Soroptimists help mothers in need by furnishing starter apartments
A new year will mean a new start for a mother and her 6-year-old son thanks to the efforts of the A Place to Lay My Head project of the Soroptimist International of Butler County and the Lighthouse Foundation.
On Monday, the small family will move into a South Side apartment furnished by members of the Soroptomists, who spent Saturday morning bringing in bedding, kitchenware, living room furniture and appliances.
Susan Levish, county Soroptomist president, said the group collects gently used furniture and housewares and buys new beds, bedding and pillows for women who are entering the transitional living program of the Lighthouse Foundation, based in Middlesex Township.
Susan Hess, the case manager for the Lighthouse transitional living program, said she works with women who are victims of domestic violence or have drug, alcohol or mental problems.
“They are in the program for 18 months and I walk alongside of them,” Hess said. “I help them get their GEDs, find work, get treatment, attend parenting classes, to get them to become self-sustaining.”“A lot of times they come into the program with a garbage bag full of clothes and that's it,” she said.And that's where A Place to Lay My Head comes in. Organized by the late Soroptomist president Diane M. Dancik,the program started by providing pillows and mattresses and grew to include furniture, pots and pans, tables and even small gifts for the children.Soroptomist member Marianne Hill said Dancik was upset over how many women and children were homeless in the county.So far, 35 apartments have been furnished since A Place to Lay My Head started in 2015.
Cindy Magdinec, chairwoman of the A Place to Lay My Head committee, said the Soroptomists store donated furniture and other items until they get word an apartment needs to be furnished. Recipients can keep the furniture and other items when they move to other housing after the 18 months in the transitional living program.“It's really rewarding to help these women who are having hard times. It's something small we can do for these women who are trying to improve their lives,” Magdinec said. “It makes me feel happy.”Often the call comes quickly with only a two or five day turnaround. Magdinec said she texts the membership looking for volunteers to lift, carry and gather donations. The group also buys small appliances, a sweeper and usually the TV and mattresses and box springs.The Soroptomists normally have fundraisers twice a year: a January lottery and the group's Spring Fling at the Butler Country Club, both which have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.The money raised funds A Place to Lay My Head as well as the group's other charitiable efforts including Live Your Dream grants awarded to single moms who are working to get an education to improve their lives and the lives of their children.But if funds have been reduced, the need has not.And that need has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had a woman working with three kids. When the pandemic hit, her kids had to go to school online. She had to quit her job to stay home with them and go on unemployment and COVID relief,” Hess said.Magdinec said the Soroptomists are always looking for gently used furniture and other items for the program. She said people interested in donating items can call 724-272-7935.A donated table lamp or a dish set can be important in helping families get back on their feet, Hess said.“My two favorite times are when a family moves in,” she said. “And 18 months later when they move out taking their own belongings with them.“It can be a bit of a roller coaster in between. But who doesn't like roller coasters?”
