Christmas Store 2012 - Amazon Wish List

Greetings, wonderful Breakthrough Volunteers! It's time again for Breakthrough's annual Christmas Store! I received an email from one of the lovely staffers at Breakthrough explaining the Christmas Store and why it is so important. This email does such a great job explaining everything, that I decided to pass it along. You can also find information for the Christmas Store on Breakthrough's website here: http://www.breakthrough.org/general/197/2012-christmas-store.

If you'd like to donate items to this year's Christmas Store, you can view the Amazon wish list here: http://amzn.com/w/M9CY87JJPM5I. Donations of gifts are needed, in addition to donations of wrapping paper and other gift wrap supplies. All donations must be dropped off between 9AM-9PM at the Breakthrough Ministry Center (402 N St. Louis) by Wednesday, December 12th.

Hello Friends and Family!

 

As the Christmas season is now in full swing, I wanted to share with you an opportunity that is near and dear to my heart. Breakthrough (the non-profit that I work for) each year hosts something called "The Christmas Store", where families in our 60624 zip code can sign up for time-slots to purchase Christmas gifts 70-80% off retail value. Unlike other opportunities where one can "adopt a family or child" to give Christmas gifts to, Breakthrough tries to strengthen the already existing family, allowing parents and grandparents the dignity of providing quality Christmas gifts for their children. When Christmas day comes, their children, friends and family are therefore able to look at them as providers, and having made a sacrifice on behalf of their family rather than some unknown stranger, family, etc.

 

In order for Breakthrough to make "The Christmas Store" possible, we ask family, friends, and supporters of Breakthrough to donate these gifts on behalf of the community members. Breakthrough is able to then sell these gifts at the reduced price, and then all proceeds from the store, are poured right back into the ministry allowing us to provide Christmas food baskets, and other services.

 

I am therefore reaching out to you all, as purchasing a gift from the Christmas Store would be a wonderful way to support what is already happening here at Breakthrough.  A list of Community suggested pre-selected items can be found here http://amzn.com/w/M9CY87JJPM5I or by going to amazon.com, clicking on wish list and typing in Breakthrough Urban Ministries. This year we hope to service over 500 families in our Christmas store with your help!

 

Thanks, everyone! I hope you're able to help make this year's Christmas Store a blessing in someone's life.

Love and Hugs -
A

Email - Volunteer Updates - November 2012

Sorry for the delay in posting this month's email newsletter. There's lots going on this month as we gear up for the Holidays - there's plenty of ways to get involved and learn more about the many ministries of Breakthrough Urban Ministries.

Greetings, Wonderful Breakthrough Volunteers! Welcome to November.  :)
As we approach the holidays this year, we've got some great opportunities for getting involved and even for inviting others to come and serve with you. Read on and let me know if you can help out. 

As we prepare for our newest little baby (due 11/28), we were considering maybe not doing our BIG serves this year in December. But as we prayed about it, several groups inquired if we were doing it again this year and if they could help out. What an answer to prayer!  A huge thanks to our faithful volunteers and friends. Read more about the BIG Serves below. And if you have a small group or group of friends looking for a serving opportunity, we still need plenty of help - just drop me a line and let me know.

 

NOVEMBER MEAL OPPORTUNITIES

Here are the details for the meal serving op this month:

• MEN'S SERVE - Thursday, November 8th - meet at 6:30 at 402 N St. Louis Ave, serve dinner at 8, clean-up and out the door by roughly 9. Don is the lead for this meal.
• Women's Facility (AKA Joshua Center) - Friday, November 16th. Meet at the Joshua Center (3330 W Carrol Ave) at 7 PM. Usually done with meal serving by 9 PM. Rachel is the lead for this meal.

As always, just let me know if you can make it to serve a meal so I can reserve a spot for you. Also - all volunteers need to fill out a Volunteer Application - let me know if you need one. And if you have any friends that are interested in Breakthrough, bring them too! The more, the merrier.

BIG SERVES - DECEMBER 2012The BIG serves (mentioned in the intro paragraph) are our annual Holiday themed meals that we serve at the Men's and Women's facilities every year. They require lots of planning, work, volunteers and financial donations to make them happen. Here are the dates for this year's serve:

• Men's BIG Serve - Thursday, 12/13. Typically served restaurant style. Complete with hostess and menus - we need lots of volunteers for the kitchen staff, wait staff and clean up. We need help setting up and even if you can't make it, we need financial contributions for groceries for the main meals. 
• Women's BIG Serve - Friday, 12/21. In previous years, we've made ornaments, decorated cookies (we had a guest one year told us she had never decorated a cookie before - something I take for granted), and even made cards. We're thinking about making beaded jewelry with the women this year that they can keep or give as a gift. We need volunteers to help with food prep and crafts. 

As I mentioned, we need lots of volunteers to make these events happen. The goal is to truly bless the volunteers with delicious food and festive fun. Consider being a part of this year's BIG serves - one or both - and if you have a group looking for a serving opportunity - these are the perfect events!

CHRISTMAS STORE 2012
Breakthrough is hosting it's annual Christmas Store again this year. If you haven't seen the store yet, it's stocked by donations from local churches and families and allows those staying at Breakthrough and residents in the community to purchase gifts for their families (providing the opportunity for dignity) at discounted rates and for some, using Breakthrough Bucks. Follow this link for more information on this year's Christmas Store and for some ideas on how you can get involved and gather some donations for the store.  

DREAM BIG - CAPITAL CAMPAIGNBreakthrough has been working on a campaign to make a huge difference in the lives of people living in Garfield Park by building the FamilyPlex - providing safe places to work out, go to community classes and even receive quality, affordable medical care by partnering with Lawndale Christian Health Center. For more information on the campaign, including status updates, and to see how you can get involved,click here.

  
BLOGDon't forget - you can follow along with updates, news and other opportunities on our blog.  It lists upcoming serving dates and other ways to get involved at Breakthrough Urban Ministries, like the 40 Days of Discernment prayer initiative on Facebook.

Thanks everyone! Hope to see you soon!
Love and Hugs!