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Isaiah House
Women of Vision has recently partnered with Isaiah House, an Orange County organization which provides shelter and meals for homeless families and disabled men and women. We are currently involved in providing meals and friendship to these individuals and families who come to Isaiah House, a shelter of "hospitality" for the homeless poor, which serves 3,000 hot meals each week, and provides a warm place to stay for up to 120 people each night. Contact: Marti Fisher heads this project.
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A New Way of Life Recovery Project
This project centers around a recovery shelter and rehabilitation center for women coming out of the Los Angeles prison system. Susan Burton, the founder and head of "A New Way of Life Recovery Project," has achieved astounding success in providing a safe, clean, sober-living environment to the women in her project. Susan has five homes in Los Angeles, all within blocks of each other. At each home, Susan provides a "homelife" for up to twenty women and their children at any given time. All of the women are required to remain addiction free, attend 12 step programs and get jobs or go to school. Over 70% of the women involved in "A New Way of Life" have broken the cycle of incarceration and have stayed out of prison, successfully transitioning to a new life when leaving Susan's shelter. The state and federal governments have recognized Susan's efforts with grants, awards, and praise. Her web site is : www.anewwayoflife.org
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Women of Vision Orange County's involvement with Susan Burton's "A New Way of Life Recovery Project" centers around helping her provide her women and their children with a Christmas they won't forget. We are blessed to have the opportunity of touring the houses, meeting these women and their children, and working with Susan to "make the Christmas season bright" for them. We receive "wish lists" for each woman (and for the children) soon after Thanksgiving, which gives us a guide to our shopping. We then buy the gifts, colorfully wrap them, and take them to Los Angeles in December. It is a joyful experience and the gratitude from the women in overwhelming. For some, this is the first Christmas gift they have ever received. Through this project, Women of Vision has the opportunity to encourage these women at risk with their outpouring of caring and compassionate Christmas spirit. Contact: Nancy Daley heads this project:
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World Vision Los Angeles "Second Start" Luncheon-Fashion Show
Women of Vision Orange County participates with World Vision Los Angeles in a special luncheon and "Dress for Success" fashion show for women who are recovering from homelessness and substance abuse. The luncheon/fashion show honors those ladies each year who will be successfully graduating from shelter living to a life of independence. These ladies are further honored by being chosen as the models for the fashion show. They are encouraged to keep the clothes that they model. The women spend weeks practicing with a modeling coach, which builds their self image and self esteem.
Women of Vision Orange County contributes financially each year and many attend the event. Last year some of us even contributed by being part of the show!
Contact: Nancy Daley:
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Shalimar Learning Center
In Orange County, we work with THINK Together at the Shalimar Learning Center in Costa Mesa, assisting with after-school tutoring and activities for at-risk children.
The THINK Together mission is to assist educationally at-risk youth in low-income areas by providing homework help and academic support in order for them to succeed and stay in school.
In 1994, after a gang shooting in the Shalimar neighborhood of Westside Costa Mesa, mothers organized to take the neighborhood back from the gangs. Their efforts caught the attention of a local businessman, Randy Barth. He and several other leaders from local churches met with the mothers to see how they could help.
The Shalimar mothers told these leaders that what they needed was a safe, quiet place in the neighborhood for their children to go to after school, where they could get tutoring, help with English, and academic support. Randy Barth organized two churches, a community group in the area, and Women of Vision to provide funding to rent several apartments in the Shalimar neighborhood, fund a staff position, and provide a small army of volunteer tutors.
Thanks mostly to the volunteers (many who were Women of Vision), the program became very successful. Student grades improved, teen pregnancies dropped (Shalimar’s zip code had the highest teen pregnancy rate in Orange County), and crime rates in the neighborhood dropped. The center became a catalyst for change. The city redoubled their policing efforts to help reduce crime on Shalimar Drive. Code Enforcement began efforts to clean up the apartments. An apartment complex was razed and in its place a pocket park was established. In the process, a neighborhood was transformed.
14 years later, Shalimar continues to serve over 360 students on a weekly basis. More than 100 students from the Shalimar neighborhood alone have gone on to college, all the first in their families to do so. The twenty or so of these students have now graduated from college, are in the workforce and serve as mentors to their younger siblings and friends.
Randy Barth is a visionary leader. Realizing the tremendous need to reach out to so many more students, Randy founded THINK Together (of which Shalimar is a part). Today, THINK Together provides comprehensive after school programs at more the 170 school and community sites across 19 school districts and serving more than 20,000 students. Shalimar, the original center, continues to provide inspiration and a proven history for this important mission which Women of Vision has long supported both financially and with volunteers. Contact: Bobbi Dauderman:
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6,000 Steps for 6,000 Orphans
Every December lst, World AIDS Day, Women of Vision members take part in a 6,000 step walk in Orange County's Crystal Cove Park to commemorate the 6,000 children who are orphaned daily by this disease. The walk helps to raise funds and awareness for our projects in Kenya which support caregivers for HIV/AIDS orphaned children. Contact: Donna Phebus:
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Vision Youth
We partner with Vision Youth through World Vision Los Angeles in an outreach program that builds long-term relationships with at-risk young people, with the aim of helping them make good decisions and ultimately achieve their God-given potential. | More Info...
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