EBELL’S SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE SERVING THE COMMUNITY
Paulinda Schimmel, Janice Berger-Landau, Cheryl Finley and Nancy Meade with staff from Hope Gardens
The Ebell’s Social Services Committee was pleased to be asked to sponsor a table for eight at Hope Garden’s first ever TEA FOR HOPE. All the women at Hope Gardens were asked to participate in an etiquette class in preparation for the tea. The Ebell was one of several organizations that sponsored tables. The purpose of the tea was to celebrate the accomplishments of the residents and to make them feel valued.
Our responsibility was to provide all the food, linens, tableware, and decorations for the table. The members who volunteered had a great time working together planning the event and getting to know each other. We were excited about making it all work, and on Saturday, June 10th at 10 AM, we met at Hope Gardens to set up our table and – voilà – it all fell into place. Our table was lovely, we had plenty of food, and the ladies at our table were a joy to be with. We had a wonderful time and, in the end, we left feeling we had gained so much more than we had given.
Union Rescue Mission’s Hope Gardens is an Ebell Rest Cottage Association (RCA) grantee, and it is an oasis of hope on 71 acres in the foothills of Sylmar, California. This transitional housing campus offers sanctuary to single women and their children who are experiencing homelessness. Hope Gardens helps women transition from homelessness to independence by offering long-term rehabilitation programs and spiritual care. Women and their children have a safe place to live while they receive counseling, training, encouragement, and the real help they need to escape homelessness forever.
Social Service Committee participants were: Nancy Meade, Janice Berger-Landau, Paulinda Schimmel, and Cheryl Finley
