Response Holds “Spring Cleaning” Project

On the afternoon of May 28th Response Church helped us at the Social Service Center with a little Spring Cleaning.  Volunteers came out and washed windows, trimmed trees, weeded, and helped us cover up some graffiti in our alley.  We are now ready for summer!

We are always looking for new volunteers here at the Center.  If you are interested, click the “Volunteer” button on the left side of this page or contact Julia Sipes at (317) 224-1067 to find out how you can help out!

Why We Are Here

N was two months pregnant when she came into shelter with her three children.  She had experienced health problems which had caused her to lose her job and home.  She had no family support but she wanted to stay in the Indianapolis area.  After meeting with her case manager and setting up child care for her children, N began attending job training courses with Career Corner and Horizon House.  After two months N found employment and housing.  Her health had also begun to improve.

N moved into an apartment and had a healthy baby girl.  She is now a manager at a bagel shop and has health benefits for herself and her children.  She continues to either meet or talk over the phone with her case manager weekly to update us on herself and her children.  The children are enrolled in school and the youngest in day care.  One of her children is currently receiving speech therapy at Riley and may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance.

Have Used Cell Phones Lying Around??

Instead of throwing away your used cell phones donate them to us!  The Salvation Army Social Service Center sends donated phones to Shelter Alliance, a program which recycles used cell phones and then donates the money to us!

We can earn as much as $30 per phone.  Don’t worry if your phone is outdated or damaged, we still benefit from every phone that we recycle.

You can drop phones off here at 540 N. Alabama.  Questions?  Contact Julia Sipes at (317) 224-1067 or julia_sipes@usc.salvationarmy.org.

From Broken to Blooming!

Once again this week’s success story is a client testimony about how The Salvation Army Social Service Center has helped her turn her life around…

“I first came to the S.A. because of domestic violence.  I remember feeling confused, my self-esteem and confidence ebbing away and I just felt totally lost about my marriage.  Everything felt wrong, but I didn’t know why.  All I did know was that I was afraid of my husband’s violent, verbal episodes; which later turned physical.  I was at the The Salvation Army only a short time when my husband left me a message to call him, and I did because I loved him.  When I flew back to him, thinking he would have changed, I remember reflecting back on that safe feeling and unconditional kindness I had received at the shelter.

There was one incident in particular that stuck with me and was the reason I retuned almost five years later.  I met an officer and his wife while I was doing laundry at The Salvation Army.  He asked me if I was ok, if I needed anything, and if I was being treated well.  I was feeling so much shame about being an imposition and being there in the first place that I could not meet his gaze.  His soothing, soft spoken voice finally convinced me to look at him.  I will never forget his eyes.  They had a compassionate softness in them that I have never seen before.  Never.  He continued talking to me and I couldn’t help but begin to answer him, assuring him I was being more than cared for.  I’m not sure I even had the presence of mind to thank him as they left.  His eyes were the reason I took a great number of papers about domestic violence with me when I left the shelter.

When my husband would start his demeaning rants, I would start keeping mental notes until he was gone.  Then I would get those papers out and one by one as I checked and compared I had no excuses for him anymore.

I prayed and talked to God all the time about my marriage.  I’ve prayed and talked to God since I was 5, so thankfully I had that to count on when I was going through this ordeal. 

Domestic violence is not simple nor is it easy to understand but those papers I took with me from The Salvation Army saved my life!  That and the officer’s eyes.

I returned to the SA one year ago and my life; yes, I can say MY LIFE is blooming.  I am blooming because of the nourishment I receive emotionally, physically, mentally, and most of all spiritually.  I can mention God, Jesus Christ, and our Lord as often as I like here.  In fact, our Lord’s name is spoken here around every “nook and cranny,” as my mother would say.  The staff and the limitless hosts of self help programs available are phenomenal. 

One may come here broken; mentally, physically or both.  But if a person uses these services to learn and advance and lets the staff help and guide them, then each one of us will fly out of here a centered and blessed creature of God.”

What a wonderful testimony to what we are trying to do here at The Salvation Army Social Service Center!  Thank you to “SG” for taking the time to put her words on paper and share her experience with us!

SSC Celebrates National Salvation Army Week With a Style Show

Tuesday, May 13th the Social Service Center hosted “Empowering Women:  Presenting a Professional Image” in honor of National Salvation Army Week. 

Six wonderful clients donated their time to participate in the show.  Volunteer Marla Olinger choreographed a dance to Ricky Martin’s “La Copa de La Vida.”  Lorrie Algate, volunteer and advisory council member, came early to give the models Mary Kay makeovers before the show.  Response Church helped with planning, decorations, and provided desserts. 

Happy National Salvation Army Week and thank you to both clients and volunteers who helped make the Style Show such a success!

Jewish Women International to Provide Flowers for Mothers this Mother’s Day

Sunday brunch and armfuls of tulips are traditional ways to honor women on Mother’s Day.  But what if mom is one of more than 25,000 women nationwide who will spend the holiday in a battered women’s shelter?  Jewish Women International’s Mother’s Day Flower Project raises awareness and funds for victims of domestic violence by sending bouquets to 150 battered women’s shelters across the United States, including The Salvation Army Social Service Center.

“For so many of us Mother’s Day means corsages and lovely meals with family.  But for women who are victims of domestic violence, the holiday may pass without any appreciation or celebration,” says JWI Executive Director Lori Weinstein.  “The Mother’s Day Flower Project is an opportunity to show women whose lives have been marred by violence that we care and that we won’t rest until we bring the entire country’s attention to this problem.”  What a wonderful blessing for our ladies!