By December evenings may be chilly and dark, but Lydia’s House is glowing with holiday cheer. I’ve never heard so many spontaneous outbreaks of caroling! We have been observing the season of advent by praying together, lighting candles, and making holiday crafts. ORNAMENTS I bought some pom-poms, raided the craft closet, and opened up many pinterest tabs on my phone. It was ornament-making day! But once the kids got hold of the colored paper and tacky-glue, all plans were abandoned. And, of course, their creations were delightful! They made little books, abstract sculptures, and yarn puffballs. The children at work.
Giving Thanks for Answered Prayers
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR: Healthy births for two first-time moms, L and D. S’s beautiful family, sweet new baby, and her new apartment. T’s healthy new baby, and her new apartment. L’s safe transition to the Shanklin’s house. A’s transition to her own apartment through the Welcome Project. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund, created this year in the city of Cincinnati. All the generous donors that allowed Lydia’s House to acquire a building & develop affordable apartments. The great success of the Women for Women event, and the ongoing friendship of the Krzeski Family. The enrichment provided by
September in Review
Every weekend in September held a joyful event! Here’s a few pictures and notes from the last month at Lydia’s House. WOMEN FOR WOMEN It’s our biggest event of the year: Women for Women. Maria Krzeski has planned and hosted this fundraiser for us for five years, and it is an incredible labor of love. Women gather, clad in shades of blue and purple, to hear the stories of our guests and the trajectory of our mission. MUSE choir serenades us, and we end the night with dinner and desserts. This year, we raised $75,000, exceeding our $50,000 goal. We
Family Camp at Procter Center
We’d been talking about it for weeks. When Anne first suggested it at dinner back in June, every hand shot up: Yes! We want to go to camp! We filled out health forms. We pored over the packing list (yet still forgot a couple things). And then, last week, the day finally arrived. The minivan was fully loaded with duffel bags and campers. We took off! But first, we had to stop for lunch. For weeks, S had had a powerful pregnancy-craving for Chic-Fil-A. So that’s where we stopped. Gosh those fries are good. At the green and spacious Procter Center,
Field Trip to Gorman Heritage Farm
Here are some of the highlights from our excursion to Gorman Heritage Farm generously hosted by Kathy, a friend of Lydia’s House and one of the farm’s volunteers. Look at that! One-year-old resident of Lydia’s House points to one of Gorman’s goats – a new mother of twins. Ever wonder where apples come from? Chickens might be a little scary when they’re not on your plate… …but rabbits are cute and fuzzy. Can we take it home? Before we take a break for lunch, we stop to feed the little lambs. Our tour concludes with a riveting game of tic-tac-toe