RIVER OF LIFE MISSION “Rescue the Perishing”
Corporate Overview
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION “Rescue the Perishing”
DESIGN CONCEPT Background: Mosaic Brick Wall Foreground: Tree of Life People: Spiritual Living Stones Sacrifice: Your Acts of Service “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
(1 Peter 2:5 NASB)
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THE ORGANIZATION The River of Life Mission, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization registered in the State of Hawai’i. Our mission is committed to the care and stewardship of your financial resources by providing healthy and balanced nutritional meals, clothing, shelter, job training, and recovery treatment programs. Our beneficiaries consist of elderly senior citizens, handicapped, families with children, and countless men and women from every age group who are in some form of poverty, recovery, or facing chronic mental and physical illness including homelessness. Our mission is to bring community awareness and advance the cause of the homeless who have no voice or advocacy in their plight to find nutritional sustenance and a decent roof over their heads. Our non-profit status requires an enormous amount of finances, goodwill, material and manpower resources to manage the hundreds of meals that we serve daily at the Mission, including administrative services to provide and care for the poor and needy. We would like to encourage everyone who have been blessed to help us help our Hawai’i brothers and sisters – who are struggling to survive the neighborhood parks and streets of Downtown Honolulu.
Aloha Ke Akua, River of Life Mission
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
The Organization
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BACKGROUND
The River of Life Mission is located in a century old, historic-registry-listed Sumida building on the corner of Maunakea and Pauahi Street in Chinatown Honolulu. It was from this location in 1985 that our humble beginnings began to blossom into a vibrant organization that provides our guests with hope and a compliment of social programs to meet the growing needs of drug prevention, rehabilitation, shelter, community integration and job training, etc.
MISSION STATEMENT
The purpose of River of Life Mission is to restore broken lives through three goals: • RESCUE • REHABILITATION • REINTEGRATION Our motto is “Freely you have received. Freely give.” This is why we provide our guests a variety of goods and social services (including food items, clothing, furniture, household products and appliances) provided free of charge.
WHERE DO DONATIONS COME FROM?
Approximately 65–70% of our donations come from individuals just like you. Businesses, churches, foundations, and civic groups also contribute to the Mission. All donations are tax deductible.
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Background
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STEWARDSHIP HOW IS THE MONEY SPENT? At the Mission we believe that the Bible professes fiscal responsibility and financial soundness, and this perspective influences our views in prudent financial management. For every $1.00 in donations, about 7–cents goes toward administrative and fundraising expenses, and 93–cents goes directly toward Mission programs.
A NATIONAL NETWORK OF GOSPEL RESCUE MISSIONS The Mission is a member of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, a national network of ore than 400 missions throughout the United States dedicated towards providing for the most immediate needs of the homeless and needy while sharing the good news of Jesus’ love. To learn more, visit the association’s website at: http://www.agrm.org Since 1985 the Mission has been an oasis for many through error, disability, discrimination or circumstances have found themselves in a state of homelessness. With no regard for position, ethnicity, appearance or faith, all are welcome. • All services are free of charge
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Stewardship
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SERVICE CATAGORIES:
SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE MISSION • FOOD SERVICE • DINING ROOM FACILITIES • FULL-SERVICE KITCHEN • STORAGE PANTRY • FOOD BOX DISTRIBUTION • MEN’S DESTINY HOUSE • WOMEN’S HOUSE OF HOPE • ADMINSTRATIVE SERVICES • JOBS TRAINING • REHABILITATION TREATMENT PROGRAMS • PRINTING SERVICES • CHURCH SERVICES • PERSONAL COUNSELING
Since 1985 the Mission has been an oasis for many through error, disability, discrimination or circumstances have found themselves in a state of homelessness. With no regard for position, ethnicity, appearance or faith, all are welcome. • ALL SERVICES ARE FREE OF CHARGE
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
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Service Categories
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River of Life Mission is helping the homeless and needy on Oahu in a variety of ways offering the following services with no charge to the recipients. Mission is open for 3 meals daily, Monday – Friday.
• MEALS SERVED An average of 750 meals are served fresh daily. Monthly numbers go from 14,000 – 15,000 meals depending on number of days that month. Thanksgiving Day 2011 we served 940 meals.
• FOOD BOXES On the last two Fridays of each month – individuals or families line up on the sidewalk waiting to receive their food
boxes. Some are elderly, some handicapped, and many unemployed. About half of these families have children at home. Surplus food is also given to individuals who take it to senior citizens and to others unable to come pick it up.
• DISPOSABLE DIAPERS On Tuesdays, low income parents come to us to receive diapers for their infants and toddlers.
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Daily Services 1
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• DAILY SHOWERS On an average day 35 homeless men and women shower at the mission. We provide a clean towel, soap, shampoo, razors, deodorant, toothpaste and other grooming essentials for those who shower here. Roughly 700 showers are provided
here each month.
• USED CLOTHING The mission also provides free good quality used clothing. Roughly 75,000 articles of clothing were distributed in
2011. Thirty-five thousand articles went into the community via other ministries who distributed them. The remainder of the articles were distributed right here at River of Life on Mondays and Thursdays when guests come to the clothing department and select garments for
themselves. • All services are free of charge
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Daily Services 2
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• HOUSEHOLD GOODS Small appliances, kitchen utensils, dishes, pots, pans, linens, small articles of furniture, baby cribs, strollers, car seats and various other household goods are given away at the mission (Free Store” which is open to the public two Tuesdays each month.
• SOCIAL WORKERS Social workers help homeless, elderly and low-income people fill out paperwork involved in securing health insurance, medical care, and acquiring birth certificates and other documents
required by government agencies. Social workers also make referrals to other agencies and help with housing information. Sometimes they go to judicial court to advocate for people we are helping. They also do case management for the men and women in the two residential programs. • All services are free of charge
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Daily Services 3
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RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS House of Hope provides 15 beds for women and Destiny House for men has 13 beds. Both house people in the relapse prevention program for recovering drug and alcohol addicts. Roughly 50% of the residents come from prison to us. Other residents were living on the streets before coming to us. The 18-month program is tightly structured and highly supervised. Residents receive job training and life skills training and to volunteer in various departments at the mission. In the first phase of the program, some residents are court mandated to go for outpatient addiction treatment. In the second phase of the program, residents are required to complete high school or vocational school or college or find a job. We currently have one man and one woman in college. A third man graduated recently from the 18-month program and he is
in his second semester of college.
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Residential Programs
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RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Residential Continued RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS The need for housing men and women coming out of prison is acute. In the past 11 months we have been forced to turn away more than 50 female applicants who have asked us for housing and help with addiction recovery. The need for housing for the non-criminal homeless is equally acute. The few beds we provide seem a mere drop in the bucket when viewing the island population of homeless. However those few beds are making it possible to change the lives of the men and women who are in our program.
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WAYS YOUR CHURCH OR GROUP CAN
HELP RIVER OF LIFE MISSION HELP OTHERS Many non-profit agencies have been adversely affected by the economy. Most of us are trying to help more people than ever in spite of the fact that our income is reduced. There are numerous things you can do to help us.
SUPPORT OUR ANNUAL FUNDRAISER Get teams of friends, employees or neighbors to help with this fundraising event. Visit www.walkrun4hunger.com for more information.
RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION Sell tickets to purchase chocolate goody bags from Chocolate on a Mission, a job training division of River of Life Mission. Call 524-7770 or visit www.chocolateonamission.com for more information.
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Ways to Help Us
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OTHER WAYS TO HELP THE MISSION INCLUDE RECRUIT RELIABLE TRUSTWORTHY VOLUNTEERS To fill one or two 3-hour shifts per week at the mission.
ORGANIZE CANNED FOOD DRIVE Collect Veggies, Fruits, Soups and Meats are most useful.
COLLECT GENTLY USED CLOTHING Men’s and Women’s jeans, shorts, t-shirts and shoes are needed
GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR CLOTHING, ETC. Kmart, Walmart and CVS Longs Drugstore to purchase underwear, shoes, jeans and other items for those coming from prison to the residential program. Most of our program residents come with only the clothes they are wearing.
GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR THE MISSION Home Depot, Costco’s, Sam’s Club and grocery stores are used to purchase kitchen supplies, paper products, household goods, and janitorial supplies to clean, repair and maintain the two houses and this 100-year old building in Chinatown.
FINANCIAL DONATIONS Money for gasoline, electric bill, mortgage, insurance, water bill, bus passes, office supplies, first aid supplies, laundry detergent, hygienic products and diapers. Mahalo!
Association of Gospel Rescue Missions
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Helping the Mission
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With Love, ALOHA! RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
100 N. Pauahi Street, Honolulu, Hawai’i 96819 Office: (808) 524-7656 * Fax: (808) 524-5064 www.riveroflifemission.com
RIVER OF LIFE MISSION
Please Kokua! Mahalo!
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