You can save a life just like hers
This Fall, Your Kindness Can Give Women New Hope
Life on the streets was dark and dangerous for Lena—she was never sure if she would live to see the next day. When the cold winter winds picked up, she tried to find shelter under a bridge. “I was so scared—I didn’t want to freeze to death. That was my biggest fear.”
The roots of Lena’s addiction and homelessness started with a tragic and painful childhood. “I was hurt so many times in so many places. I just began to not care about myself and ran away from it all.”
In adulthood, the deep wounds in her heart left her all alone and feeling hopeless. After spending several painful years living on the streets of Edmonton, Lena decided that it was finally time to get the help she needed — that’s why she came to Hope Mission.
Hearing Lena’s story breaks our hearts. We are deeply concerned about the many women just like her who come to the doors of Hope Mission. Many of them have similar stories — stories of pain, abuse and neglect. They have experienced things that no person should ever experience.
At Hope Mission, our door is always open to our neighbours in need because we believe that no one is beyond hope.
That’s why right now we are planning something special for women who are taking their first steps away from life on the streets into our recovery program: a freshly prepared room that will let them know they are loved as they work to change their lives and heal deep wounds. To give this gift to each one who is ready, we are asking for your help.
“I was so scared—I didn’t want to freeze to death. That was my biggest fear.”
The Need For Women To Escape Homelessness
Right now, Hope Mission’s women’s shelter is experiencing high numbers. When a woman arrives at our doors, her belongings often fit in a shopping bag and her spirits are empty. Many women are asking to come into program before the temperatures begin to drop — they want to escape a rough and dangerous life on the wintery streets of Edmonton.
There is no greater joy than seeing a woman in need find hope, purpose, and freedom from addiction in Hope Mission’s recovery program for women. But the first steps are sometimes the most difficult. For many of these women, it has been years since they’ve had a space to call their own or felt safe and loved. Warm bedding, new clothes, and a quiet room all feel like luxuries they can only dream of. This is where your kindness can step in to make a tremendous difference.
Your Kindness Provides The Solution
Today we are asking for your help to get every room ready in a special way each time a woman makes a transition into program. When a woman comes off the streets and into Hope Mission’s recovery program, we plan to patch and paint the walls of the room she will stay in to create a fresh, welcoming room. We will gather all she needs for clothing, toiletries, and fresh bedding. We will give her all the support she needs so she can have the best start to a new life.
We have a goal to raise $25,000 before October 1st to give this gift of extra-special care to every woman. Would you consider giving this special gift to women in need? We expect 100 women tomake these transitions this year, so that is $250 to get a room ready for each woman. We hope you will consider the most generous gift you can to care for as many women as possible.
Thank you in advance for sharing from your blessings with women who are looking to change their lives.