 AMHH Newsletter ~ Real Single Moms Helping Single Moms ~  Fall 2015 Volume 1, ISSUE 2
Thank You to Our Community What a busy summer we’ve had with AMHH. Our Flock-A-Friend fundraiser was a success. We flocked 82 homes and raised over $1,700! A HUGE thank you to those that flocked a friend, made a donation and those that helped replace some of our missing flock. Thank you SWFL for helping us help moms. During June, July and August we distributed 6 Birthday Boxes, assisted our moms with approximately $400 in Bare Necessities, and held a Slumber Party for our moms to have a night of relaxation! Thank you to Craig Fischer from Therapeutic Massage of SWFL for providing chair massages to our moms. Thank you to Karyn from Quarters from the Heart, vendors, businesses that donated for the Chinese Auction and everyone that came out to support AMHH at our quarter auction fundraiser. We raised $576 to help send our kids back to school prepared! Donor Highlights We are blessed to have wonderful donors in which we could not continue to help our moms without their kindness and generosity. Jackie and Justin drake, Fort Myers, first became involved with A Mom’s Helping Hand in February 2015. Upon reading a request for a preemie car seat, Jackie and Justin purchased a new infant seat so the child would come home from the hospital safely and have a seat to grow into. Researching the non-profit and realizing the impact locally, Jackie and Justin compiled boxes for the Bare Necessities and Birthday Boxes drive. Community means a great deal to the Drake’s. We each have the opportunity to do some good on some level. Give back where you can. Ask yourself, if not me, then who? If not now, then When? Board Member Spotlight – Jennalee Damico, Vice-President My name is Jennalee, and I am the Vice President of A Mom’s Helping Hand of SWFL. I have been in Cape Coral for a little over 6 years. I am also a single mother to two amazing little boys. I feel being able to directly relate to the Mom’s is the biggest quality I bring to the group. Kristen and I originally met a few years ago, we clicked instantly. While our children are different ages (hers are older than mine) we understood what each other went through daily. We knew the loneliness that the other faced, how emotionally and physically exhausting taking on the responsibility that is naturally shared by two parents is, the tears the other cried, the hardships faced. Raising children alone is not for the week. I went through a really rough patch. It was one thing after another in a very short period of time. I honestly didn’t know how I was going to make it through. Kristen and her children were there for my children and I. If that meant taking my kids to see the Christmas lights on display (my car broke down and I didn’t have the mean to have it repaired), taking us out for ice cream on a really rough day, or just being there to vent to; they were there. I know how much single moms need the support of women in situations similar to one another. When Kristen approached me with the idea to start A Mom’s Helping Hand, my heart was in it from the start. I knew it was a need, not just for the women of Southwest Florida, but for their children as well. Children of single mom’s face different struggles compared to their peers in two parent homes. A Mom’s Helping Hand of SWFL is still under a year old. When I see the impact we are making on the community, it gives me the drive to keep pushing forward, no matter how long the days are. My children put in many hours toward helping AMHH succeed. They have learned so much about compassion, acceptance, and understanding in the past year. We’ve spent hours doing random acts of kindness. The light bulb went off for one of my son’s while handing out Valentine’s in front of a Publix one evening. A woman broke down in tears, tears of joy, she asked him if she could huge him as he had made her day. At that moment, he knew exactly what doing for others with no expectations in return was all about. One evening my son’s had already had their bath and were in pajama’s waiting for bed time when I received a message about a mom and children who were in desperate need. I looked at my boys and explained to them that we needed to go out and help this family. We met the family at a gas station with bare necessities and filled their gas tank to allow the mom to make it her upcoming interviews. On the drive home my oldest said “Mom, we helped them. I like helping people. It makes me feel good”. It makes me feel good too. Recently, we dropped of a backpack full of school supplies to a 10 year old boy of a single dad. We talked about the importance of all children having what they need to go back to school and feeling good about their upcoming year. My boys get it, they get the importance of helping others; even at their young ages. They get that sometimes the little things we take for granted daily are the big things to others That makes all the experiences even more meaningful to me. I'm excited to see where this adventure will take us, all the growth to come, and the future families I will meet and impact. Volunteer Profile Terry Frederick has volunteered for more than half his life to different organizations between Southwest Florida to south central Pennsylvania. He began his volunteering years in the Civil Air Patrol. He then turned to paramedic volunteer hours. After he was old enough he has always volunteered his time with our Veterans of America. He feels that our military should always be recognized and taken care of. After moving to Florida, Terry has continued his services with the American Cancer Society and anything and everything that he can do at Dunbar High School. Terry has been a great help with our moms in gaining donations and organizing fund raising events. He has a big heart and we appreciate everything he does for us. Being a single mom wasn’t always the plan I have been a single mom since my daughter was 3 months old. I found out about her father's drug and alcohol problem a few months into our relationship. He said he wanted help to get better and I did everything I could to help. Things didn't get better, it got worse. By the time I had enough, I found out that I was 4 months pregnant. I didn't want my child to grow up without a father to I sucked it up and did the best that I could. We got evicted from our apartment when I was 8 months pregnant. My parents helped us get a place here in Cape Coral. Things got better for a little bit. My daughter was born and things started getting bad again. He got back into drugs and alcohol. I left my daughter with him for 2 hours, came home to find him high on something and strangers in my home with my daughter screaming her head of In the next room. I packed up everything he had and kicked him out. Changed the locks and started trying to put my life back in order. AMHH has helped me so much in the time that I've been a member. There is such support and love within the group. It doesn't matter what you need or say, the members are always there to help as much as they can. I've been able to share things with the group that I don't even feel comfortable sharing with ny own family. There is no judgements, just love and support. I'm so thankful and grateful for this amazing group of ladies...my extended family. Upcoming Events Car Wash Fundraiser Come out and support AMHH and get your car washed at the same time. Event Date: Saturday, November 14th Event Time: 10:00 – 1:00 Event Location: Advance Auto 831 Cape Coral Pkwy Breakfast with Santa Come have breakfast with Santa! Breakfast includes, pancakes, sausage or bacon and a beverage. Only $7.00 for kids and $9.00 for adults when purchased in advance. Tickets will be $10 at the door. There will be door prizes and your kids can get their pictures taken with Santa! Event Date: Saturday, December 12th Event Time: 8:00 – 10:00 Event Location: TBD SWFL Santa’s It’s that time of year, we are gearing up for our SWFL Santa’s holiday program. Please consider getting your work-place, school, church, Scouts, or even Bunko group involved. The success of this program will take a village, a lot of pre-planning and patient coordination. If interested you will be able to communicate the size of the family you would like to be paired with. Then AMHH will pair our families with community members and groups in November. At that time you will be given a brief bio and wish list from the family. We tell them they may not get everything on their list, but you never know…! If you are interested in participating, contact us at amomshelpinghand@yahoo.com or by calling 239-895-5341 Gifts of any size will make a difference and are greatly appreciated. To make a donation, send a check payable to A Mom’s Helping Hand of SWFL (AMHH) P.O. Box 100021 Cape Coral, FL 33910 Gifts can also be made online For more information or to arrange for delivery of Christmas Gifts, call Kristen Schaufler, 239-895-5341.
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