From The Desk of Kathy Jenkins - February 2024
This past month has been nothing short of incredible. New Directions began 2024 with an exhilarating start - the anticipation and execution of our 8th Annual Compassion Through Fashion event. Our inspiring fashion show raised $132,000 for our mission, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, event vendors, attendees, and partners (you!). It was a beautiful night, showcasing the creativity of our local designers and models, and most importantly, reflecting the work that we do each and every day: to help people who feel broken, forgotten, invisible, or worn-down by crisis remake their lives into something beautiful again.
This year’s Compassion Through Fashion event was particularly meaningful for me on a personal level. On the front row sat a bright and energetic 5-year-old, my granddaughter Cameron Collins. Her presence served as a reminder that the work we do today shapes the world our children and grandchildren will inherit. As I think about the future, I pause to imagine what kind of world we will pass on to the next generation.
I wonder if, in 20 years, when my granddaughter and her generation are young adults, there will still be 653,000 people without a permanent place to call home each night in the US. I wonder if 46.3 million people (16.5% of the population!) will still be suffering from addiction, and if far too many of our neighbors will still find themselves in poverty (37.9 million or 11.5% of the population).
There are many differences between the world we currently live in and the one we want our children to inherit: Affordable housing, abundant well-paying jobs, an economy that allows families to thrive rather than just survive, and increased efforts to reduce access to illicit substances, stopping addiction before it starts. Although these are not issues that New Directions is positioned to address, I believe that together, you and I can be the reason that our children and grandchildren inherit a world better than the one we live in today.
The concept of hope is very important to our organization, with our motto being “Hope Starts Here”. More than just a tagline, hope is our ethos, and describes our ability to see the world as it could be and inspires our work to ensure that it will be. Hope bridges the gap between our past and our future, between the world you and I currently live in and the one our children and grandchildren will inherit.
We may not be able to ensure that every person has a safe, affordable home, a great job, is self-sufficient, and thriving. But when life takes an unexpected turn for our neighbors - whether that be homelessness, poverty, or addiction- we can ensure that they have every chance at recovering and achieving their best life possible. Though it may seem small, with each night of shelter provided, each meal served, and each “hand-up” offering assistance, together we are making hope a reality for so many in our community who find themselves in crisis. Having led New Directions these past ten years, I have learned that the “little things” can make the biggest difference. “All the little things you don’t think matter, that aren’t a big deal, are a big deal. And I got that at New Directions and it made me feel like a person again” (Tracy, Former Women’s Shelter Client).
Your support of New Directions, whether through fundraising events like our recent 8th Annual Compassion Through Fashion, annual giving, volunteerism, in-kind donations, or partnership year-round, helps make “Hope Starts Here” a reality. Although we don’t know what the future might hold, I am confident that together, we are ensuring that the world our children, grandchildren, and the next generation inherits is better than the one we live in now. Thanks to your support, I see this happening at New Directions each and every day - changing our community, and in turn, our world, one life, and one story at a time.
Together, Hope truly does start here!
Kathy Jenkins, CEO
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness” - Desmond Tutu
PS - $132,000 raised at our 8th Annual Compassion Through Fashion event has provided 6,600 nights of shelter, making it possible for 55 people to recover from crisis through a full stay (120 days) in our Pathways Program. This support has an impact of $2,255,000 based on the cost to the community for a homeless individual to live on the street ($41,000 annually according to HUD).