Experiences of Others

The Road Home Homeless Shelter has bookclub night every Monday from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. Bookclub was established to teach the children staying at the homeless shelter, how to read. I believe education is the cornerstone to make a difference in society. "When you know better, you do better." Bookclub gives an opportunity for the community to give back and strengthen the reading skills of these children. We like to reward the children for their hard work reading! A friend of mine, Kyle called me and informed me that he had a bunch of pizzas donated by Little Caezers and wanted them to go to good use. I told him about the Bookclub night at the homeless shelter and he was all in. We read with the kids for the first half and then had a pizza party! It was great watching the kids grab for slices and sharing pepperoni's! My friends wrote about their experience with Bookclub and this is what they had to say about it!

Last week I was provided to be of service at the homeless shelter in Salt Lake City. I arrived just before seven o’ clock and was welcomed by those in charge. They were very kind and helpful as they directed me to where the children would be. When the time came the children were eager to enter the room, though some were disappointed that reading would have to come first, knowing that there was pizza that had been donated by Little Caesars afterward. As the children began to pick out their favorite books I was able to help Nathan, a 5 year old boy, read each one. I soon came to realize that many of the books were created by the children at the shelter. They had stories of people, animals, and buildings that were in Salt Lake City.
It was humbling reading those books; but was uplifting in the fact that the characters in the stories were always positive and happy. At the end of the reading period we were able to serve pizza to each child. They really seemed to enjoy the pizza as they fought over who got which slice. It was a good opportunity to serve and always realize that no matter what situation we are in we can still be happy and positive as we strive to overcome challenges that we are faced with.

-Kyle Tanner

Literacy Night with the 9-12 year old residents at the Road Home Shelter was one of my favorite volunteer experiences yet! I wasn't expecting to find such a large group of kids that wanted to read! In fact, Justice, the young resident that asked me to read with him, kept asking to read more books. We switched off reading pages and Justice kept trying to sound out words that were hard for him. Justice is a unique child that wants to learn, but just needs someone to spend a little time helping him with the harder words. Literacy Night is the perfect program for kids like Justice. You could tell that all of the kids were happy to be there, and happy to have someone to spend time with them.

-Mark Rogers

It's That Time Of Year!

My mom is a social worker for DSPD (Division of Services for People With Disabilities). Each year around the holiday season, she picks a family or two that is in great need for my friends and I to help out. For Thanksgiving we gather all the food in a traditional Thanksgiving meal and deliever it a couple nights before. In the past the families have been very appreciative and look forward to cooking a big feast together! Those selected are in great need and are amazing people!

The family we have selected for the Thanksgiving meal this year have a very unique story. They are a family of five from Tonga. Their son had a brain tumor that needed immediate attention. Due to the lack of health care in Tonga they came to the U.S. for treatment. Unfortunately, during treatment the surgery went amiss and resulted in permanent brain damage. The family can not go back to Tonga because they need to continue to to receive proper health care. Since they are not legal residents they can not gain employement. The father sells homemade wood carvings and will do yard work for neighbors to try and obtain an income. They are currently trying to gain citizenship, but it is $8,000.00 per person and they don't have the money for it. I have worked with this family in the past and they are truly amazing people. They are very humble and would greatly appreciate a hearty meal to share with the family!

I am asking for help from anyone that wants to get involved in the holiday spirit. The more people that can help, the more families we can bring a bit of joy too! Below is a list of items needed. If you would rather donate money for the items that is fine too. We need to gather the items by no later than November 22nd to ensure that they can prepare the meal in time! Please contact me via e-mail tracymarikobarnes@gmail.com or by phone 801-205-4541 if you can help out. Thanks again!

• Turkey


• Potatoes/instant works too


• Gravy mix


• Cranberry sauce


• Yams


• Green beans


• Stuffing


• Pumpkin pie


• Rolls


• Drinks

Always Wanted to go to Kenya?

It has always been a dream of mine to go to Kenya since I did my 5th grade report on that country. It is now looking like that dream might become a reality. I want to see if there is an interest in people wanting to go there as well. The itinerary would be to work in an orphanage, do a safari, and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The cost for the trip is estimated between $1,500 to $2,000. I am planning to be there for a month but those that can't stay as long can leave early. We would be going next year in the spring or

summer. Just keep this in mind and let me know

if it is something of interest so I can start finalizing details on the trip.

Volunteer Opportunties

Doing the BBQ at the Road Home was such an amazing and fulfilling opportunity. The appreciation and love that you feel from the people makes it worth every minute of helping out. There are many opportunities to volunteer at the Road Home. Below are a list of things you can do! Please look them over and get involved!

Literacy Night

The Goal of this program is to help children, ages 5-11 years old, become interested in reading. Volunteers read a story with the children. Afterward, art and snack activities centered on the theme or characters in the story follow to reinforce the enjoyment o reading.

• Mondays 7-8pm
• Must be 16 or older
• Minimum of 3 months commitment

Playroom Activities

Play games, coordinate learning activities, facilitate arts and crafts, be a mentor to the children who live at the shelter. Children are between age 3 and 11 years.

• Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7-8pm
• Must be 16 or older
• Minimum of 3 months commitment

Teen Night Out

Volunteers plan and carry out special activities geared to the preteen and teen (12-17 years old) residents. Activities generally are off shelter grounds.

• Tuesdays 7-8:30pm
• Must be 18 or older
• Minimum of 3 months commitment

Kids Activity

The playroom is available on Wednesdays from 7-8pm to schedule for group activities with the children. In the past, groups have decorated cookies, brought in craft projects, made presents to give to families during holidays, and much more!

Prepare a Dinner

Prepare a meal, bring it to the shelter, and serve the residents! You can serve the Men's Shelter, Women's Shelter, Family Shelter, or all three!

Donation Drive

There is a continuous need in the shelter for donated items. A Needs List is updated seasonally and available at www.theroadhome.org. There is also a list of service project ideas that include putting together Move-In Kits for residents moving into a new home.

Be Creative

Design your own project! The Road Home is very flexible to try and accommodate any ideas!

If you are interested in any of these you must first complete a volunteer orientation! They are held every third Monday of the month at 5:00pm. Please RSVP to Ashley Farmer, the Volunteer Coordinator at 801-819-7298 or afarmer@theroadhome.org

If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me at 801-205-4541 or tracymarikobarnes@gmail.com

Update on Joplin, MO

My friend Jonathan Campbell went to Joplin with our group. He sent me a couple really interesting e-mails updating the conditions of Joplin. The people of Joplin really inspired me with how they dealt with such a devastating situation.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-08-14-Joplin-tornado-schools-resume_n.htm

This link shows before and after pictures of the tornado hit areas just months after.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44153478/ns/us_news/

Teaming Up With Brighton Bank

Please check out the article on Brighton Bank's website regarding the homeless BBQ! Thanks to everyone that made it happen!

http://www.brightonbank.com/home/community

Homeless BBQ

I have noticed more and more homeless on the streets of Salt Lake City the past couple years, especially since3 the economy took a turn for the worse. I heard from one of my customers at Brighton Bank that everyday she sees a homeless family at the park across the street from his business. Like many others in Utah, the father lost his job recently and couldn't find employment. Despite having a new baby to care for, the family was out on the streets. This story touched me deeply. It gave me the spark I needed to do what I could to help.

What started as a faint idea developed into action after talking to Wayne from the Salt Lake Mission Home. He taught me that there are close to 5,000 homeless in Salt Lake City, 27% of them children. The average age of the homeless in Utah is 9! A lot of these people need direction and information on how to get back on their feet. Most ended up homeless due to circumstances beyond their control, and many are victims of abuse.

Wayne informed me that on holidays the homeless shelter is closed from 7am-7pm. The homeless have no food provided and nowhere to go for the day. I reached out to my coworkers and friends for help. We organized a BBQ for the 24th of July to show the homeless that we are thinking o them during the holiday. We purchased 500 hot dogs, chips, granola bars, and drinks. Alongside a meal we had 150 hygiene kits donated from Little America, complete with shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion.

The event was a huge success. We went through the 500 hot dogs in a little over an hour and purchased 200 more to make sure everyone received a meal that day. The 150 hygiene kits were gone within 15 minutes of the BBQ kicking off. There were about 15 volunteers, each one busy with an integral role in making the event a success. The Branch Manager, Mike Holt, entertained the crowd by playing his guitar. The homeless loved the compilation of music and Mike instantly had fans. The rest of the volunteers were busy handing out food, restocking supplies, and cooking hot dogs.

The homeless community was very appreciative of what we were doing. I hope that everyone involved will continue to keep them in mind throughout the years to come. A special thanks to all of the volunteers, Brighton Bank, and Little America. It would not have turned out the success it did without everybody involved.

If you are interested in helping out with the homeless there are a lot of opportunities to help! Please let me know if you have any questions and I will post a list of things you can do to get involved!