River of Refuge newsletter, December 2023

Passion for Kids Drives Dedicated ROR Volunteer

River of Refuge volunteer Grace Arnone helps one of our young residents complete his gingerbread man project during evening childcare on December 4

River of Refuge volunteer, Grace Arnone, helps one of our young residents complete his gingerbread man project during evening childcare on Dec. 4.

“I’m usually worn out by the end of this,” Grace Arnone said on a recent evening at River of Refuge.

And it’s easy to see why after Arnone, 27, spent more than an hour wrangling, cajoling, and (gently) chiding nearly 20 kids in the community room. The kids, ranging in age from 2 to 11, were there as part of the Monday night routine while their parents were upstairs in a life-skills class.

At one point, Arnone dodged ping-pong balls swatted by a couple of the older boys to suggest to another group of kids that it was not a good idea to upend the small couch next to the bookcase. She also assisted kids working on their gingerbread man project at the art table.

Arnone is not an employee; she is a dedicated volunteer who has helped our staff with childcare for about a year. Up until about a month ago, when another commitment arose, Arnone assisted with childcare two evenings a week.

Arnone connected with River of Refuge through Volunteer KC, a nonprofit that matches people who want to donate their time to nonprofits that can use the help.

With a much older sister, Arnone has been an aunt since she was a child herself, learning the ways to interact with children.

“I like working with kids,” she said. “I just have a passion for it.”

Arnone finds it especially rewarding to work with the kids at River of Refuge as they navigate the transition in their lives. If she notices something with a child, she will alert staff who can pass it along to the parents.

One of her most memorable moments came during the summer when helped a girl learn how to ride a bike. “She was ecstatic,” Arnone said.

 

ROR Helps Families Gear Up for Christmas

Aurora Wood

A year ago, Aurora Wood (pictured above) was in the throes of addiction and about to experience “probably the worst Christmas of my whole life.” But a couple weeks before this Christmas, Wood was wrapping presents for her four children at River of Refuge. The donated presents came through ROR’s adopt-a-family program, and Wood summed up her feelings in one word: “blessed.”

The Dec. 11 wrapping party was just one of the events River of Refuge held during the holiday season.

Our Christmas Party with the River of Refuge families was Monday evening and a good time was had by all. Pizza, salad, and desserts were served and a visit from Ol’ Saint Nick himself capped off the night.

Each child received a hand-made, filled stocking from our friends at Messiah Church of the Brethren. Cindy from Teren’s Stars gathered new Beanie Babies for all and they topped off each stocking. Teren’s Stars also donated games, balls, and many other items to stock our community room with family-friendly entertainment.

Radiant Church gave generous Price Chopper gift cards to each family so they could shop and have a filling Christmas dinner. Kids and parents will both receive gifts this year as we had some incredible adopters who insisted the parents be included. Thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s project successful by adopting our families.

There is still time to make your tax-deductible charitable gift this year. We take checks and cash too. Don’t forget we have AHAP Tax Credits for sale and these can reduce your tax burden in 2024. Give us a call for more info on this option.

 

FROM THE DIRECTOR

As 2023 comes to a close, we want to give a heartfelt THANKS to one of our River of Refuge teammates who will not be joining us in 2024, Program Director Jacki Ezell.

We are sad and will miss her extraordinary leadership, but we are happy that she’ll still stay involved periodically as a volunteer. Jacki has been such a blessing to River of Refuge. She has developed an extraordinary program that changes lives. Her no-nonsense approach coupled with caring, respect, and honesty is a trait that will be hard to replicate.

Jacki joined River of Refuge in 2013 as a volunteer after retiring from DST Systems as a client relations consultant. Her 30 years of business experience, dedication, and shared vision quickly led to a staff position at River of Refuge. Jacki studied management and human relations at MidAmerica Nazarene University, graduating in 2003.

She developed and ran the Family Assistance Program, which helped homeless families primarily living in motels. When the dream of our Transitional Housing Program became a reality, she worked as a case manager for two years. Jacki was then promoted to program director, responsible for the daily operation of the Transitional Housing Program.

Jacki’s impact was visible daily through the message she included on the weekly calendar posted on the bulletin board just inside the family entrance: Be on time ~ Be prepared ~ Dress appropriately.

Jacki knew from experience not to take such basic instructions for granted. She insisted that residents respect themselves and others. A mom showing up for class in slippers? You knew Jacki would send her back to her apartment for more appropriate footwear.

Her small staff loved her and she mentored and coached each of them to be the best they could be. One staff member who joined the team in May was case-managed by Jacki in 2021 when she and her family had fallen on rough times. She credits River of Refuge and Jacki personally for helping her turn her life around and for the opportunity to serve new River of Refuge families as their case manager.

Jacki, we will miss you immensely but will carry on your work and build on the foundation that you have created. We are so lucky to have had you these past years and I am forever grateful for your leadership and help during my early years at River of Refuge. You’re the greatest!!

Until Next Time,
Pamela Seymour, Executive Director