Home Suite Hope held an event at Whole Foods Oakville on April 16 to celebrate National Volunteer Appreciation Week and the winners of Home Suite Hope’s volunteer awards.
“I was surprised, I never really believed I’d receive an award for my volunteer work, yeah so I was surprised,” said Philip Feitz recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award for 2015. Feitz is of the owner of the Right Move moving company. Feitz helps to move furniture for Home Suite Hope’s families, volunteering his own time and covering the cost for his employees. “It’s great working with Home Suite Hope, giving furniture a second life with families who need it more than we do.”
The event was also held to announce the start of the fundraising campaign for Home Suite Hope’s Share the Hope Walk. Home Suite Hope will be running its second annual 5K Share the Hope Walk on May 31. The walk will run from 12-4 p.m. in Coronation Park in Oakville. Registration is $25 but is free for anyone able to fundraise $100 or more for the walk. All funds raised from the event will go towards supporting single-parent families facing homelessness and economic hardship in Halton.
Since 2004 Home Suite Hope has been helping single-parents families who are homeless or facing homelessness. Today Home Suite Hope houses and supports 11 single mothers and 17 children. They have a 3- year goal to support 30 families by 2017.
Home Suite Hope offers two housing programs for families: ReStart Halton and Homeward Bound Halton.
ReStart Halton, launched in 2012, is an up to 2 year housing program designed at helping families by providing them with a stable living environment and life skills such as parenting, nutrition, financial and computer literacy, and job search readiness.
Homeward Bound Halton, launched this year, is an up to 4 year housing program. The program has partnered with Sherdian College and Jeff Zabudsky to provide single-parents with a free, 2-year college diploma.
“I believe that together Halton is able to address this issue [of homelessness]. Working together we can absolutely make a difference in these families lives,” said Home Suite Hope CEO Michelle Pommells.
For more information on Home Suite Home and to sign up for the Share the Hope Walk visit their site at www.homesuitehope.org