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JANUARY 2018 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& JANUARY 2018
GRATEFUL GATHERINGS
By Fran Miller
In 2013, KTVU’s Frank Sommerville covered a story involving an East Bay family transitioning from a shelter to a home. Sommerville’s wife Donna took it upon herself to gather items to stock the family’s empty abode. Volunteers then helped to set-up the apartment. The effort was rewarding, and Donna, along with her friend Chris Flitter, set out to formalize and expand on the idea that a community can come together quickly and easily to make a difference. Thus, Grateful Gatherings was born with a mission to improve lives by providing quality furniture and household goods to those transitioning out of homelessness and poverty. Grateful Gatherings believes that by providing families in transition – or those having faced tragedy – with a safe, warm, Before comfortable, and well-equipped home, they have greater chance for success. And Grateful Gatherings is unique in that donated items or funds go straight to families in need. To date, the organization has assisted 355 people and 105 homes. “We are growing quickly, and this year alone we served 125 people,” says Flitter. “In addition, we adopted 24 families this past holiday After season.” Donors witness the direct impact of their donations and can see the difference their gifts make. Sommerville, Flitter, and their team work closely with various social service and nonprofit agencies in seeking the families they assist. They ask each family to create a list of needs (furniture, kitchen items, beds, clothes, toys, linens, appliances, etc. – anything that makes a home feel like home). The wish list is then sent to the Grateful Gatherings’ grassroots network of donors via email and Facebook, or particular groups or organizations can sign-up to sponsor a family. This past fall, East Bay realtor Dana Green and her real estate team were one such sponsor. With the help of their clients, Dana’s team was able to make a home for Stephanie, a victim of domestic violence, and her four children, ages 5 to 12. Dana and company solicited donations from friends, family, and clients, and they checked-off Stephanie’s wish list. They then packed, sorted, and helped move furnishings to Stephanie’s new apartment. They cleaned, put together bunk beds,
See Gatherings continued on page 20
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E N G L I S H A S A S E CO N D L A N G UAG E CONVERSATION CIRCLES
By Linda Summers Pirkle
If you have lived in a foreign country, you know how it is exciting to learn new customs and experience a new culture. But, along with the fun part, it can also be a challenge. Language skills can be one of the most frustrating aspects about living in a new country. The simplest tasks can be daunting. Even traveling to a distant land on vacation or business can be isolating if your language skills are not as you hoped. Everyone has heard the advice, “Just jump in and try your French, or Spanish, or Swedish…” but often that is easier said than done when you feel overwhelmed. Since its inception in November 2016, English as a Second Language Conversation Circle at the Danville Library gives English learners an opportunity to practice conversational skills in an informal and comfortable environment with other English-as-a Second-Language (ESL)
See Language continued on page 20
WINTER NIGHTS SHELTER : MUCH MORE THAN A SAFE HAVEN
By Jody Morgan
From October through early June, Winter Nights (WN) Shelter offers much more than a safe haven for the homeless Contra Costa County families it serves. In addition to overnight housing Two hundred volunteers each week are needed to and meals furnished by 17 host provide meals and services at WN shelter sites. congregations aided by 27 cohosting faith communities, WN provides tutoring for children, transportation to school for students and to work for parents, and assistance for adults in
See Nights continued on page 14
The Editors
Serving the combined communities of Alamo, Diablo, and Danville, Since October 2017
Volume XVIII Number 1
Volume IX Number 1
3000F Danville Blvd. #117 Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
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