is happily living in an apartment
and Toni is attending Amarillo College with the goal of eventually transferring to WTA&M to pursue a degree in Accounting. Although quiet and reserved, Toni is also smart and
analytical. We think she will make a great CPA someday.
Martha’s Home is excited to announce their 3rd Annual
Second Chance Prom, which will be held April 2, 2011.
The popularity and attendance has grown since our
very first event, and we have chosen “Springtime in
Paris” as the theme for our 2011 Prom. You won’t want
to miss the fun!
Halloween Fun at Martha’s Home!
Gearing up for Growth!
If you are interested in sponsoring or volunteering for
next year’s Second Chance Prom Team, please contact
Mary Kay Kuhrts at 367-1757.
As Martha’s Home makes ready for our additional
home, we are in need of the following items:
• Laundry Detergent & Fabric Softener
• Cleaning Products, 409 & Comet
• Ice Melt
• Twin Bed Blankets
• Ear Muffs & Insulated Gloves
• Chap Stick & Individual Hand Sanitizer
Your financial assistance is also critical in providing for
physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs for
our residents. Your support will touch the lives of
women and their children from all over the Amarillo
Area and will make a positive, lasting impact in our
community and society.