winter 2003

Dear Friends;

I can’t believe another year is about over.  I often try to take a moment this time of year to reflect.  My thoughts are different this year as they are filled with pride over some great accomplishments and yet I am saddened as well, as we have experienced our most difficult times. 

We experienced much excitement over celebrating our 15^th Anniversary, the publication of our first Annual Report and the “Know Your Rights Brochure,” and the completion of our long overdue renovations.  While experiencing some of our greatest moments we also mourned the lose of more homeless people in one year than ever before, we suffered budget cuts and had to reduce our hours of operation, we witnessed the development of homeless campsites due to lack of emergency shelter beds and then saw them demolished when they became too overwhelming.

You have seen over the past few weeks the interest by the local media about homelessness in our community.  Articles in the Dayton Daily News and all of the television stations have covered stories about homelessness.  One editorial went as far as to say “Homeless here desperate for a champion.”  I liked the idea of someone calling for a champion for the homeless.  What is a champion?  The dictionary states that a champion is “An ardent defender or supporter of a cause or another person: a champion of the homeless.”  I know what a champion is.  It is a bold agency that is willing to be the “ardent defender” of the homeless.  It is caring staff who work tirelessly with homeless men, women and children everyday.  It is 300 runners who ran in a race to benefit the homeless.  It is school children who donate money from their school events to a homeless shelter.  It is the ladies in the church group that sew blankets and knit hats for homeless people.  It is the volunteers who clean, organize and answer phones at a homeless shelter.  It is the 200 people who attended a fundraiser for a homeless shelter.  It is the people who step up each and every time I ask for assistance.  You Are The Champion!  The Other Place is The Champion.

As I continue my reflection, yes I am saddened by this past year’s events but I am also very hopeful for the future.  How can I be hopeful when things appear so dismal?  I am hopeful because the homeless do have a Champion, You and The Other Place!

Respectfully,
Tina M. Patterson
Tina M. Patterson
Executive Director

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