Florida State students spend spring break renovating Hope Haven Barn. List names... The six girls from Tallahassee had never torn out roof rafters, nailed up 4x8 sheets of paneling or built bike racks before coming to visit us on spring break....but this was a real case of "Girls Gone Wild!!!" They threw themselves into the job and put in some long hard and dirty days as we began the barn project. The goal was to convert our old barn into a nice storage area for the kids bikes and outdoor items and create a play area complete with a stage where the kids and adults could use during inclement weather and as a "stage" for their budding musical talents. the girls also spent considerable time with out children...and they made a real connection with them. Several of the girls will be back for our open house in June. The money for the barn renovation was donated by the Lion's Club International. The Lions Club also donated money to rehab our Waveland St. house, replace the air conditioning units and build a privacy fence around our Waveland property.
Spring Break team from South Dakota finishes off our remodeled "barn"
In the beginning of March, we had a 30 by 60 foot barn that had seen better days...lots of rotten wood on the inside...lost of "poop" on the floor and it really was not good for anything. Using two great "teams" from the college spring break program....we set about turning the old barn into a usable recreation center that would provide us storage for bikes, toys and lawn equipment and give us a place where we could get the kids out to to play in ....out of the house....where they could perform.....and where we could host small events in. The first all girl team from Florida State did an incredible job...tearing out the old wood, replacing it, adding supports and putting up wood paneling. After a week of hard work...they had to leave and the next team, under leader Eric Christi, from South Dakota....came rolling into town to finish what the girls from Florida has started. they spent a week with us and they painted the inside of the new rec hall, built a wood floor and a stage for the kids to set up their instruments on and give shows....built bike racks and a secure storage area for our lawn equipment and planted over 20 trees and bushes in the circle part of our driveway. With the addition of wiring and lights...we now have a great place for the kids to go as well as a great storage area! And, on 21 June of 2008 we put it to good use as we held an informal open house and celebrated our 14th year of operations. The stage worked out great and our children played and sang to the invited guest...and two other bands from local churches also provided inspirational music to the 200 plus attendees. It could not have happened without the hard work of the two groups of young people from Florida and South Dakota....and we thank them so much for caring enough to come and help.
CATS BIKER WARE STAGES A GREAT POKER RUN FOR THE KIDS
Ed and Ilene Catoire, the owners of Cats, lost their home due to hurricane Katrina…but they never lost their hope or their concern for others. On 22 March, they hosted the first annual Poker Run to benefit Hope Haven. Almost 200 Bikers showed up from across the coast and visited the various watering holes in Hancock County to pick up their cards. Who ever turned in the best poker hand won and the competition was pretty tough but no one folded.
Below are some pictures from the event. The weather was great and everyone had a great time! The event raised $2,000 which will be used to send local foster children to summer camp! We thank Ed and Ilene, every one who contributed prizes and items, Charlie Foxtrot Classic Rock Band (who played some awesome music and donated every well played note), Coast 102 with Crazy Dave and Zane, the Donut Shop and More who offered great biker lunches and “Elvis' who stood out in the sun making sure all of the bikers got out on the road safely. If we missed anyone….thank you too!!!!!!!!!
“The Easter Bunny visited Hope Haven”
Cynthia Casey, a long time employee of Grand Casino took it upon herself to make sure the children at Hope Haven had a great Easter. She recruited her friends to help and they donated wonderful Easter Baskets for each of our children as well as games for the yard and gift certificates for Chic fa la at the Mall! The donors included:
Janice Coselich, Suzanne Martel, Maris Loup, Jeanie White, Kathy Satchfield, Caroline Jones, Eddie Hunt, Michelle Rouse and several anonymous donors.
What a wonderful group! The picture below is Cynthia and her son, Forrest. Thank you one and all!!!!!
Main Street Methodist Church also donated baskets to us which they do every year and we used them to add to the mix to give the kids an over the top Easter. Thank you to them as well.
THE WALK FOR HOPE TURNS INTO A RUN A WAY SUCCESS!
On 1 March, the first annual Walk For Hope took place on the waling path on the new Bay St. Louis Bridge . The walk was the brainchild of Tess Williams Director of the Hancock Chamber of Commerce . She recruited our Chamber Volunteer of The Year Mr. Jack Hyman into helping and things really took off.
This event was one of those that took considerable hard work in a short period of time. Most of this hard work was done right in the Chamber offices by their wonder staff and the business volunteers who offered to help. We at Hope Haven did not have to do much of the legwork….and we reaped the benefits of the communities of Pass Christian and Hancock County coming together to support our Helping Hands Fund for needy families along the gulf coast.
What made this event so great …..well The Mayors of all three cities…The Pass, Bay St. Louis and Waveland and their wives participated, the MDOT supported the walk along with the Hancock County Development Association, local business, casinos….everyone chipped in…donated…came out to run or walk and the weather was just perfect. The event raised over $18,000 for our Helping Hands Fund and every penny of that money will be given out in micro grants to needy families in the area. We do not keep a cent of the money in that fund for administrative or fundraising expenses.
So…..our thanks to everyone involved….especially to Linda Graffeo at the Chamber who does so much behind the scenes…and of course to Tish….who used up some of her vital grey cells thinking up this event! We are so pleased to know that this will now become an annual event …one which we hope the public will continue to support…it does so much good.
Twelve year old Ashley Colcote is one of those kids who restores faith in the young people of today. For the 8th year in a row, Ashely held a fundraiser on Make A Difference Day to benefit the children of Hope Haven. Ashley and her friends held a carwash and also sold candy apples, raising over $1,000 for Hope Haven. Over the years, she has raised thousands of dollars, and has collected hundreds of toys and gift cards for our children. Check out this young lady's My Space page to see some photos from the carwash and to be inspired
Even with some funs still to be collected, this years cabbage ball fund raiser has set a new record. The organizer of this event, Wayne Korpi, who spent the last several months at sea with Navoceano, announced that over $9,000 has been raised this year….well over the $6,500 that was raised last year. There are still some checks out…so they will be very close to reaching their target of $10,000. Our heartfelt thanks to all of the volunteers who work so hard to make this event a success each year…to all of the businesses and individuals who contribute raffle prizes and to all of those who attend. We will say more about this event later.
Coast For Kids, a non profit started by Kim and Johnny Beck,,,,Kim Beck Kia fame....recently held their annual fundraiser at the IP Casino in Biloxi. It was breathtaking....terrific food...great entertainment....and the variety and quality of the silent auction items.were equally stunning. The Becks have treated our Board to a table for several years now and several of the Board members and our Director attended.
Near the end of the event, Johnny called our Vice President, Rhonda Derrenbecker, to the floor and presented her with a check for $10,000 to be used for general operating costs of our new home. The Becks have been active in assisting foster children and providing Christmas gifts to needy children along the coast for over ten years...and they were foster parents themselves. We thank them so much for their sharing ways and we know they will be blessed for all that they do for the kids.
Second Air Force MWC holds First Annual Hope Haven Golf Tournament
Thank you to the Second Air Force MWC for donating the proceeds from their charity golf tournament to Hope Haven. They have promised to make this an annual event and we really appreciate that! A special thank you to Lt. Daniel Harrison who set this up and made it all happen. The Airforce really knows how to do things right...I was overwhelmed to receive the check in the 2nd AF meeting room and meet the General and his entire staff..
Also, thanks go out to the following businesses for donating items or gift certificates: Sunkist Golf Course, Aunt Jenny's, Biloxi Bounchouse, Coast Electric, Chick-Fil-A, Harley Davidson, Stramis, Biloxi Schooner, Chili's , Marble Slab Creamery, TGI Friday's, Paw Paw's Camper City, Smoothie King, Papa Johns and Lookout 49.
Thank You Mom's Club!
Hello Mr. Latham,
I hope this email finds you well. Here is the picture from the MOMS Club of Biloxi's first donation day to Hope Haven on October 2nd! In the photos are:
On the left Anita Arnold and her son Jacob (blue stripe polo) and the right Chrissy Sowell and her son Scout (green shirt).
We look forward to making another donation day in November! We have at least one set of dishes and flatware to help furnish the new houses!
Please let me know what else you may need.
Fondly,
Anita J. Arnold
Vice President
MOMS Club of Biloxi
Lowe's Donates New Playground
Thank you to Lowe's employees Joe Reynolds, Donald Ginn, Thomas White, Richard White, Debra Dedeaux, Juan Hernandez and Per Owe Andersson for giving up their Saturday to put up a beautiful new playground at our Harrison County house. Lowe's generously donated the playground and these seven good folks volunteered their time to construct it. This playground will get soooooooo much use!
Many thanks to Gulf Coast Community Foundation , who awarded Hope Haven a $12,000 grant from their Build Back the Coast Katrina Recovery Fund ! These funds will be used to provide nutritious meals to our children. This is especially welcome news, since we expect to be caring for double the amount of children in the new year, when we open up our new home. Gulf Coast Community Foundation has been a faithful supporter of Hope Haven, and ambassadors of goodwill in this community, having provided $10,000 for our Helping Hands Fund in 2006. Those funds were used to provide financial assistance to local foster, kinship and “at risk” families in this community, who were struggling to get back on their feet in the wake of Katrina.
Lions Club International gives $18,500 donation to Hope Haven Through the good will of the Diamondhead Lions Club – who championed Hope Haven's cause to the Lions Club International – we have been awarded a grant totaling $18,500. This generous grant will enable us to:
Upgrade/improve the 4 bedroom cottage on our new Harrison County property
Install a fence around our existing Waveland home
Replace our aging and storm damaged heating and air unit at our Waveland home
These are much needed projects and we are so grateful to the Lions Club for their support!
People's Bank Chooses Hope Haven as One of Their Charities for Forthcoming Year People's Bank has a longstanding tradition of raising money for local charities through a variety of local programs at their local branches. This year, we are proud to announce that the People's Bank Charity Committee has chosen Hope Haven as one of the organizations their branches will support.
MGM Mirage Voice Foundation
For the fifth year in a row, the MGM Mirage group, which owns the Beau Rivage Casino, has awarded us a grant. This year's grant award of $10,000 will help provide basic necessities for our children. We are so grateful for the ongoing support MGM Mirage and the Beau Rivage have shown Hope Haven. Every year, the employees of the Beau Rivage have given every child in our home some incredibly generous Christmas presents. Last year, we could not fit all the presents in one van - we had to make two trips! They are truly a charitable group of individuals and we feel blessed to have them.
Recent events in support of Hope Haven:
BRETT FAVRE FOURWARD FOUNDATION CARES
ABOUT ABUSED CHILDREN For the tenth straight year, the Brett Favre Fourward Foundation has donated $20,000 to help fund our shelter operations. Brett Favre, the well know quarter back for the Green Bay Packers was interested in helping us right from the start and he and his wife Deanna, who is the CEO/President of the Foundation, have been true friends and supporters since we opened.
Our local contact has usually been Brett's mom, Bonita, who has been to our home several times and who, along with her daughter Brandy, has brought the kids gifts at Easter and Christmas. Counting the donation of footballs and "jerseys" the family has donated well over $200,000 to us to help care for local children. The whole family are just everyday "folks" with big hearts and we appreciate them so much.
Our new "Angel Ranch" is just down the country road from the Favre property and we will invite them all to our housewarming this fall.
We Love Our Web Designer!
Our undying gratitude goes out to our fabulous web designer, Vicki Miller . We got to know Vicki from the good work she does in the community as Governor of the District 21 Quota International Club . We are grateful for the many volunteer hours she has donated in the complete redesign of our webpage, as well as her patience with our technological ignorance!
