OCTOBER 2013

Family matters

March 2015

Spring to bring new beginnings for Bethesda Project

With Spring comes new beginnings and new growth and

Bethesda Project has seen no shortage of the two in the past

couple of months. On March 16, Bethesda Project

welcomed its new CEO, Hentzi Elek and at the same time,

embraced the organization’s Founder and exiting CEO,

Domenic Rossi, with a new position as Director of Mission

Advancement.

Staff transitions are not the only new thing happening—Bethesda Project had the opportunity to film

two new promotional videos earlier this month with Inkster Cares, a new partnership the

organization cultivated last fall. Fresh promotional materials continue to allow Bethesda Project to

promote its mission, which is to find and care for the abandoned

poor and to be family with those who have none. To view our

new video, visit here.

Bethesda Project is excited to welcome new opportunities and

new people into its family. We hope you will join us for an

exciting next couple of months as we prepare for our 18th

Annual Gala & Auction on May 6th, as we start planning the 2nd Annual Sweet & Savory: Battle

Against Hunger and as we continue to cultivate and grow as an organization.

Get ready for a night full of laughs at this year’s Gala & Auction!

Get ready for a night of fun with legendary Philadelphia Flyers goalie, Bernie Parent.

Hosted by the Philadelphia Phillies, the 2015 Gala will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6 at

the Diamond Club at Citizens Bank Park. Guests will enjoy a party with a purpose, filled with delicious

food and drinks, exciting silent and live auctions with auctioneer, comedian and Saturday Night Live alum

Joe Piscopo, and entertainment by famed comedian Jeff Norris! This year's Honorary Gala Chairman is

former Pennsylvania governor, The Honorable Ed Rendell, with special guest appearance by legendary

Flyers goalie, Bernie Parent.

You can still show your support by being a sponsor of the Gala & Auction. Sponsorships support variable

operating costs that can fluctuate from year-to-year, such as extermination fees, training, facilities

improvements, furniture (especially bed bug resistant varieties, which can be costly), and operating supplies

like linens, mattress covers, paper products and cleaning supplies needed at each of our shelter and housing

sites. Sponsorships of all levels are still available! For more information, visit here and remember, to be

included in our program book, all ads are due by April 6 to Angela Thomas at athomas@bethesdaproject.org.

Continued on Page 5

Community Service Opportunity: Wallets!

Sometimes we take the smallest details for granted, like say, where we store our personal belongings. For

some of us, it is so simple just to throw our keys, wallets and other documents into a purse or briefcase and

keep them there until we need them. Imagine having to carry around your money, identification and

important documents inside of a plastic bag with only a rubber band to keep it enclosed. Bethesda Project is

in need of wallets for the guests at Our Brothers’ Place and the Church Shelter Program. The homeless

individuals who visit the site on a daily basis often come to the organization with nothing but a sandwich

bag full of important and confidential documents. If you belong to a school, community group, or feel like

reaching out through your workplace, please consider hosting a wallet drive. For more information, please

contact Community Life at communitylife@bethesdaproject.org.

Pictured above: Photo of a makeshift wallet used by a guest at Our Brothers’ Place.

Sponsorships are not the only way to support the Gala & Auction! We are currently still looking

for items for our live and silent auctions! Consider donating one of the following…

Dinner Packages such as a private dinner

party with a renowned chef.

Fine jewelry such as diamonds.

All inclusive luxurious vacations with

airfare.

One-of-a-kind Experiences such as concert

tickets with backstage passes or lunch with a

celebrity.

Designer-label merchandise, including handbags,

sunglasses, apparel, etc.

Electronics such as TVs, tablets, e-readers, etc.

For the first time this year, Bethesda Project will also feature a 50/50 raffle, where the winner

will take home 50% of the amount received from all tickets sold and the other 50% will benefit

Bethesda Project—it’s a win-win, right? Raffle tickets are being sold for $100. There will also

be a separate raffle for a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 bundle (168 GB). For more information, please

email Angela Thomas at athomas@bethesdaproject.org or visit www.bethesdaproject.org/

Gala2015.

Join us—buy a ticket for all the fun!

Volunteer Spotlight: Jen & Wayne Rickert

For long-time volunteers, Jen and Wayne Rickert, it wasn’t just the

opportunity to volunteer at Bethesda Project that pulled them in—it was

the mission.

Jen and Wayne first started volunteering for Bethesda Project five years

ago when they were searching for an organization where they could invest

their time. Having already volunteered at Old First Reformed Church,

which is a part of Bethesda Project’s entry-level programs, the two

learned about the organization and its various programs.

“When it got to the end of the year, we still had vacation time left and

needed to use it up. We went asking around to different organizations to

see if they needed help,” Jen said. “We were just so struck by Bethesda

Project’s mission to be family with those who have none.”

Jen and Wayne started out volunteering at Mary House, subsidized

independent living for 4 men. The pair would go to Mary House every day to help out with cleaning and minor

repairs.

At the end of their first week volunteering at Mary House, the Rickerts asked the residents if it was alright if they

came back every week to have lunch with them and help out with chores.

“We’ve been going back every month since then to have lunch and hang out and get a few things done around the

house,” Jen said.

Jen said her and Wayne’s involvement grew from there as they continued to learn more about Bethesda Project.

The two have gone to Our Brothers’ Place on Saturday mornings to help with breakfast and have also made dinners

for the guests at our church shelter at Old First Reformed Church on Thursday nights.

Jen said she has made many connections with a lot of the residents and guests at Bethesda Project and even said

some that have moved on to more permanent housing still come back to visit.

“When we started going to Mary House, there were four gentlemen living there

and one of them moved out into his own place and he did that after two years of

living at the house. For the past three years, he still comes back and still has

lunch with us and the residents,” she said.

Jen and Wayne’s time at Bethesda Project will come to an end this spring as they

relocate to Johnson City, Tennessee to volunteer and work for the Appalachia

Service Project (ASP), a Christian volunteer organization specializing in home

repair for low income households.

“I have been leading youth trips and started doing adult trips through ASP,” Jen

said. “Through a series of small steps and invitations that God has orchestrated,

we are making the commitment so I can be more available to volunteer full time with them and so Wayne can

pursue a staff position with them,” Jen said.

Continued on page 7

Wayne and Jen Rickert

Volunteer Spotlight (continued from page 6)

Jen said it is to no surprise of the pair that their ending time at Bethesda Project has come with extreme sadness.

“There is a lot of stuff that goes into making this transition and the hardest part is what I described as untying

the bows on my heart strings to everybody at Bethesda Project.”

Jen served as the Director of Education for her church and Wayne will leave his position as an IT Manager prior

to the move.

Jen said the companionship and support Bethesda Project residents receive from staff and volunteers has been

something that has truly resonated with her throughout the years.

“Bethesda Project is recognizing that families come in all shapes and sizes with all kinds of history,” she said.

“Bethesda Project is an opportunity for people to come alongside someone as a companion.”

Best of luck to Jen and Wayne! Bethesda Project will truly miss these long-time volunteers and friends. We are

grateful for their service, time and talents.

Eliminating food waste with Bethesda Project

Thank you to The Huffington Post for their wonderful article on Bethesda Project’s partnership

with Drexel Food Lab. Together we can eliminate food waste in our shelters and residences.

“Students Devise Way To Feed Homeless Meals, Cut Food Waste All At Once” By Robbie Couch, The Huffington Post One Philadelphia homeless shelter used to have a major pea

problem.

Bethesda Project's My Brother’s House had an abundance of

smooth Alaska peas for its clients, but demand did not

match supply, Drexel Now reported.

"One of the problems we struggle with is how to be creative with food that was clearly designed for quantity and not

quality," Larry Russock, program coordinator at My Brother’s House, told Drexel Now, explaining that not too many

diners had an appetite for the “heat and serve” canned vegetable. The facility was often forced to throw away foods, like

the peas, that are less popular but affordable and available in bulk.

My Brother's House serves three meals and a snack every day with just a $600 monthly food budget, so frugality is

essential.

Russock found answers to his problem at Drexel Food Lab — a student-run group out of Drexel University’s Center for

Hospitality and Sport Management. The program has used food to solve real-world problems since launching in January

2014.

To read more, please visit The Huffington Post here.

Calling all monthly donors! Bethesda Project provides emergency shelter, housing and supportive services for thousands of homeless individuals in

Philadelphia. By providing a home and a safe environment in each of our 13 sites throughout Center City Philadelphia,

homeless men and women are able to stabilize and regain their dignity and self-worth. For 37 years, Bethesda Project

has worked to provide a caring family for Philadelphia’s homeless and today, you can become a part of our family.

A monthly donation helps form a predictable source of income we can count on to provide supportive services and

housing to Philadelphia’s most chronically homeless individuals—those in the margins of society. It’s the easiest way to

give and ensure that Bethesda Project receives your ongoing support. For just a small amount, your donation can help:

$10 Provides a packet of tokens for guests and

residents to travel throughout the city to

get to doctors’ appointments, go grocery

shopping and run errands.

$25 Provides a resident or guest with bedbug

resistant mattress cover.

$50 Provides three healthy meals for three

days to 1 resident at Bethesda Project’s

Safe Haven.

Together, we can provide them a caring family...

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and connect with us on LinkedIn!

1630 South Street

Philadelphia, PA 19146

Tel: (215) 985-1600

Fax: (215) 732-8214

www.bethesdaproject.org

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and connect with us on LinkedIn!

1630 South Street

Philadelphia, PA 19146

Tel: (215) 985-1600

Fax: (215) 732-8214

www.bethesdaproject.org

Thank you to our friends at St. Norbert’s Parish!

The Parish at St. Norbert’s helped raise over $50,000 for Bethesda Project at their annual Mardi

Gras Magic fundraiser event!

Attendees enjoyed a night of music from the Chatterband and dancing at the beautiful Desmond

Hotel in Malvern—even our new CEO, Hentzi Elek, came to show off his dance moves! All

proceeds from the event support the operations and programs of Bethesda Project.

Long-time Bethesda Project volunteer and parishioner of St. Norbert’s, Michele Howard, said

the night wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the staff at St. Norbert’s and the large

number of volunteers who turn out every year to make Mardi Gras Magic a huge success.

“For the first time in 16 years, we heard only positive comments from everyone—they loved the

venue, the food and the music. We were all very pleased,” she said.

Mardi Gras Magic was also able to provide Bethesda Project with the following items from The

Giving Tree: toiletries such as lotions, deodorants, disposable razors and soap, laundry

detergent, subway tokens, bed pillows, accessories such as hats and gloves, bath towels,

blankets, etc. Individuals also donated towards major appliance replacements, mattresses, move-

in kits, kitchen appliances, and other vital projects.

A special thank you to the Planning Committee for Mardi Gras Magic for putting on a

successful event!

Michele Howard, Father Carl Braschoss and Marianne O'Neill