winter 2004

Dear Friends;

Happy Holidays!  People are so busy with their holiday plans that we often tend to forget what the holiday season really means.  As my own children get older I try to make sure they don’t forget the lessons of this wonderful season.  I want them to know that this season represents what I consider to be the festival of the heart.  That it is the time of year where peace and love fill our hearts, when we wish everyone good will.  And most importantly I want them to know that for every one person creating joy, there is one less person in pain.  At The Other Place I see people in pain but yet I also see joy created everyday by others.

I see people in pain as they experience homelessness.  I see the pain in their eyes as they are uncertain of where they will sleep each night.  I see the pain as they struggle to overcome addiction and mental illness.  I see their pain when they work over 40 hours a week and still can not afford housing.  I see a family’s pain when they must wait for over a year for subsidized housing.  I see the pain in children’s eyes when they have to get off and on a bus in front of our shelter.  I see other’s pain all year long.

I also know the joy that you can create by volunteering to spend one hour, or one day a week working in our shelter where over 125 men, women, and children are fed, clothed, and taken care of.  I know the joy you can create when you give a blanket to someone who must sleep outdoors each night throughout the winter.  I know over 50 children will experience pure joy when you participate in our Annual Adopt a Family Program this season.  I get to see the joy of over 200 homeless men, women and children when they receive gifts this holiday season because you participated in our Annual Holiday Backpack Project. 

The Other Place does see people in pain but we also see their joy.  So my lesson to my children about the festival of the heart is also my lesson to you.  By your one gift you create joy and the result is one less person in pain.  Join The Other Place this holiday season as we create joy for homeless men, women and children.

Happy Holidays!
Tina M. Patterson
Tina M. Patterson
Executive Director

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