C’ville Shelter

PACEM notes with pride that Skip Mullaney, our founding Board Chair, has been honored by the Daily Progress as one of their “Distinguished Dozen” for 2009.  Click here to see his profile.

Skip’s work on behalf of PACEM and many other good causes has been imbued with an admirable combination of humor, vision, selflessness and strategic focus.  Congratulations Skip for your well-deserved recognition, and thank you for everything you’ve done to make this world a better place!

Channel 29 news ran a great story this evening about the wonderful students of Tandem Friends School, who are volunteering over their holiday break to host our PACEM men’s shelter this week.  Click here to see the story:

http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=9572579 (click on camera logo to see the video)

Tandem is the only “non-congregational” host that we have for our shelter program this winter, and the students there really go all-out (with generous support from their parents and teachers, led by the dynamic David Slezak).   Thank you to all our friends at Tandem Friends!

We at PACEM welcomed a delightful visitor today, an 8-year-old Charlottesville girl named Alexandra LaCour who asked that her family NOT give her Christmas presents this year, and instead give money to the less fortunate.  After getting a tour of our women’s shelter, where she asked lots of good questions about how our shelter program operates, Alexandra presented a $500 check to PACEM and asked that it be used to make life better for people who are homeless.  Thank you so much Alexandra for your thoughtfulness! 

For media accounts of Alexandra’s inspiring act of selflessness, see the Daily Progress article here:

http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/8-year-old_eschews_presents_insists_upon_shelter_donation/33086/

and a TV news story from Channel 29 here:

http://www.nbc29.com/global/story.asp?s=9554566 (click on camera icon for video)

and a TV news story from Channel 19 here:

http://www.charlottesvillenewsplex.tv/home/headlines/36471519.html (click on camera icon for video)

For information on how you can follow Alexandra’s example and make your own donation to PACEM, please click here.

Each year, Roy Wheeler Realty throws a big Christmas party for all of their staff, clients and colleagues.  This year, because of the struggling economy, the good people at Roy Wheeler decided to forgo the lavish party and instead encourage their friends and associates to donate to four local charities, including PACEM.  We are so grateful to Roy Wheeler for their generosity — their “Together We Can Make a Difference” campaign embodies the real meaning of the holiday season, and will be a big help in our efforts to keep our shelter doors open throughout the coming months.

Two exciting pieces of PACEM fundraising news this week:

First, we’re pleased to report that PACEM has been named the beneficiary of the 2009 Charlottesville Ten Miler!  So, lace up your running shoes and get all of your friends to do the same — the race takes place on April 4, 2009 and is great fun for runners and spectators alike.  For more info., see www.cvilletenmiler.com. 

Second, Channel 29 news ran a heartwarming story this evening about a PACEM supporter (Debbie Pollack)who’s taken it upon herself to raise funds from her friends and neighbors to keep our shelter open for an extra week in March — see http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=9477378  and click on the link next to the camera symbol to see the video. 

While it’s important to note that we’re still trying to raise enough money just to keep our doors open UNTIL March, we’re extremely grateful to Debbie, and to Dan and Alice Wiggins from the Ten Miler, for their tremendous displays of generosity.  What a way to put everyone in PACEM in the holiday mood!

In case you didn’t hear the news, the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF) made a major announcement yesterday regarding the Single Room Occupancy (SRO) supportive housing project for the homeless that the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless, PACEM, Piedmont Housing Alliance and other groups have been collaboratively working to get off the ground for the past couple of years.  A big thanks to CACF for their tremendous show of vision and support!  And congratulations to Virginia Supportive Housing, who will use the CACF funding to move this exciting project forward.

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December 2, 2008

Charlottesville Area Community Foundation Announces Second Annual Catalyst Grant to Virginia Supportive Housing

The $75,000 grant will support the creation of a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing project for Charlottesville’s homeless population

Today the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF) is pleased to announce its second annual Catalyst Grant in support of the creation of a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing project to provide permanent, supportive housing to Charlottesville’s homeless population. The $75,000 grant has been awarded to Virginia Supportive Housing (VSH), a Richmond-based nonprofit that is partnering with local community leaders to develop an SRO for the Charlottesville area.

Single Room Occupancy projects are studio apartment buildings with on site property management and support services staff. SROs have been widely recognized, in many other communities, to be an effective way of moving homeless people off the streets and out of shelters and into stable living conditions.

Founded in 1988, Virginia Supportive Housing (VSH) is a private, non-profit 501(c)3 community development corporation that provides permanent housing and comprehensive support services to individuals and families who are homeless or who have disabilities in order to initiate and promote their transition to productivity and independence. VSH is managed by a twenty-three member Board of Directors and supported by a Council of Advocates.

In 2005, the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH), working in partnership with the Piedmont Housing Alliance, PACEM, and other organizations, received a pre-development grant from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to pursue the creation of the first Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing facility in the Charlottesville area. In October 2008 Charlottesville City Council included the development of an SRO Project in its “Strategic Priorities for Use of Charlottesville Housing Funds.”

Virginia Supportive Housing Services is in the site development phase of the project. This fall students from UVa’s School of Architecture have been assisting with the review of several sites throughout Charlottesville. VSH plans to determine a site by spring of 2009, after conversations with local community and business groups, and hopes to break ground on the project in 2010.

“The CACF Catalyst Grant will have a direct impact on the affordable housing challenge in the Charlottesville area by providing proven, permanent housing blended with appropriate levels of support services to help clients stay housed – and find the support they need to succeed in other areas of life,” said Candice Streett, VSH Deputy Director.

Launched in 2007, the Catalyst Grant initiative allows CACF to address current unmet needs in the community. By bringing critical issues to light the CACF Catalyst Grant draws attention to community problems while leveraging dollars to fund innovative solutions. For the first three years, the Catalyst Grant will be directed to affordable housing projects; in 2010 CACF will focus the Catalyst Grant on another pressing community need.

To make a tax-deductible contribution to the CACF Catalyst Grant please make checks payable to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation with a note in the memo for the Catalyst Grant. Mail checks to CACF, P.O. Box 1767, Charlottesville, VA 22902 or go to http://www.cacfonline.org/.

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The Charlottesville Area Community Foundation is a permanent endowment dedicated improving the quality of life in Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Buckingham, and Nelson. CACF makes grants of more than $4 million annually through its Community Endowment and its many donor-advised funds. Since its inception in 1967, the Community Foundation has made grants of more than $27 million to hundreds of nonprofit agencies. www.cacfonline.org

From the good folks at St. Paul’s Memorial Church:

Celebrate Our Lady, and help PACEM at the same time.  Please come to St. Paul’s Memorial Church, 1700 University Avenue, on December 12 to celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major feast day in Mexico.  We will have a Holy Eucharist, partly in Spanish, in the Chapel at 5:30 p.m., followed by a simple Mexican dinner in the parish hall at 6:00 p.m.  The suggested donation of $15 per person will benefit PACEM’s ministry.

Thanks to everyone at St. Paul’s for supporting PACEM!

PACEM needs volunteers to staff merchandise tables at upcoming concerts at the John Paul Jones Arena – PACEM receives a cut of the proceeds.

The dates are:
Dec 8    Neil Diamond
Jan 27   Cats
Jan 29   Rascal Flatts
Feb 10  Hairspray
Feb 21  AVP

Volunteer Shifts:
2:30-6:00pm (set-up)
5:30-10:00pm (merchandise sales)
9:45pm-1:00am (clean-up)

If you can volunteer, contact Glenn Crossman at gcrossman@glenmorecountryclub.com
Tell Glenn that you’d like to volunteer for PACEM!

This is a great opportunity to help PACEM while having a fabulous time and even seeing portions of performances for FREE!

PACEM winter shelter opened November 8th. It costs $50 dollars per person, per night to offer a bed, 3 meals, warmth and safety, and much needed support for residents in our community who cannot access shelter elsewhere. 

Please consider volunteering for any of the JPJ events above as a way to help earn funds for PACEM, or make a donation directly to PACEM through our website at www.pacemshelter.org or via mail to PACEM, P.O. Box 14, Charlottesville, VA 22902.

NEW LOCATION FOR CHARITY CHUCK WAGON EXTRAVAGANZA

Nov. 15 Cowboy Lunch to Support PACEM

 Due to the weather, Ace Contracting and Buckaroo Cordon Bleu have changed the location for their authentic Chuck Wagon Extravaganza to benefit People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry (PACEM) - winter shelter and support for homeless men, women and families. The charity lunch will be held Saturday, November 15 from 1-5 p.m. at a new location, at Greenwood Community Center, in Greenwood, Virginia.  Buckaroo Cordon Bleu will provide a menu of “cowboy cuisine” including Boeuf Bourguignon and Cassoulet.

The event will include an auction for a custom handmade chestnut dining table.  Tickets are $50.00 per person and reservations are required.  Call Ace at 434-293-6290 for reservations.  Guests are encouraged to wear western attire.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Dave Norris
PACEM
Phone: 434-465-1391
cvilledave@hotmail.com

 Homeless Shelter Opens for Cold Winter Nights
PACEM shelters 15 homeless guests this weekend

CHARLOTTESVILLE November 10, 2008 - This weekend, People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry (PACEM), welcomed 15 homeless guests into its safe, warm, interfaith, congregation-based shelter. Guests received nutritious meals and compassionate care from PACEM staff and volunteers.  As community awareness about the opening of the shelter spreads and as nights get colder, PACEM expects its nightly census to increase.

“We are so grateful to our congregational partners and our financial donors for making this successful opening weekend possible,” says Dave Norris, Executive Director of PACEM. “It is heartening to know that no one in Charlottesville is going to have to sleep outside during the rest of this winter, thanks to PACEM’s efforts.”

PACEM, now in its fifth year of operation, provides winter shelter and year-round support for homeless men, women and families. PACEM partners with over 60 congregations of all faiths, dozens of community organizations and local businesses, and thousands of volunteers to carry out its mission.  With continued financial support from generous community members, PACEM will provide winter shelter services through Mid-March, however, with additional financial support, PACEM will stay open through all of the cold winter nights - through the last frost date in April.

Donations to cover shelter operating costs can be made online at www.pacemshelter.org or by mail to PACEM, P.O. Box 14, Charlottesville, Va. 22902.

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About PACEM

Since 2004, PACEM, an inter-faith, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been serving the homeless population of Charlottesville, Va. year-round by providing shelter, meals, compassionate support and access to services. Since its inception, PACEM has provided over 20,750 nights of shelter and over 60,000 meals to over 600 different homeless individuals through its congregation-based winter shelter program, and another 268 nights of hotel lodging through its Women and Children’s Emergency Lodging Program. For more information about PACEM, visit www.pacemshelter.org or contact Dave Norris, PACEM’s Executive Director, at 434-465-1391 or at cvilledave@hotmail.com.