Happy New Year to everyone. In just a few weeks I’ll be taking part in the Freeze Out 5k to End Homelessness being held in Syracuse, NY at the Onondaga Community College campus. This is a race that came up on my radar through my participation with The ROAD in Syracuse, but since has become a very important cause to me, one that I have participated in year in and year out, and plan to do for some time.
The money raised for this race stays right in the Central New York area and benefits so many. From providing meals, shelter, helping find jobs, and even housing placement, the Rescue Mission is a vital part of our community.
From the Rescue Mission’s website:
“…the Rescue Mission was able to provide 276,976 meals, 141,716 overnight stays, and to give out 93,520 household items and articles of clothing in our 2016 fiscal year.
In addition to meeting immediate needs, the Rescue Mission placed 948 individuals and families into permanent housing, and helped hundreds to secure employment.
Here are just a few highlights from 2016
· In Syracuse, we completed our first full year of emergency shelter for women, providing a safe place to 531 women who had nowhere else to go, as well as sheltering 1,591 men.
· In Auburn, we helped 70 families who had experienced homelessness to find homes and move forward with their lives. In March 2017, we look forward to opening the new Auburn Rescue Mission with 28 apartments and a community center for families and women who’ve experienced homelessness.
· In Binghamton, 57 men who have experienced homelessness came through our program and found stability and support in our permanent residence.
· In Ithaca, we’ve seen great need for our emergency shelter, supportive permanent housing and community food pantry. In addition to providing more than 16,143 overnight stays over the course of a year, we’ve opened a warming station for anyone to come in from the cold on nights when temperatures reach 32 degrees or below.
(http://rescuemissionalliance.org/thanks-lives-changed-2016/)
Thank you for reading this far, and for having supported me in the past, and continue to support me in my running adventures. Thank you most of all for being the reason that people are warm and safe. To make your donation in support of the 2017 Freeze Out 5k to End Homelessness, click here: http://rescuemission.donorpages.com/SyracuseFreezeOut5K2017/MonicaEverdyke2013/)
(This video is from just before the 2015 Freeze Out 5k, but it’s just as important in 2017 as it was then)