Most of us treasure our Christmas memories, but Christmas may generate bad memories for the Mission’s residents. You are replacing those memories with good ones.
The men of the Changed Life Recovery Program (CLRP) and the women of Faith House will spend this Christmas apart from their families. The Faith House mothers may have their children with them but usually have no money for presents. Most of the CLRP guys will not even get to see their children this Christmas. When you participate in our Adopt-A-Family program, you provide gifts for the Mission’s residents and their families.
Each year, businesses and individuals offer to fulfill wish lists provided by our residents. We provide guidelines for the presents’ quantity, value, and sizes. Lisa Catania helps coordinate the Adopt-A-Resident program and says that the most commonly requested gift for the CLRP residents is a pair of work boots for the job they transition to after they leave the program.
Jake Sexton is the CLRP Case Manager and an alumnus of the program. He says, “I remember how much the work boots I got at Christmas meant to me. In fact, I still have them ten years later. Getting a gift like that can be motivating for the men’s next step.” Jake explains that spending Christmas at the Mission is humbling for the residents, but they appreciate spending the holiday with the other men they’ve bonded with.
“A lot of the guys are just trying to regain some normalcy in their lives. We encourage them to do normal things that used to include alcohol, like going to the movies or a baseball game, so they can enjoy those experiences sober.
Some have forgotten what a typical Christmas looks like and enjoy the normalcy of opening presents together.”
At Faith House, women are also replacing negative Christmas memories. Case Manager Tina Cullum explains, “Christmas triggers many of our women because of their unfulfilled expectations. They also feel guilty for not providing their children with a stable, family-oriented Christmas. At Faith House, we are recreating different dynamics. We are teaching them to build anticipation. There is a vulnerability in anticipating a happy Christmas, and we are showing them how it can unfold in a pleasant way. There is a lot of laughter, delighting in one another’s children.”
Faith House residents practice Christmas traditions together, like cookie baking and trips to see Christmas lights and a live nativity. Of course, the fulfillment of anticipation occurs on Christmas morning, when moms and children receive the gifts they requested, provided through the Adopt-A-Family program. Tina states, “Requesting presents helps to teach moms and their kids to say out loud what they want in life. Some residents experience the Christmas story for the first time; I tell them that we all get gifts at Jesus’ birthday party.”
Maggie Bienefeld is a former resident who works on the Faith House staff. She recalls, “We learned to trust God to provide our wants and needs. We learned to re-frame how to celebrate Christmas to think about others. I learned that Christmas is about love.” You help residents of Faith House and the CLRP to replace their painful Christmas memories with happy ones.
Your generosity teaches them that “Christmas is about love.”
