My friend Kimber Bishop-Yanke continues to walk her talk to help our neighbors in need. Using a foreboding headline from Game of Thrones alerts all giving individuals that the need and daunting situations that many adults and families are facing are unceasing. Kimber and her angels are helping those in serious conditions but the calls continue to come in from multiple contacts around Oakland County, Michigan.
I received an email from Kimber this week that addresses the urgent needs of individuals and families right now. Using a creative Bingo fundraiser Kimber is seeking participants to help fund neighbors that are currently homeless and hungry. As you know, I believe Kimber is doing great things but she needs our help as we approach winter. I remain a huge supporter of her efforts and am asking you to check out and participate in her upcoming zoom Bingo game. I have included Kimber’s email describing the bingo game and how you can play it. The date of Zoom Bingo is Friday, October 7 at 7:00pm.
Importantly, even if bingo is not your thing, Kimber has included other links on her email where you can donate funds to help her efforts. Please help!
Thank you for your time and attention.
Bingo Fundraiser!
Dear Volunteers and Supporters,
I know it has only been 4 days since I emailed you last, but so much has happened. We went from booking one hotel room for a domestic violence victim to booking four hotel rooms. We need urgent funds to take care of all the situations we are currently helping with. I reached out to Darcee Matlen about doing a Bingo fundraiser. I had taken a screen shot of a zoom bingo game I saw that she was hosting over a year ago thinking that would be a fun fundraiser. I reached out to ask her how to run a zoom bingo game. She graciously offered to host the fundraiser. Thank you Darcee!!! Sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/events/3217035841847241/?ref=newsfeed Details are below. Please share on your Facebook page and with your friends, neighbors, co-workers and your brother and uncle! Anyone in the WORLD can play the zoom bingo!
Date: Friday, October 7 at 7:00pm
Sign up to play at: https://fb.me/e/3s84zEB3m
Cost of Bingo card:
1 card: $20.00 Pack of 4: $60.00 Pack of 8: $100.00 Prizes: 1 winner per game First 8 games: $25.00 gift card. Pick from Amazon, Target, Game 9 and 10: $50 gift card Pick from Amazon, Target
Sponsor a child in poverty to play! Their card will be delivered along with a toy.
Donate for Bingo Cards at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=J7YT27BV8C2AW (note how many cards) As we started working on it, Darcee started asking me questions about helping people who were homeless. She had just seen a high school friend's post that he had been on the streets for a week in Windsor, and it was really weighing on her heart. Within a matter of hours, she decided she was going to try and help him. She started posting on Facebook to old high school friends and within a matter of hours, a woman who had been homeless herself went that night around 11:00pm to Windsor and brought him and his service dog back and they spent the night at her house. Wow-- talk about an angel stepping out. The next morning someone got him an Uber and he is now in a hotel booked by us in Auburn Hills. His childhood babysitter went to get groceries for him. I asked her if she would pick up groceries for the father and 4-year-old autistic girl we had just put into a hotel, and I would reimburse her. She kindly bought groceries for them as well. Angels appearing out of no where. So now we have 4 hotel rooms-- 1. Domestic violence victim and her daughter 2. Dad who used his last 10 dollars to get an Uber to Pontiac schools with his 4 year old daughter who has Autism to enroll her in school and plead for help from the volatile environment they were living in. (Pontiac schools called me for help which tells you the system is broken if they are calling me and not one of the nonprofits that is receiving the government funds to handle homelessness.) 3. Another mom and young adult son who have been sleeping in their car for at least a year. 4. High school friend of Darcee's. This is just the start of what is going to be a very rough winter. Please help us share the Emergency Fund to give people shelter while trying to help them get into an actual shelter or find housing. https://www.facebook.com/donate/467537298628204/10159051960067894/ And here is a sign up of some items and volunteer opportunities: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b48aaa628a13-angels. or donate: https://kidsempoweredonthemove.org/ Lastly, I also decided in the last 4 days I was going to try and do some things that would offer hope and fun for people in desperate situations. When I am hearing someone tell their story, often in my mind I am thinking what can I do to give them some hope. So, in the last email I asked if anyone would like to sponsor a fun outing for the dad who is going to be evicted any day who is on dialysis and whose foot was amputated from a work injury. Michela stepped up and dad is planning a fun outing with his son when he gets to see him on the weekend to go to the ZOO! So, I have decided that i will try and find ways to give a family hope and fun twice a month. And speaking of FUN-- you can give a kid in poverty some fun by buying BINGO cards. Every child that is sponsored will also receive a toy and a chance to win the gift cards! Donate for Bingo Cards at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=J7YT27BV8C2AW (note how many cards) This work is VERY HARD-- it is frustrating and sad. But fun and hope can always make it better for both the families we are serving and for all of us that are doing the work. Dates to SAVE: *September Oakland County Task Force meeting Friday, September 23, 2022 9:00-10:30 http://evite.me/h4QwzA7mmE *Pontiac Collaborators Conference- Saturday, Oct 1 https://www.pontiacmissioncollaborators.com/ Father Gregory Boyle who has been working with people who are homeless and has written a book about it is the keynote speaker. I will be a co-facilitator for breakout on Housing. Please share with others who you know care about the homelessness issue and families facing poverty. Thank you, Kimber Bishop-Yanke Founder, Kids Empowered On the Move 5013c Chair, Oakland County Task Force on Poverty and Homelessness
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