Your support, a loving man, and Christ’s amazing grace are rescuing Yvonne from a life of suffering.

Yvonne’s early life is a sad story of drugs, violence and loss. Married at 16, her husband soon turned abusive and unfaithful. Following the birth of a child and the loss of a second to miscarriage, the couple divorced barely two years later. Yvonne began using drugs to mask her pain. Before she was 21, she was addicted to cocaine and pregnant by a new man.

Divorced for a second time, Yvonne found herself without her children and living on the streets. Then she met Freddy. A former drug user who had found Christ, Freddy was trying to clean up his life. He invited Yvonne to stay in his apartment. “He respected me,” Yvonne says. “He never tried to take advantage of me.” But even with Freddy’s good influence, Yvonne was finding it hard to leave her old life behind. “I would go to church high on drugs, just so I could be with him,” she says.

As her addiction grew out of control, Yvonne knew she needed help. But she couldn’t bear leaving Freddy, to whom she was now married, to enter a program. When a friend told her Orange County Rescue Mission accepts married couples, she immediately contacted us. “Freddy said he would move to the Village of Hope with me,” she says. “He never gives up on me. He says he sees a light in me. He says I’m worth something.”

The family joined us at the Village of Hope late in 2008. “This place has saved my life,” she says. “I’ve been through such an ordeal, but I’m not giving up.” Yvonne is so grateful to have her younger children back in her life now. “Freddy has put up with so much because of me, the poor guy,” she says. “The Mission is helping both of us get back on our feet.”

In the June 2008 issue of the E-news, we introduced you to Mike Martinez, a young man who came to us for help beating his meth addiction and cutting his ties with the wrong crowd. We’re happy to report that not only has Mike left the drug and gang scene behind, but he’s also received his commercial driver license and begun work driving a van for a moving company.

“I’m happy to be able to move forward and start saving money for my own place,” Mike says. “The Mission helped me take the driving class, pass the test and find this job. I feel very fortunate,” he continues. “I know a lot of people are not working now. I really appreciate people caring enough about me to give me the help I needed.”

Of course, none of this could have happened without you, the ones who faithfully support our work. Thank you!

When William and Mildred Curtis contemplated where to invest their resources after they were gone, they looked first at those organizations they were already supporting. They wanted to invest where lives would be forever changed.

Since the Orange County Rescue Mission (an organization they had been supporting for more than 20 years) has a reputation for being a good steward of the resources entrusted into its care, and a proven track record of transforming lives, Mr. and Mrs. Curtis created a charitable trust and designated 15% of the assets to go to the Orange County Rescue Mission upon their deaths.

With the passing of Mildred in February, followed by William in April, the Curtis trust has provided the Orange County Rescue Mission with enough funding to sponsor 16 rooms at the Village of Hope for the next year. Each room has one or more students in our transformational program providing the foundation for a self-sufficient future.

Thanks to the investment that William and Mildred Curtis have chosen to make into the lives of people they never knew, many Orange County individuals and families will have the opportunity to turn their lives around at the Village of Hope.

Michael Tutt, and his wife Susan, are among those we consider ourselves fortunate to have as volunteers. Susan has volunteered to help over the holidays at the former Men’s Shelter in Santa Ana, while Michael is a newer volunteer, having spent a little over a year with us. Currently, he writes the Volunteer Spotlight for this very newsletter and for the Rescue Mission Web site, and since starting, has contributed 12 Spotlight articles for publication.

Michael was born in the United Kingdom, and from an early age held a strong interest in technology. By age 10 he had built his first radio, and at 16, already a licensed ham radio user, he founded a school Radio Club where he prepared eight of his peers to pass the test for licensing as well.

In 1993, while teaching Computer Science at a college in London, Michael lost his vision from glaucoma. Determined not to give up, however, Michael decided to learn UK employment law, and soon found himself working as a consultant with over 600 different companies.

In 2000, Michael met his stateside wife-to-be Susan in an Internet messaging session, and a long-distance relationship was born. After a courtship replete with “across the pond” visits, they eventually married in 2003. That same year Michael moved to the United States.

In early 2008, Michael started volunteering with OCRM and through this bond there has blossomed a mutually rewarding experience. “It is wonderful to talk with such a diverse group of people passionate to be of value to Christ and their community. Whatever their backgrounds and whatever their skills, God and the Rescue Mission can use them to be a blessing to those who have little in this world.”

We at the Orange County Rescue Mission would like to commend Michael for all of the work he has done for us, and let him know that it has not gone unrecognized.

Thank you, Michael.

“I’ve never worked any place like this,” Mission executive chef Ken Weekes says. “I’ve never seen a kitchen where the guy washing dishes says ‘thank you’ when you bring him another stack of dirty plates. “This is an absolutely unique experience.”

Ken has been directing the Mission kitchen for just under a year. But he has more than 35 years of food-service work under his belt, including jobs at hotels, school districts, restaurants and as a culinary arts instructor. He also has an MBA. All this shapes his perspective on his work at the Mission.

“I don’t do any cooking here,” Ken says. “I teach the men and women in the program how to read recipes, prepare menus and cook good, healthy food themselves. I see my job as helping them get ready to reenter the community.”

Ken knows his first Thanksgiving as the Mission’s head chef is going to be incredibly busy. He’s already preparing. “We’re going to need donations of large bulk-food items to refill our pantry,” he says, “the larger the better. Meat, flour, sugar, produce. Even with all the donated food we receive, we still spend $5,000 more on food from vendors each week. “That’s only going to go up during the holidays,” he adds.

Despite all the work ahead of him, Ken wouldn’t trade places with anyone. “This job is just about everything I ever wanted,” he says. “To see people grow, to help them and pass along my experience ... this is just a great place to be.”

Only a year after officially being opened, the Village of Hope is already seeing success in the efforts of the students who live and work in this Orange County Rescue Mission program. Everyone who has entered this program has come from a situation where they were homeless and facing seemingly insurmountable life obstacles. Single men, single women, women with children, men with children, and two parent families — each facing circumstances that they could not rise above without assistance. Each person and family who enters the Orange County Rescue Mission program does so with courage and determination to find hope for a better future for themselves.

Typically a one year to two year program, the “students” of this life-learning campus work with a case manager, gain experience through on-campus jobs, and benefit from licensed medical care, vocational training, counseling and job search. At the time they reach graduation, these students are employed and have achieved self-sufficiency. We would like to congratulate the following students for successfully graduating from the Orange County Rescue Mission this summer! We know that the Lord has graciously blessed you in your life.

A young teenage volunteer, Chad Telles, who has been serving food to the residents of the Village of Hope since it opened in 2008, overheard a discussion at the Village of Hope Grand Opening about the plans for a children’s play barn for the new Children’s Development Center playground. Chad was looking for something significant to do for his Eagle Scout project, so he asked the Director of Development, Melanie McNiff, what was needed for the barn. Explaining the miniature ranch theme of a portion of the playground, which models the OCRM Double R Ranch facility near Temecula, Melanie told Chad that the playground design called for a small barn that would be able to provide nighttime storage for all of the children’s riding toys.

Chad discussed the idea of the barn with his parents and soon presented an agenda and plan to the Orange County Rescue Mission for approval. He was responsible for raising the funds, the purchase of the supplies, and the complete construction of the barn, including the installation of a charming cupola on the top of the barn — complete with a weathervane! Chad spent a couple months of weekends coming to the Village of Hope to build the 12’x16’ barn, put on its roof and paint it to match the exterior of the Village.

This adorable barn now sits as the centerpiece for the miniature ranch motif and will be a lasting landmark that will greet every visitor to the Village of Hope for years to come. Chad is an extraordinary young man, well deserving of his Eagle Scout honor, and is a role model for young people that they can accomplish big things. It just takes determination and a heart for others. Thank you, Chad, for all of your hard work — we are proud of you and your efforts and truly love our new barn!

Feeding people is the cornerstone of what we are called to do at the Orange County Rescue Mission. The key to reaching those we rescue is dealing with their immediate physical needs first. And in almost every case, that means food.

These days, the recession has put even formerly well-off families in the unfamiliar position of having to choose between paying the rent or mortgage, and buying food for the kids. Meanwhile, cuts in state and county funding mean the poor have fewer places to go for help. The bottom line is that more people than ever are looking to us for help.

But we’re facing our own challenges. For example, some area stores that used to donate food to the Mission are now trying to make up lost earnings by selling that food on what’s called the “secondary market.” I understand why they have to do this, but now we have to spend more on food to make up the difference.

Still, we know God is faithful. He will provide. We feel blessed to be able to serve, and blessed again to have you as a friend and partner. Thank you.

In His service,

Formed in 1999, the mission of The HealthCare Foundation for Orange County is to “promote health and support healthcare, for the benefit of the Orange County community”. The foundation provides grants to programs and services at local hospitals, clinics and community based organizations that help carry out its commitment to bring health care services to low income families in Orange County. The HealthCare Foundation strongly supports collaboration and coordination among health care partners in order to increase resources applied to priority health care issues in our community.

The Healthcare Foundation for Orange County has been a strong supporter of the Orange County Rescue Mission since 2003. Over the years, grants from the foundation have strengthened the Mission’s Medical Mobile Clinic program, assisted OperationOC efforts to provide disaster aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina, supported the Mission’s oversight of Casa de Salud Health Center (now Hurtt Family Health Clinic), and most recently provided access to developmental screenings for homeless children and referral services to community specialists if further diagnostic evaluation is required.

We are appreciative of the many ways The HealthCare Foundation for Orange County has supported the Rescue Mission’s health care programs and look forward to a continued relationship as we collectively seek to make a difference in the lives of low income residents of Orange County.

Re-enrollment Time in Ralphs Community Contributions Program!
Congratulations to Ralphs for donating almost $3 million this past year through its Community Contributions Program. If you are signed up through your Ralphs Rewards card, and have designated the Orange County Rescue Mission as the beneficiary, then a portion of these funds have been donated to assist us in bringing hope to the Least, the Last and the Lost of Orange County. Here are a couple of things to remember:

• If you are currently enrolled in the Ralphs Community Contributions Program, your registration will expire on August 31, 2009 and you must re-register on or after September 1, 2009 in order to continue assisting the homeless as you shop at Ralphs.
• If you are not currently enrolled, new registrants will be accepted starting September 1.

This quarter, 19 people used their Ralph’s cards to provide $130.07 for homeless families!

Albertsons Community Partners Program
Albertsons Community Partners Program will continue to accept registrations as usual. By using your Preferred Savings Card, and designating the Orange County Rescue Mission as the beneficiary, you can bring hope to the homeless of Orange County.

TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE!! If just 60 people sign up and use their Ralphs Rewards and/or Albertsons Preferred Savings cards, and the average quarterly shopping percentage brings in a modest $3.15 each, then those 60 people could make $756.00 a year JUST BY DOING OUR OWN GROCERY SHOPPING! Of course, the more you purchase, the more you earn for OCRM. (We'll keep you updated on the quarterly progress!)

Click the following links to sign up:

Starting September 1
Ralphs Community Contribution (Enter Non Profit Organization # 91204)

Now
Albertsons Community Partners (Enter ID # 49000125638)

Thank you!