Matters

Family

This year’s summer picnic was an awesome success! Over 150 residents, guests, volunteers, and staff came together on July 22nd at Ridley Creek State Park for a day of food and fun in the sun. For over 27 years, the annual family picnic has been a summer tradition. Dedicated volunteers from St. Norbert’s Church of Paoli donated burgers and hotdogs to grill up, while volunteers from Center of Student Missions helped chop and slice condiments. The students also lead activities like tug-of-war, bingo, water balloon toss, and games of chess and pinochle. Bethesda Project’s Senior Case Manager Ginny even led a nature walk right before lunch! There were plenty of laughs and wonderful summer memories made by all in attendance.

Bethesda Project Family Picnic

Our Fall Kickoff

Bethesda Project had a nice jump start into the fall season, here's some of the highlights!

Diner en Noir

Attendees dined outside at Laurel Hill Cemetery on September 10th, donned in black and Bethesda teal.

Guests were completely drenched, but that didn't stop the party! Thanks to the Diner en Noir planning

committee and everyone who braved the elements to raise $6,000 for Bethesda Project!

Community Table

Bethesda Project, along with several other grant recipients of the Francis Fund, joined city leaders and

businesses on September 10th, for a community dinner and shared the stories of the hungry and the homeless.

Carving Change

Our Coordinator for Community Life, Hannah, carved up some serious change for her department, raising over $600

during a pumpkin carving event on October 21st at Kennett Restaurant! For $25, guests received a pre-gutted

pumpkin to carve up and decorate, as well as a selection of bar snacks and complimentary beer donated by

Yards Brewing!

My Brothers House Mural Unveiling

On September 17th, Bethesda Project, alongside Philadelphia’s Magic

Gardens and the Bloktoberfest committee, celebrated the official unveiling

of the new tile and grout mosaic at My Brother’s House (MBH), our Safe

Haven location. The mosaic, funded by Bloktoberfest with a $5,000 grant,

was created under the direction of renowned artist Isaiah Zagar, with

several residents at MBH helping to design and install the mural. During

the unveiling, Bethesda Project staff and residents thanked Philadelphia’s

Magic Gardens and Bloktoberfest with gifts and handmade cards from the

residents. Thanks to everyone’s efforts a little more beauty has been

added to the 600 block of South 15th Street!

Papal Visit

While thousands of people flocked to Center City Philadelphia during Pope Francis’ visit September 26th and

27th, Bethesda Project shelter and housing sites maintained a serene and welcoming atmosphere during a

weekend that could have brought increased anxiety for some residents and guests. Bethesda Project staff

spent the weekend at their respective locations to create a fun, stress-free, and safe environment with plenty

of activities. Our Brothers’ Place (OBP) staff put on a movie night, karaoke party, and Nintendo Wii contest,

turning OBP into an urban weekend retreat! And thanks to the generosity of St. Norbert’s volunteers, OBP,

and other sites were well stocked with healthy snacks and delicious treats to enjoy during this special

weekend.

National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week

Monday, November 9th - Sunday, November 22nd Make sure you grab a bagel and a custom spread at the Schmear It food truck. For two weeks Bethesda Project will be their charity partner. Check www.schmearit.com for the menu and daily location. Saturday, November 14th-Sunday, November 22nd Swing into Moon + Arrow for a little retail therapy. During the entire week, 10% of their sales on food/kitchen items will be donated to Bethesda Project. Saturday, November 14th-Sunday, November 22nd Stop by the Blind Pig in Northern Liberties, enjoy a drink, and purchase a Bethesda Project paper house for $1.00. Sunday, November 15th Get your run or walk on to benefit Bethesda Project at the Generosity 5K! Each participant is encouraged to raise $200. For more details on how you can sign up or support our participants click here! Monday, November 16th Join us at the Wells Fargo Center for Bethesda Project Night at the 76ers Game! That evening we’ll be recognizing Malvern Prep School as a wonderful volunteer and supporter. Tickets for the game vary in price and can be purchased at www.sixers.com/promo using the promo code NHHAW2015. Wednesday, November 18th It’s Wing Wednesday at Buffalo Wild Wings at 9701 Roosevelt Road, Philadelphia, PA 19114. Enjoy lunch or dinner with 10% of your meal going to benefit Bethesda Project! For tickets visit our website here or contact our Events & Campaign Coordinator Lisa at LColasanti@bethesdaproject.org.

Young Professionals Advisory Board

Please support Bethesda Project during our many exciting events and promotions :

8th graders from Friends Select School of Center City Philadelphia and Tandem School of Charlottesville, VA, learned about the causes of homelessness and what Bethesda Project does to help. On Tuesday, October 1st, Hannah, our Program Coordinator for Community Life, gave a presentation on the issues facing homelessness in Philadelphia and the work of Bethesda Project’s winter shelters. Students from both schools had collected donations to make welcome kits for church shelter guests. The kits include a mix of hygiene products, knit caps, lip balm, tissues, and an encouraging note from students welcoming the guests into the care of Bethesda Project. The students, their teachers, and Hannah all walked from Friends Select School to North Broad, one of Bethesda Project’s permanent supportive residences, to drop off the donations for the church shelter programs. En route, the students had an opportunity to meet Country, one of North Broad’s residents. Country razzed the students in his signature friendly way! The students ended their day with a greater sense of empathy and knowing they had created special gifts for those in need.

School Students Create Welcome Kits

Volunteer Spotlight

Thank you to Villanova University

Twenty volunteers, mainly freshmen, from Villanova University visited My Brother’s House to give the Safe Haven a fresh paint makeover! The group spent the day painting the day room, interior hallways, and some of the basement. Thank you also to Lowes who donated all of the needed paint and supplies.

Thank you to Santander Bank, Legal Department

A group of Santander Bank volunteers from their legal department gave Mary House a deep clean and a beautiful interior makeover, just in time for three new residents to move in! The group has even agreed to continue to look after Mary House and periodically come in to help spruce it up. The volunteers from Santander Bank have also made themselves regular kitchen helpers at Our Brothers’ Place, bringing lots of laughs, smiles, and fun to the shelter. These volunteers were the first to successfully schedule themselves to work in the kitchens using Volgistics, Bethesda Project’s new online volunteer portal.

The Bethesda Games will take place on Monday, November 23rd,

including a festive lunch party and games with residents from multiple

Bethesda Project sites, all convening at North Broad. The Bethesda

Games are a great opportunity for our residents to spend time with

staff, visit their friends who live in different houses, and interact with

different volunteer groups. Stay tuned for more details! To get

involved, contact Hannah Litvin, Community Life Coordinator, at

hlitvin@bethesdaproject.org.

Save the Date:

The Bethesda Games

About Bethesda Project

Since its inception in 1979, Bethesda Project has created caring communities for homeless and formerly homeless adults in

Philadelphia. Bethesda Project is focused on reaching out to those who are not only homeless, but severely isolated from society,

typically stemming from untreated chronic mental illness, medical conditions and addiction. Many of these men and women come to

Bethesda Project after years of living on the streets, and are extremely reluctant to stay in any type of shelter. Supporting these

vulnerable men and women requires long-term relationship building to address the underlying health and personal issues causing homelessness. What makes Bethesda Project unique is the

dedication of the staff to treat these individuals as family and work through challenges to ensure that these men and women have a

place to call home.

www.bethesdaproject.org

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1630 South Street Philadelphia, PA 19146 Phone: 215-985-1600 Fax: 215-732-8214 Email: info@bethesdaproject.org

www.bethesdaproject.org

The holidays are right around the corner and you can make a gift to Bethesda Project

just by shopping for gifts for your loved ones! Make your online purchases through

AmazonSmile where a percentage of your bill will be donated directly to supporting our

day-to-day efforts in being family with those who have none. AmazonSmile offers all the

same inventory as Amazon, just with the added opportunity to do a little good. You can

easily access it by going to www.smile.amazon.com, happy shopping!