Friday, July 30, 2010

Community Service with a Smile: Getting the Kids On Board

Community Service with a Smile: Getting the Kids On Board

Shoes...


Al Edwards came in yesterday to deliver several pairs of shoes...Every single one will be put to good use to include our back to school program...

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Lunch...

Steven Fields of Huntington Bank joins the children at the Dowd Education Center to hear the stories of their activities.

Wish List needs....

Today Ryan, Sarah, Ally and Jonathan from Champions for Change came in today with some wonderful doantions. They called to see what our needs were, they had a fund raiser and then they delivered donations to us. Included in the donations were diapers, sponges, toothpaste, tooth brushes, paper towels, mops, baggies and shampoo. Thanks kids!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010


HFF lost a dear friend and supporter this weekend. Andy “man” Davis died this weekend while vacationing with his family in Michigan. Andy, a well know radio personality was a tremendous fan of HFF, especially the children. For the past 12 years, Andy gave a weekend of his time for the Andyman Telethon. HFF was privileged to be one of his favorite charities. He always gave us the microphone to talk about our work and to encourage donations. He leaves behind his wife and three children, his family at CD101 and a community of faithful fans. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones. Andy, my man, you will be dearly missed.

Girl Scout Cookies


Kate (7 1/2) and her sister Sarah (5) deliverd Girl Scout cookies to us today from Troop 2456. The girls were full of smiles and very excited to be donating the cookies to our families. Our families always get very excited when we pass out Girl Scout cookies.


Thanks girls!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Volunteer Support


We want to thank the groups from St Matthew the Apostle Church and Gril Scout Troop 1342 for their help last week. Between them we were able to organize and sort through food boxes, fill the shelves with food, organize toys in the basement, and help us clean things up in the basement. We certainly could not do what we do without community support!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Back To School...


Back to School

Wow is it really July 7th already? How fast time flies! We know that school just ended for most the first part of June but here at the Homeless Families Foundations we are already in full motion so we can be ready for the new school year in August.

Our goal this year as well as in years past is to provide each elementary child with 2 new outfits, new socks, underwear and a backpack full of supplies. For our Middle School and High School children we give them a budget and take them shopping. With guidance, most have come home with 4 tops, 2 pairs of pants and accessories.

It is a very exciting time but we need your help! We are currently accepting donations of new clothing, socks, underwear, cash (for teenage shoppers) and gift cards to Target, Wal-Mart and Old Navy (to help with uniforms). We will also need volunteers to assist with organizing the donations, filling the backpacks with supplies, shopping for uniforms and assisting our teenagers with their shopping experience.

If you have any questions or are interested in assisting us this year you can call Karie @ (614) 461-9247 or e-mail kgallegos@homelessfamiliesfoundation.org

Thank you for your continued support and have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

In the summer time...



Columbus Offers Options For Residents To Beat The Heat

Mayor Michael B. Coleman is urging Columbus residents to take extra steps to stay cool and safe as temperatures reach the mid-90s this week. To help beat the heat, residents are invited to visit any of Columbus Recreation and Parks’ eight air-conditioned recreation centers, four outdoor pools or its outdoor sprayground pad.

“I urge all our residents to do what they can to stay cool during this week’s heat wave,” Mayor Coleman said. “While anyone can suffer from a heat-related illness, extreme heat is particularly dangerous to young children, seniors and people with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease.”

The following Columbus air-conditioned recreation centers have programming for and are geared for seniors:
Gille, 4625 Morse Centre Rd.
Dodge, 667 Sullivant Ave.
Lazelle Woods, 8140 Sancus Blvd.
Marion Franklin, 2801 Lockbourne Rd.
Martin Janis, 600 E. 11th Ave.
Whetstone, 3923 N. High St.

In addition, the following two recreation centers also have air conditioning:
Beatty Recreation Center, 274 N. Ohio Ave.
Brentnell Recreation Center, 1280 Brentnell Ave.

Also, Columbus’ four outdoor pools are open from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. and are free to the public:
Dodge, 545 Sullivant Ave.
Marion Franklin, 2699 Lockbourne Rd.
Tuttle, 240 W. Oakland Ave. (open until 7:30 p.m. each day)
Windsor, 1300 Windsor Ave.

The Columbus sprayground is also free and open daily from noon to 7:30 pm each day and is free. It is located at 1184 Barnett Rd.

Meanwhile, Columbus Public Health offers the following tips to stay cool and safe during extreme heat and humidity:
Drink plenty of water; do not wait until you are thirsty.
Stay inside in air conditioning whenever possible. If you do not have an air conditioner, use recreation centers, movie theatres, malls, libraries and other public places that are cool.
Avoid beverages with alcohol, caffeine and sugar that will dehydrate you.
Eat light meals.
Wear lightweight, light colored clothing and a hat.
Stay in the shade.
Limit outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.

Heat related illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can strike at any time. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, headache, absence of perspiration and dry, hot flushed skin. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.

In addition to these safety tips, cooling assistance programs are available to qualifying people from several community organizations:

The Breathing Association and OhioHealth Home Energy Assistance Program – Summer Crisis Program, providing electric bill assistance and air conditioning units for elderly households and customers with qualifying incomes and medical conditions, July 1-August 31. Call for appointment at 566-0750.

LifeCare Alliance and 10TV Fan Club – Free fan program for households with immediate family members with chronic health conditions. For more information, contact 278-3130. (Currently, there is a waiting list.) New box fans also can be donated for the program at any City of Columbus fire station. For more information, call Michelle Jones at 437-2803.

Impact Community Action – Summer Crisis Program providing energy bill assistance to households that meet income eligibility guidelines and have a member more than 60 years of age with certain medical conditions. For guidelines and appointments, call 866-747-1038.

Franklin County Senior Options – Free fan program for current clients ages 60 years or older without a working air conditioner. (Clients who received a fan in the last two years are ineligible.) For more information, call 462-6200.

For more information on summer cooling programs or heat safety, visit the Columbus Public Health Web site at http://www.publichealth.columbus.gov/.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Kids making a difference...

Amanda brought her son to deliver his generous gift to help homeless families. He saved for one year from his allowance and was assured he was making a big difference in the lives of our children. After touring the Dowd Center, he asked, "what is the favorite sport?" He plays baseball right now but is planning to attend OSU (in a few years) to play football. What a generous young man.