Letter to the editor

Thanks for continued support of Moss House

Dear Friends,

Our warmest wishes for a joyous and peaceful holiday season are extended to you. Your support throughout the years has been appreciated beyond measure, and 2005 marks our 15th year of providing safe emergency shelter at Moss House. The families served have received love, hope and understanding as a result of your generosity and sharing.

The ways in which people give to our organization vary greatly and often come in many forms: tangible goods, money, volunteer hours and community support.

In 2005, our agency has sheltered 105 women and 75 children for a total of 3,005 bednights. We answered 476 hotline calls and 127 referral calls, and 6,655 meals were consumed. We have assisted 225 families through our non-residential support program. Current support services include support group, domestic violence education classes, parenting classes and life-skill classes. We assisted 105 women with court advocacy. In 2005, the agency facilitated four perpetrator impact panels for people convicted of domestic assault. More than 75 individuals were ordered by the courts to attend.

Our families are amazing. While there is much suffering, there is also much joy. I cannot express in writing how heartbreaking it is to see women and children who are bruised, broken and hopeless when they come to our program for help. But there is a magical transformation that takes place in our big yellow house. Bruises are healed. Hearts are mended. Hope is restored.

While our agency is the facilitator of this process, it would be amiss for us not to tell you the real truth. We are successful in helping battered women and their children because of you. The support that we receive from you is tremendous and has much impact on the families we serve. Bless you for sharing with victims of domestic violence.

I want to share a story with roots in Native American culture of a child who comes to understand the truth inherent is his grandfather's statement that together they could change the course of a mighty river. Moving a rock the size of a melon, the water rushes in to fill the hole, changing the course of the river, albeit in a small way. The grandfather tells the little boy, "This is the way the great river is changed. One rock at a time. It is the duty of every person who walks to change the course of rivers. Every action that you do, every word that you say, will affect or change the course of a person's life."

With your help, we are moving the rocks and making a difference in the lives of the families we serve. Thank you for making this difference.

-- Martha Sander

Executive director

Council on Families in Crisis

Here's a list of items needed by the shelter for Christmas:

For women

jewelry

perfume

nail polish

light colored makeup

scented lotions

scented bath items

scented candles

picture frames

photo albums

chocolates

household items

towels

washcloths

puzzle books

hair items

disposable cameras

stocking stuffers

For girls

jewelry,

diaries

perfume

hair items

nail polish

light colored makeup

handheld games

Barbie dolls and accessories

tea sets

dolls

jewelry boxes

coloring books/crayons

puzzles, 100 pieces or fewer

videos

Bratz items

stocking stuffers

For boys

billfolds

cologne

handheld games

Matchbox cars/trucks

baseball cards

basketballs

footballs

trucks

coloring books/crayons

legos

necklaces

puzzles, 100 pieces or fewer

videos

ball caps

action figures

stocking stuffers