River of Refuge newsletter, November 2023

Celebration Part I: River of Refuge Recognizes Graduates

Before coming to River of Refuge, Jesse Hubbard would sometimes satisfy her coffee craving with three runs a day to her favorite coffee shop.

The urge is still there, but Hubbard, 23, now only indulges about once a week. Her forbearance comes from the budgeting principles she learned during the four months she lived at River of Refuge with her daughter, Jasmine, who turns 1 year old this month.

Working the River of Refuge program, Hubbard said, gave her the mindset that money “is something you need to save and earn and work hard for, so it’s not something you throw away and just spend on nonsense stuff. It’s good to budget. It’s good to save.”

Hubbard works at the food court at the Costco in Independence, Missouri.

Hubbard and Jasmine now share a two-bedroom apartment with her sister and brother-in-law in Independence, but mom and daughter returned to River of Refuge on Nov. 15 to participate in a graduation ceremony. Hubbard’s mother, Sherina, attended as well.

The evening program celebrated the graduations of four single-parent families with a total of nine kids. Patrina Dixon, 45, was another graduate who attended the ceremony with her 18-year-old son Aiden Bailey. The other two families did not attend.

As one of six adopted children — three girls and three boys — Hubbard was grateful for the family support she received while working the program.

“She had moments where she was like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore,’” Sherina Hubbard said. “You can do it, you can do it,” came the encouraging response.

Like Jesse Hubbard, Dixon said the struggle to learn budgeting was worth it because she now thinks before making any purchase.

Dixon and Bailey now live in a two-bedroom apartment in Independence, but River of Refuge still feels a little like home.

“Even when we drive past here, we still feel like we are part of a family,” Dixon said, “and we didn’t really have that before.”

Bailey attends online school, and Dixon was thankful for the peers he met while living at River of Refuge. “It gave him a sense of community he did not have before,” she said.

Dixon works as an employment specialist at the Center for Developmentally Disabled, and it was through driving around for her job that she passed River of Refuge and remembered seeing it listed somewhere as a resource.

She and Bailey were barely scraping by while living in an expensive week-to-week motel. River of Refuge provided the stability Dixon needed.

“I don’t think there has been a time in my life where I was able to stop and reset,” she said, “so it was good to do that. And to learn about budgeting, I feel like afterward it put me in a really good place to start again.”

 

Celebration Part II: River of Refuge Notches Fundraising Successes

As we head into the holiday season, River of Refuge has been celebrating early thanks to contributions and grants that help fund the services we provide to our families.

For one, we had a terrific evening on Nov. 2 at our first fundraising gala since the pandemic. Held at the Grand Street Café near the Country Club Plaza, the event raised nearly $50,000. The space was charming and elegant and the food divine.

Special thanks go to Southern Glazers, the title sponsor, and to Children’s Mercy, the advocate sponsor. We also want to thank the fundraising committee that organized and executed the event: Amelie Ballinger, Nancy Anderson, Russ Moore, Debbie Haws, Karla Grant, and Pam Seymour.

Our team also loved working with emcee Nick Haines, the head of Kansas City PBS’ public affairs division.

For more on the event (including photos), see our Facebook post.

Meanwhile, we were delighted to learn late last month that the Jackson County Children’s Services Fund had approved our $75,000 request to initiate onsite mental health counseling for the children of the families that live with us.

Though details remain to be worked out, we anticipate the services beginning on Jan. 1 through our partnership with Authentic Life. The services will be provided by licensed therapists and by master’s level social work students.

Having practitioners on site will be a game-changer for our families, who otherwise face long waiting lists to be seen by community providers.

Having the counselors here also removes barriers, such as available transportation, that sometimes stand in the way of our families getting counseling from off-site providers.

 

FROM THE DIRECTOR

You might’ve just purged the last bit of Halloween candy from your house. But don’t look now — the holidays are about to get into full swing.

For us, that means the annual “Thanksgathering” dinner with our families this Wednesday evening complete with turkey, dressing, and all the fixin’s. Our families also receive a turkey to prepare for their own family dinners on Thursday.

Another one of our traditions this time of year is heading to the Raytown Hy-Vee, 9400 E. State Route 350, on Giving Tuesday, which falls on Nov. 28 this year. We will be at the store from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. collecting items to stock our food and hygiene pantries.

Can’t make it? That’s OK, we accept monetary donations via our website that can help with this effort. Just note that you’d like the funds to be used to stock our pantries. We also have an Amazon wish list.

While the holidays are a time of cheer, they also mark the time that we begin to think about tax season. River of Refuge can potentially help with your tax burden.

Did you know that River of Refuge has access to Missouri Affordable Housing Assistance Program (AHAP) tax credits? These credits are an incentive for Missouri businesses and individuals to participate in affordable housing production.

AHAP Tax Credits may be allocated to an eligible donor for up to 55% of the total value of an eligible donation. Plus, eligible donations can receive additional tax benefits. Donations may be in the form of cash, professional services, or materials/products and must be eligible for the federal income tax charitable deduction.

Credits are fully transferable and these credits may be used in the tax year of the donation or carried forward for up to 10 years. To be eligible, a donor must be subject to Missouri tax from business activities performed in the state of Missouri.

Would you like more information about the AHAP program or the tax credit application process? Please contact: pamela@riverofrefuge.com

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and be safe!

Until Next Time,
Pamela Seymour, Executive Director