Carpenter’s Shelter hosted an open house on Thursday, Feb. 20 for potential new members to join our Circle of HOPE program. Circle of HOPE is an internal giving circle where members commit to an annual contribution of $250 and have the opportunity to bring their families and children to the shelter for service days.
Ten families attended the event. First they viewed a video about second chances here at the shelter and then were taken on a tour of the building. Tours are an integral part of connecting the local community with life inside the shelter. Seeing how residents live illuminates how effective contributions really are for the shelter.
During the tour, families had the opportunity to meet a previous client who is now living successfully on his own. Patrick Owens has been gone from the shelter since June 2013 and now lives in Arlington, Va. He works two jobs, one at Virginia Hospital Center and one at The Smithsonian.
Patrick Owens in our library.
Mr. Owens’ story is unusual because he used to volunteer at Carpenter’s Shelter back when we were located on Duke Street. It wasn’t until many years later that Mr. Owens came to Carpenter’s looking for shelter and assistance.
Once here, Mr. Owens worked with case management and our volunteer physician on his personal health. Thanks to Dr. Rogers, our case management, and Mr. Owens’ hard work, he was able to move out of the shelter in just a few months.
Watch a clip from Mr. Owens’ speech
To wrap-up the open house, guests were treated to refreshments and conversation.
Any family or individual who cares about ending homelessness is encouraged to join! Membership is established by a $250 contribution per calendar year, which directly supports Carpenter’s Shelter operations and programs. Join today!