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Meet our 43rd Home Makeover Family!

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Restoring Dignity Home Makeover #43

Saturday, April 6th, 2024

Purchase items via the family’s Amazon list here

Sign up to volunteer on the day of the home makeover here

Sign up to volunteer at Yates (accepting packages) – 2 hour shifts throughout the month of March – here

Donate financially at the bottom of this page

Nyaliep’s Story

“I came into the world with a bang!” Nyaliep exclaimed, her lips forming a smile as she recalled her birth story. Her nine-month-pregnant mother had traveled to Khartoum, Sudan, to sell homemade alcohol as a way to survive. While making sales, she was apprehended by the police and put in jail. “I’m about to give birth to this baby,” she told the guards, but they didn’t believe her. A few hours later, Nyaliep was born healthy and beautiful, surrounded by the metal poles of the jail cell.  “I have two vivid memories from my childhood,” Nyaliep said, her hands becoming more animated as she spoke. “The first was a rollover car accident that almost killed me in 1998. I was in the front seat and survived because of the seatbelt. My second memory was of my brother defending me in a village in Sudan. Another boy had pulled my hair, so my brother grabbed a handful of rocks and tried to protect me.” Nyaliep’s childhood was filled with uncertainty and fear. Her home country of Sudan erupted into Civil War in 1983, and her family was in constant flight from the conflict. Before fleeing from their home, her father was a choir teacher and did construction for a living, and her mother was a businesswoman and would make food and sell it.  “My parents’ love story is very sweet,” she said, smiling. “My dad is Dinka and my mom is Nuer. They were from warring Sudanese tribes, so a union between the two was very unusual.” She explained that, per cultural tradition, her mother was almost married to an older man as a teenager. “During the dinner meeting with the man, she made the most disgusting faces and ate in the worst ways possible because she absolutely did not want to marry him.” And it worked! The older man declined the marriage, which made Nyaliep’s mother very happy. She later met her future husband, and they fell in love. He came to ask for her hand in marriage, but her father refused, saying that someone who was Dinka could not marry his daughter. Rejected but not discouraged, her father traveled to another town and learned how to speak Nuer for an entire year. He returned and asked for Nyaliep’s mother’s hand in marriage again, but this time he spoke in her native language, Nuer, and her father agreed to the marriage, saying, “Anyone who would go to those lengths to marry my daughter is worthy of her.” The two were married and dreamed big dreams of starting a family and having a life of prosperity.  The first years of the marriage were challenged by the death of their firstborn, who passed away during his first year of life. They were able to have three more children, and life seemed to be looking up, except for one thing: the civil war in Sudan was escalating.
Nyaliep’s family
In 1999, they had to leave their home and flee to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. Uncertainty abounded, and their future hung upon the threads of hope that the war would come to an end. Six months after entering the camp, Nyaliep’s family experienced the impossible. They were chosen to go to the United States as refugees! Considering that most families live in camps for upwards of 20 years and that only 1% of refugees get resettled to other countries, this opportunity was the equivalent of winning the lottery. 
Nyaliep as a child
“We were first resettled in San Diego, with the beautiful beaches and warm weather. However, my parents wanted to be closer to other South Sudanese, so we moved to Omaha.” Nyaliep enrolled in Omaha Public Schools and graduated from North High School. She scored very high on the ACT and was accepted into 13 universities, of which she decided to enroll at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Prior to entering college, Nyaliep began hanging out with a group of South Sudanese teenagers and fell into drinking and going to parties. “It is very hard being a refugee child. Growing up in both Sudan and America was confusing because I didn’t know where I belonged. I didn’t fit in anywhere and felt lost. Where is my place in this world? I struggled with that for a long time, as did many of the people I hung out with.”  Nyaliep met the father of her children, and they got engaged and later gave birth to a set of beautiful twin girls in 2016. “Becoming a mother was my saving grace, and I began questioning everything.” A year later, she gave birth to her first son and became involved in public service within the South Sudanese community. Her father started a church for his people in Omaha, and he was the pastor. She began spending more time at his church and helped lead various programming. Through this, she began to see a desire among South Sudanese youth to know who they were. Nyaliep started a program called Youth For Greater Good and volunteered for years, providing academic support, back-to-school drives, and cultural dance lessons to South Sudanese young people. “I just wanted our youth to understand that they can be with their community, and it can be positive. It doesn’t have to end in trauma bonding or violence.” She explained that in the 2010s, the South Sudanese youth in Omaha were on the verge of losing their language and culture. Gangs were popping up, and parents didn’t know what to do because these weren’t problems that children went through back in South Sudan. Youth for Greater Good began addressing these issues and provided a safe place for South Sudanese youth to feel like they belong and to help them reach their potential. During this time, Nyaliep gave birth to another set of twins in 2020, a beautiful boy and girl. Life was looking up. Her selfless work earned her prestigious awards, such as the NOAH Clinic Champion for Change African Leadership Award and the International Women for Change Women Youth Leader Award. She hosted the first annual Afro Omaha Cultural Festival and had the honor of meeting the Madam Vice President of South Sudan, Nyandeng Garang. 
YFGG performance at Loul Deng’s Annual South Sudan Unite 2019 in Minneapolis, MN. Nyaliep speaking with the dance group behind her.
Youth For Greater Good became a registered non-profit, and in 2022, Nyaliep was hired as the Executive Director, a position she held as a volunteer for years. She was able to hire a team, and programming was accelerating. “I thought everything was going to take off,” she said, her voice dropping as she told the next part of her story. “We purchased a brand new van to pick up kids in… everything was growing so fast.” At home, Nyaliep and her fiance were raising their five children (two sets of twins plus a singleton) and were working on getting established as a family. 
The brand new van purchased for YFGG youth
In July 2022, Nyaliep was invited to be the keynote speaker at a South Sudanese Independence event in Minnesota on behalf of Youth For Greater Good. The night before the event, she and her fiance packed up the van and left Omaha. “I remember falling asleep and then being woken up by the van swerving all over the place.” On the nighttime drive there, a car had been abandoned in the middle of the highway. Nyaliep’s fiance remembered making a turn on the highway and seeing the car. He slowed down because the vehicle appeared not to be moving fast. Right as he came upon the car, he realized that it wasn’t moving at all. Swerving to miss the vehicle, the van jerked violently from left to right, and then it rolled. “I don’t remember anything. I’ve been told that I kept waking up screaming on the pavement, and then I would pass out,” Nyaliep explained, her lips held tight as she described the horror of that night. 
The van after the accident
Police determined that Nyaliep was ejected out of the vehicle and that her body flew through the side window. 
Nyaliep’s body was flung backward and out the passenger side window when the van rolled
“The accident was on Friday, and I woke up Thursday of the next week.” Nyaliep broke her right hip, right arm, her T4 and T6 vertebrae in her back, and her T1 vertebrae in her neck. “The doctors told me that if I had moved my neck at all, I would have either been dead or been paralyzed from the neck down.” For two months, she fought for her life in a hospital in Minnesota, enduring three complex surgeries. She was then transferred to Madonna Rehab on September 7th, 2022, where she had to learn how to walk again. The accident left her wheelchair-bound. However, with therapy and a ton of work, she was able to regain her ability to walk in February 2023. The nightmare didn’t end there. In January 2023, she went through another surgery on her arm. And in March of this year, she will undergo another surgery to take the arm plate out. In total, she will have gone through six surgeries in an attempt to gain full use of her body back.
At the hospital in Minnesota after the accident
“The accident changed my life in every aspect. I lost my ability to care for myself, couldn’t hold my kids, couldn’t cook, couldn’t clean, couldn’t play with my kids.” The accident not only impacted her physical ability to interact with her children and the world but also financially devasted her family. Nyaliep had to step back from all Youth For Greater Good activities until recently. The accident left her feeling vulnerable, lonely, and totally reliant on others to care for her during her multi-year-long recovery. In addition, she suffered constant physical pain, which impacted her physically, mentally, and emotionally. “I am a shell of who I used to be. Every corner and inch of my life has been impacted.” 
Nyaliep was left wheelchair-bound and unable to walk for seven months.
Nyaliep is now going through the painful process of rebuilding her life piece by piece. Raising five young children alone while recovering from a devasting accident is something that no one should have to go through. She and her children are in desperate need of household items, and have been using furniture and mattresses that are on their last leg. Nyaliep is an amazing and selfless person who has completely given herself to improving her community. She has dedicated her life to ensuring that South Sudanese youth have the tools they need to truly flourish. This terrible situation has happened to her, which is utterly unfair.
In physical therapy, healing and learning how to use her body again
Restoring Dignity found out about Nyaliep’s situation and the absolute nightmare she and her children have been through. We offered a home makeover as a way to help turn the tides around for her family. We also offered to raise funds to help fix her car, which has been broken for over a year, and to raise money for rent. Nyaliep graciously accepted and is incredibly excited to have the fantastic Restoring Dignity volunteers come and create a restorative space where she and her children can rebuild their lives!  Help us get Nyaliep to a place where she and her children can thrive. They have been pushed deep into the ground through this horrific accident, and we must pull them out and get them back to a standing point. Join us on Saturday, April 6th, 2024, as we bring hope, joy, and household items to Nyaliep and her five beautiful children! 
Nyaliep and her beautiful children, prior to the accident
South Sudan’s history as explained by Nyaliep: Sudan was Africa’s largest country before splitting into Sudan and South Sudan. South Sudan is majority Christian faith based and the citizens are visibly taller and darker. In Sudan (sometimes informally called North Sudan), Muslim is the majority faith, and citizens have an Arab background. Civil war started in 1983 and went on for 30+ years, mainly because of religious differences. The government at the time wanted an Arab nation, and many of the darker-skinned Sudanese were treated differently, which led to the formation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. This army fought for the freedom of the Southern Sudanese. All 64 tribes came together and fought as one, eventually leading to South Sudan’s separation from Sudan. In 2011, 92% of the citizens voted to create a new country called South Sudan. The United States, under the Obama Administration, had a significant role in administering this vote. Now the South Sudanese have their own country. Unfortunately, South Sudan has fallen back into civil war due to tribalism. Sadly, the citizens went from fighting one common enemy to fighting each other. The South Sudanese people still have no peace, but opportunities are looking up. 

The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, April 6th, 2024, to provide this family with a complete home makeover!

Supplies Needed

All items needed are on the family’s Amazon list. The family picked out furniture, bedding, household items, pictures, and toys that they are hoping to receive! Note: if you order items on Amazon, forward us your order email so we can send you a BIG ‘thank you’ and a tax receipt: info@rdomaha.org If you have questions about this project, please email: info@rdomaha.org or call/text: 402-370-9777.

Volunteers Needed

Sign up to volunteer here for the day of the home makeover! 127 volunteers are needed to make this home makeover happen!  The following volunteer shifts are needed: Pre-shifts (month of March): Sign up to accept packages for Nyaliep and her family at the Yates Illuminates building. Shifts are scheduled 10am-12pm, 12pm-2pm and 2pm-4pm throughout the month of March. Day of the Home Makeover – Saturday, April 6th, 2024: Sign up to volunteer here on the day of the home makeover!
    •  8am-10am LOADING AND UNLOADING: This shift involves loading items onto a moving truck and then unloading those items at the family’s home. Once the trucks are unloaded, we will begin bringing furniture out of the family’s apartment, to prepare for home cleaning. The ability to lift furniture and heavy items is needed for this shift. 15 volunteers needed
    • 10am-12pm CLEANING: This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning and organizing. 35 volunteers needed
    • 10am-12pm BUILDING: This shift is for people who can build and assemble furniture. Ages 16 and up, please. 10 volunteers needed
    • 12pm-2pm CLEANING AND ORGANIZING: This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning, organizing, folding clothes, hanging clothes, sorting through items and other cleaning and organizational tasks. 22 volunteers needed
    • 12pm-2pm BUIDING: This shift is for people who can build and assemble furniture. Ages 16 and up, please. 10 volunteers needed
    • 12pm-2pm HANDY PEOPLE: This shift is for people who can help do general handy tasks like installing blinds and hanging pictures. Feel free to bring your own tools or we will have some available! 2 handy people needed
    • 2pm-4pm CLEANING & ORGANIZING: This shift is for people who want to do any final cleaning and organizing tasks, including finishing cleaning the kitchen, and organizing the pantry and bedrooms. 18 volunteers needed
    • 2pm-4pm HANDY PEOPLE: This shift is for people who can help do general handy tasks like installing blinds and hanging pictures. Feel free to bring your own tools or we will have some available! 2 handy people needed
    • 2pm-4pm DECORATING: This shift is for people who can help decorate a room. The family has picked out decorations, and you will help put it all together to make their space look beautiful! Please indicate if you are an experienced interior decorator. 6 volunteers needed
    • 2pm-4pm RECYCLING: This shift is for someone who can bring their pick-up truck, load cardboard boxes to be recylcled and transport them to a recycling center. 2 volunteers needed
    • 4pm-5pm UNLOADING: This shift is for people who can help unload the truck at Yates and move items into Restoring Dignity’s storage area. Participants need to be able to lift boxes and furniture. 5 volunteers needed
AGE LIMIT: Restoring Dignity home makeovers have historically been family-friendly volunteer opportunities. For this home makeover, children ages 10 and older can volunteer IF (1) they are with a parent/guardian and supervised the entire time AND (2) they want to be there and volunteer (all shifts are fast-paced and volunteers must work diligently). Please indicate the child’s age on the sign-up form. Please note that children under the age of 10 will not be allowed to volunteer due to safety concerns. High school students do not need parental supervision. 

How to Get Involved:

  • Donate items:
We could not do these projects without our donors! They are the heart of these projects! All of the items the family has requested can be found on their Amazon wishlist. Items will be mailed to Restoring Dignity’s office at the Yates Illuminates building, and we will deliver them to the family the day of the home makeover.  Donate financially at the bottom of this page. If items for the family go unpurchased on their Amazon list, we will use these funds to purchase items. Any remaining funds will be gifted to the family towards rent and car repairs. 
  • Volunteer:
Sign up to volunteer here
  • Spread the word:
Tell your friends and family about this project! Re-post this blog on your Facebook page, or email it to people you know. The more people that know about these projects, the more we receive donations and volunteer sign-ups!
Pictures from the November 2023 RD 42nd Home Makeover: Follow us on Facebook: Restoring Dignity has a Facebook Page that is regularly updated. Please follow our page for the latest updates: Restoring Dignity Omaha Facebook Page. Contact us: info@rdomaha.org 402-370-9777

Donate financially towards Nyaliep’s family

Flood Relief for Somali Families

On Saturday, August 7th, 2021 families living in two Omaha area apartment buildings experienced devastating flooding. Many families lost most of their belongings, including non replaceable items such as family pictures, mementos and certificates. Many mattresses, furniture, electronic devices, clothing, bedding, pillows and food were destroyed. All households in both buildings came to America with refugee status and were working on getting established in this country.

To learn how you can help restore items back to these families, visit our Flood Relief page.

Meet our next Home Makeover Family!

The time has come for us to start doing home makeovers again! Saturday, August 14th we will join together as a community and bring hope and household items to a Karen refugee family of six. There are LOTS of ways to get involved!

  • Volunteer for a two hour shift
  • Purchase items for the family and drop them off at our donation center
  • Buy items off of our Amazon list
  • Donate gently used items from your home
  • Spread the word!

To read this family’s story, see the list of items needed, view the Amazon list and sign-up online (volunteer or items), visit our Home Makeover site!

Restoring Dignity Home-Makeover #37 ~~ Details Released!

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Restoring Dignity Home Makeover #37

Saturday, November 14th, 2020

“Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.”

~Sai Baba

Sign-up to donate items here.

Their Story

Twenty five years ago, a beautiful baby girl was born in Karen State, Burma. Her parents were farmers and lived a quiet life, raising animals and vegetables for food. Before she turned one year old, however, things took a dark turn for her family. The Burmese army attacked her village, and her parents were forced to flee across the border to Thailand. There they found themselves living in a refugee camp, with no opportunity to work, and little food. She grew up only knowing her surroundings as being normal. For four years, she was able to attend school, but then the educational opportunities disappeared. She met her husband at 16 years old and they got married, hoping to raise children and embrace whatever happiness they could find. First came a baby girl who they loved and cherished, and soon after, they found out that they were pregnant again. However, one and half years into their marriage, she received devastating news: her husband had drowned in a nearby river. Picking up every ounce of strength, she pressed forward and raised their two children by herself. Years later, she married another man, and they had a baby girl. Shortly after giving birth, she received the most exciting and scary news: her family had been chosen to be resettled as refugees in America. Terrified to leave her entire family behind, but determined to give her children a better life, she agreed to leaving the camp and forging a new path, in a foreign country. She, her husband, and her three children boarded a plane and landed in St. Paul, Minnesota. After about three months of living there, they wanted to be closer to a larger Karen community, and heard about Omaha, Nebraska having more affordable housing and better jobs. They took the plunge and found themselves in a two bedroom apartment that was within walking distance to the children’s school. Things seemed to be looking up, and then more tragedy struck. Her husband was introduced to drugs and quickly fell into a violent addiction. Two months ago, he left abruptly, telling her that he will never be back. He moved back to St. Paul, to live with his family. For two months, she lived alone with her kids, with no job, no support, and no idea of who to contact. Her landlord came to find out why she was two months late on rent, and found out about her situation. Restoring Dignity was contacted, and we immediately intervened, getting multiple social service agencies involved. After meeting with her, we discussed the possibility of a home-makeover, to help her family get back on their feet. She expressed that she was very excited and would be honored to have volunteers come in and bring herself and her children what they need. On Saturday, November 14th, 2020, we will be partnering with Relevant Community Church to do a home-makeover, and to bring this family furniture, household items and hope. This is our first home-makeover during a pandemic, and we are taking every precaution to make sure that volunteers are safe, including: mandatory masks, face shields, gloves, limits on how many people can be in one room, and all windows will be open for the entirety of the project. Join us as we aim to help provide this family with what they need to get onto a firm footing here in Omaha.

The Home

The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, November 14th, 2020 to provide this family with much-needed household, cleaning and organizational items.

Supplies Needed

Please sign-up for items you will donate on our donation sign-up page.

Donation Drop-Off: All items can be dropped off at: Restoring Dignity Storage Unit Lockbox Storage 301 S. 74th Street Omaha, NE, 68114 Drop-Off Times: Tuesday, October 27th, 2020 5:30pm-7:30pm Tuesday, November 10th, 2020 5:30pm-7:30pm Or they can be dropped off at: Relevant Community Church 21220 Elkhorn Dr, Elkhorn, NE 68022 Drop-Off Times: Monday-Thursday 9:00am-5:00pm **If you have a large donation and need to drop off items at a different time, please email: info@rdomaha.org **All items need to be dropped off by Tuesday, November 10th, 2020**

Volunteers Needed

Relevant Community Church is providing all volunteers for this home-makeover. 

How to Get Involved:

  • Donate items:
We could not do these projects without our donors! They are the heart of these projects! All of the items the family has requested can found on our donation sign up page. Both new and gently used items are acceptable. Please view our page, “Give This, Not That,” to get an idea of what we consider to be acceptable used items. 
  • Donate financially:
As Restoring Dignity has grown so have our basic operating expenses. We now have our own storage facility where we accept, sort and store all of our donations. We pay monthly rent and utilities and are dependent on the financial contributions that we receive. If you are interested in making a financial contribution, please click here.
  • Spread the word:
Tell your friends and family about this project! They might have an extra lamp or a dresser that is no longer in use. Re-post this blog on your Facebook page, or email it to people you know. The more people that know about these projects, the more we receive donations and volunteer sign-ups! Pictures from the February 2020 RD Home-Makeover: Follow us on Facebook: Restoring Dignity has a Facebook Page that is regularly updated. Please join our group: Restoring Dignity Omaha Facebook Page. Contact us: info@rdomaha.org 402-370-9777

Volunteers Needed!

 

Come volunteer with us! We are doing our second diaper/hygiene give-away on Friday, October 30th, 2020 and we need YOUR help! Starting at 2:30pm, we need volunteers to help load diapers and hygiene items onto a U-Haul. We will then drive over to the diaper giveaway location, unload the truck, and assemble give-away bags. We are anticipating 75 to 100 families participating in this event. To sign-up, visit here.

Help us buy shelves for our storage space!

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It’s time for us to get real about the situation at our new storage space… in three words: we need shelves! The cost to obtain the number and quality of shelving that we need is $3,033.18. Help us reach this goal!

Donate $20 or more and we will have your name hand-painted on the outside of the shelves!

Let’s get our donations off the floor and onto shelves!

Donate here.

 

Help Needed for Refugee Family of 10

Help Needed for Refugee Family of 10

Restoring Dignity was made aware of the needs of a local Omaha refugee family of 10 that is struggling to obtain household items and are struggling to do things such as: assemble a donated bunk bed and hook up the dryer so they can use it. We are looking for help in obtaining some items to help make life easier for them. We are also looking for a handy person who can help them build their bunk bed and install their dryer.

The family needs the following:

  • Large microwave
  • Large rice cooker
  • TV
  • DVD player
  • Computer/laptop for children to do homework
  • Diapers size 3
  • Diapers size 4
  • Diapers size 5
  • Diaper wipes
  • Need someone to help them put their bunk bed together
  • Need someone to help them install their dryer

If you can help with these needs, please sign-up here!

URGENT: Yale Park Refugee Family Sponsorship

Yale Park Refugee Family Sponsorship

On Thursday, September 20th, 2018 the city of Omaha conducted a complex-wide investigation at Yale Park in Omaha, which housed almost 100 refugee families. That same day, the entire complex was condemned due to significant gas leaks in many units, major electrical safety issues, leaking and collapsing ceilings, and many other code violations. All of the units were vacated by the evening of September 20th and families living there were directed to two community centers for temporary housing. Heartland Family Services is actively working with all of the families to find permanent housing with the plan being that everyone should have a house or apartment to move to within a week’s time. As of Friday, September 21st, many families have already been touring apartments and homes with Heartland Family Service. All families have autonomy in choosing where they will live next.

Restoring Dignity has received many texts, calls, and emails about the needs of this community. After discussing with Heartland Family Services, we have decided that the most efficient and effective way to provide families with what they need is the following:

We are looking for churches, organizations, workplaces, neighborhood groups, etc. to sponsor one of the almost 100 families from Yale Park. Sponsorship looks like the following:

  • Church/organizations/workplaces, etc. will be assigned one family and will be given a list of what that family has requested that they need for their new home. Many families will not be able to bring furniture with them due to bed bug and cockroach infestations. They will essentially be “starting over” and will need essential items likes: mattresses, blankets, sheets, dressers, towels, toiletries, kitchen table, chairs, couch etc. All items will need to be in good condition (no items from homes with bedbugs or cockroaches, and all used items need to be in good condition (no signs of wear and tear or stains).
  • Each group will be responsible for obtaining donated items and storing them
  • Once donated items have been acquired, each group will transport items to their sponsored family’s home.

In this way, we believe that we will be able to provide essential household items for all of the families from Yale Park in a very short time frame. Providing home furnishing for almost 100 families is an enormous task, but if each of our churches/organizations commits to one family, we can accomplish this!

To sign-up to sponsor a family, please click here.

For more information, please email Restoring Dignity at: email@rdomaha.com

Window AC Unit Drive

AC Drive

You never know how hot it is during the summer until you don’t have air conditioning. This past weekend, temperatures reached over 98 degrees with heat indices of 105 degrees! There are many refugee families who are in homes and apartments with NO air conditioning! Restoring Dignity is launching our first ever WINDOW AC UNIT Drive, in which we collect air conditioners and install them in the homes of families who cannot afford to purchase their own units. If you have a used window air conditioner that is in good, functioning condition, please consider donating it. If you are able to purchase a new AC unit or two, bring it to our storage unit.

To sign-up to donate an AC unit, click here. 

Days that our storage unit will be open are:
Saturday, July 7th 10am-12pm
Saturday, July 14th 10am-12pm

We are also looking for volunteers (or even volunteer groups!) who would be willing to install window AC units throughout the month of July. If you are handy with tools or know how to install window AC units, please contact Restoring Dignity via email or phone: email@rdomaha.com —- 402-305-8139.  

Restoring Dignity #26 will take place on Saturday, March 24th, 2018

Restoring Dignity is excited to announce the next family that we will be serving! On Saturday, March 24th, 2018, we will bring much-needed household items to a Karen refugee family of five. There are 3 young children in this family (6, 4, and 2-years-old), so a bunk bed, twin mattresses, toys, and books are on our list of needed items! To get involved in helping this family, please visit the project page. Here you will find a list of items needed, as well as volunteer time slots. All donation and volunteer sign-ups are completed online via our website. We are excited to serve side-by-side all of our fantastic volunteers! We’ll see you on the 24th!
-Restoring Dignity Team

Cleaning & Organizing Party at the Restoring Dignity Storage Unit!

Restoring Dignity Clean-Up and Organizing Day!

What: Clean-up/Build shelves/Organize/Setup the new Restoring Dignity storage space! Sign-up HERE!
Why: We moved into a new storage facility several months ago and we need help getting it cleaned and organized! We have lots of donations to help another refugee family, but first we need help getting the building in working order (including sorting all of the donations).
When: Saturday, September 9th, 2017

  • 8am-10am Shift one
  • 10am-12pm-Shift two
  • 12pm-2pm-Shift three

Where: 4379 Izard Street Omaha, Nebraska, 68131 (on the corner of 45th & Izard Street), view map here.
Who: Anyone and everyone! There is something for everyone to do:

  • Building new shelves
  • Organizing donations
  • Cleaning/sweeping/mopping
  • Refreshment deliverer (bring water bottles to volunteers…great for kids!)

Questions?
Contact Hannah Wyble at RestoringDignity@live.com or call/text 402-305-8139

Sat. June 10th: Help us get the Restoring Dignity storage unit UP AND RUNNING!

Restoring Dignity Clean-Up and Organizing Day!

What: Clean-up/paint/organize the new Restoring Dignity storage space! Sign-up HERE!

When: Saturday, June 10th, 2017

  • 10am-12pm-Shift one
  • 12pm-2pm-Shift two

Where: 4379 Izard Street Omaha, Nebraska, 68131 (on the corner of 45th & Izard Street), view map here.

Who: Anyone and everyone! There is something for everyone to do:

  • Cleaning
  • Sweeping
  • Painting
  • Organizing donations
  • Building new shelves
  • Repairing glass (there are glass panes that need to be fixed)
  • Refreshment deliverer (bring water bottles to volunteers…great for kids!)

Contact Hannah Wyble at RestoringDignity@live.com or call/text 402-305-8139

Restoring Dignity #22 will take place on Saturday, November 5th, 2016

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Restoring Dignity #22 will take place on Saturday, November 5th, 2016! We will be serving a Karen refugee family of seven that is in need of many household items as well as minor home repairs. Their one year old son, Johnny, is hospitalized with multiple health concerns, and we hope to alleviate some of their stress by remaking their home environment. To read more about their story and to sign-up to donate or volunteer, click here.

Restoring Dignity #21 will take place on Saturday, August 20th, 2016

RD LOGO SMALLRestoring Dignity #21 will take place on Saturday, August 20th, 2016. Join us as we serve a Karen family of four whose three year old son was recently diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening illness. We are going to bring this family much needed household items, and we will also make-over the son’s bedroom and outdoor play area. For more information on how you can help, view the Current Restoring Dignity page.

Beyond Awards: The Heart of Restoring Dignity

Beyond Awards: The Heart of Restoring Dignity

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Our Founder, Hannah Vlach, received an award for community service! Read her story about how Restoring Dignity started. 

April 3rd, 2016

This past week I was honored to receive a Jefferson Award for “outstanding community service” on behalf of volunteer work done with Restoring Dignity. My first reaction was shock, and then deep love and appreciation for all of the supportive people who have walked with me along this journey. Never in my life have I seen such compassionate and giving people than I have being part of this movement. Whoever has lost their faith in humanity has never worked side by side the volunteers of this organization.

With all of the love and joy surrounding this award and the public recognition of what we do, there is a deeper part of my heart that aches quietly inside – a part of myself that I would like to share on this website for what I believe is the first time. For me, Restoring Dignity was never something that began out of great ambition or out of a desire to “save the world” or to find a meaningful cause. It was never something that started so we could win awards or be recognized. Restoring Dignity began with tragedy.

It was July 2012 and I was 24 years old. I remember this time in my life vividly, because a lot was going on with my family and my ambitious heart was ablaze with dreams that burned through my days and nights. A year before, I had decided to begin pre-medical studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I was going to become a research doctor – the goal being to storm the medical field and find a cure for preeclampsia- a medical condition that had almost claimed my life twice with my two pregnancies. That hot and sultry July month, I had applied for a competitive research program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and was waiting to hear back to see if I had been accepted. Everything was going as I wanted it to go: I was enjoying school, my now former partner’s DJ career was blossoming, our kids were happy and healthy.

Then July 20th happened. What started out as a fun and joyous night at a local music hall where my (now former) partner was DJing ended in tears and utter shock. A friend of ours informed me that a young woman I had mentored while I was a teenager had ended her life. Her name was Nyaduor, and she was an 18 year old  Sudanese refugee. We had met years back at The Salvation Army shortly after her father passed away. Her family had traveled from a refugee camp in Africa to Omaha, Nebraska, only to have this tragedy fall into their lives. I was 16 at the time and intimidated when I found out that my duty as a volunteer would be to help this family during their grief process. I didn’t speak their language, I didn’t know anything about their culture, and to be honest, they looked just as apprehensive of me as I was of them. What if they didn’t like me? What if I couldn’t be what they needed during this time? Needless to say, the more time I spent picking them up from their homes, bringing them to The Salvation Army, teaching classes, learning all of their names and bits and pieces of their language, the more I grew to love them. I started leading a teen Bible study at my parent’s house and many of the Sudanese girls came, including Nyaduor.

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At the music hall, shortly before finding out about Nyaduor’s passing. 2012.

For a four year period, myself, my parents, and my boyfriend, volunteered together weekly (sometimes bi and tri weekly) with both the Sudanese families and with inner city youth. It was a fulfilling time that came to an end after I developed preeclampsia 31 weeks into my pregnancy with my son, Elias, and he ended up in the neonatal intensive care unit for 2 months after birth. After this happened, I couldn’t commit my time to volunteering anymore, and I regrettably lost contact with many of the families and youth that had been part of my life for a long time. Fast forward two years and our second son, Ezekiel, was born premature due to severe preeclampsia and also spent time in the neonatal intensive care unit. Fast forward another two years to July 20th, 2012, and I found out about Nyaduor’s passing.

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Sunday and Nyaduor at my parents house a few months before I gave birth to Elias. 2008.

In utter and complete shock, my mother and I went over to Nyaduor’s home and sat with her family, grieving and helping them plan the funeral. A week went by, the funeral happened, and we continued to visit Nyaduor’s family in their home. The more time I spent in Nyaduor’s home during and after the funeral, the more I saw the pervasive bleeding wound of poverty. There were no sheets on any of the beds, the family shared two towels, there were only two working light bulbs in the house, the carpet desperately needed cleaning. As a widowed refugee mother of 5 children, money that came into the house was spent on the most immediate needs – there was no money left over for house repairs and the like.

When Nyaduor and her family had first moved to the United States, it was a time of renewed hope. After spending years fleeing the war in Sudan, and years waiting in a refugee camp – a ticket to a new country was like winning the lottery. I am not sure if many people know this or not, but of the 14.4 million refugees in the world, less than one percent are resettled to developed nations.

After arriving to the United States with no knowledge of the language or culture, Nyaduor’s father passed away, leaving his wife to raise 5 children by herself. Losing a spouse has to be one of the most painful and devastating events in life. Losing a spouse as a refugee in an unfamiliar country has to be even worse. Personally, I cannot even imagine what it is like to be a widow, let alone a widowed mother of 5 young children in a country where one does not speak or read the language – and she does not speak the language not because she does not care, but because she hasn’t had time to learn; because she was abruptly forced out of her own home, in her own country, due to people who couldn’t stop fighting each other. War sucks.

“Of the 14 . 4 million refugees in the world, less than one percent are resettled to developed nations.” (Source: UNHCR)

One night, after leaving Nyaduor’s house, I told my mother that I wanted to help her family in whatever capacity possible. We had just bought a carpet cleaner, and I remember saying, “I am going to clean their carpet. It’s not much, but it’s something.” Another night of brainstorming with the family’s cousin, Sunday K., and we came up with the idea to publish a list of items that the family needed on a free blog. All we wanted was to restore some hope and dignity to this family’s life – to give them a healing environment where they could grieve and not have to worry about sharing two towels, or having to take a lightbulb from one room to the next for light, or having to sleep on a mattress with no sheets. It was the least we could do for them.

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My sons and one of Nyaduor’s cousins, at their house before the funeral. 2012.

So that’s what we did. I created an event on my personal blog called “Restoring Dignity,” and I asked my friends and family to help. Sunday asked her friends and family to help. My parents asked their friends and family to help. And the response was phenomenal.

We received twice as many donations as we asked for and 30 people showed up to volunteer. Through talking with other family members of Nyaduor, I found out about another widowed Sudanese refugee who was living in poverty. So another “Restoring Dignity” event was created on the blog. After we helped that family, a refugee caseworker reached out and asked if we could help a Karen refugee family of 7 whose father was about to pass away after a long battle with cancer. So another event was created on the blog. With each completed project, another struggling family was brought to our attention. Almost 4 years later, we have served 19 families and over 500 people have volunteered with Restoring Dignity.

Creighton students organizing the storage unit. 2016.
Creighton University students organizing the storage unit. 2016.

In my heart, I am incredibly happy to see that so many people want to help others in our community. It feels incredibly gratifying to see a struggling family and help them to their feet. It feels good inside – like purpose. It feels like this is what life is supposed to be about: seeing a desperate need and fulfilling it – with no expectation of return. It feels pure and clean, like this is exactly what we are supposed to be doing.

And yet, in the quieter moments of my life – like today, I think back to Nyaduor. I think back to her smile, and her wittiness, and I remember picking her up from her house so many times: listening to hip hop, eating pizza rolls with hot sauce, taking silly pictures and having fun at summer camps. The truth is that I would give Restoring Dignity up in a heartbeat, if it meant that she could have her life back. Because to me, this organization is only here because Nyaduor is gone. Restoring Dignity is my response to losing someone who made a significant impact on my life. It’s also been my awakening to people who have been through horrific tragedy and loss – seeing their condition and finding a way to make things better for the moment.

“Restoring Dignity is my response to losing someone who made a significant impact on my life.”

During the hot and humid month of July 2012, I began to wake up to the needs present among the most disadvantaged people in our community. It’s been a long process, and I am still learning (through mistakes and through the incredible Omaha refugee caseworkers) and am still awakening to the lives of others. What I have learned over the past 4 years is that someone needs to hear the cries of the oppressed, the weary, the widowed, and then something needs to be done. Whether that something is teaching cleaning skills, bringing beds, doing clothing drives, or helping with an adult ESL class. And regardless of whether Restoring Dignity wins future awards or garnishes accolades, I will keep showing up to lead forward this movement of people who have also awoken to the needs of our community.

 

In memory of Nyaduor,

 

Hannah Vlach

 

UNHCR Source: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a16b1676.html

Restoring Dignity #19 will take place on Saturday, February 27th, 2016

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Restoring Dignity #19 will take place on Saturday, February 27th, 2016. We will be serving a Karen refugee family of five who has seen much tragedy in their lives. The father is disabled, after losing his leg, both arms, and his eyes to a land mine in Burma. The family lost their mother two years ago, when she passed away unexpectedly in the Thailand refugee camps. We want to bring them hope and household items. Join us. More details can be found here.

Restoring Dignity #18 will take place on Saturday, November 7th, 2015

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Restoring Dignity #18 will take place on Saturday, November 7th, 2015. We will be serving a Karen family of 6 whose 11 year old son was recently involved in a horrific explosive accident that left 40% of his body severely burned. We will be bringing the family furniture and household items they need to rebuild their life. Join us.

To read more about this project and to learn how you can get involved, click here.

For before and after videos of past projects, click here.

Restoring Dignity #17 will take place on Saturday, August 1st, 2015

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We are excited to announce our 17th Restoring Dignity project, which will take place on Saturday, August 1st, 2015! For this project, we will be serving a Karen family of seven who spent over 20 years in a refugee camp in Thailand before being relocated to the United States. They are a very sweet family and are excited to be the recipients of this project! Check out their story and find out what they need on our Current Restoring Dignity page.

Restoring Dignity #13 will take place on Saturday, November 22nd, 2014

The 13th Restoring Dignity will take place on Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 from 10am-6pm. We will be serving a Karen refugee family of eight who recently moved into a home. Prior to being resettled in the United States three years ago, they spent 24 years in a refugee camp. We are going to provide this family with much-needed household items, teach them cleaning skills, and provide them with housing advocacy.  To learn more about this family and household items that they need, visit here.

To sign-up to volunteer at this project, visit here.

The 12th Restoring Dignity will take place on Saturday, October 11th, 2014

Two years ago, a Karen single mother and her two children, ages 6 and 10, came from a refugee camp in Thailand to the United States to begin a new life. Originally, they were resettled in Texas, but moved to Omaha to find employment. Even though the mother works full-time, she has been unable to afford basic household items for herself and her children. This family of three has been through many difficulties, and their current living condition calls for us to reach out a hand and provide them the assistance that they need. Through our efforts, we aim to bring them much-needed household items, teach them cleaning skills, and provide them with housing advocacy.  Join us on Saturday, October 11th, 2014 as we strive to bring hope and resources to this struggling family. To view more information about this project, click here.

Restoring Dignity # 6 Is Completed!

We completed Restoring Dignity #6 at 11:25pm on Sunday, June 9th, 2013, and while it was one of our longer projects, it was definitely one of the most rewarding. The family we came to bless recently came to America, after spending 8 years in a refugee camp. Having been forced from their home country of Somalia due to extreme violence between war lords, this family sought refuge and a new beginning here in our own Omaha, Nebraska.
When I first met this family, they graciously welcomed me into their home, and I immediately knew that they would be our next RD family. A week prior to my visit, this family of eleven had one bed, no furniture, no chairs…and the mother was 8 months pregnant. Imagine carrying around 7 pounds of baby, taking care of 9 children, and having to eat and sleep on the floor…Remembering back to my own pregnancies, I hoarded a minimum of 3 pillows every night, slept with multiple comforters, ate whatever I wanted, and had the option of sleeping on the bed, recliner, or couch, depending on how my back was feeling. I complained the whole time. Now, looking at the plight of other pregnant women in the world (and in our own city!), I realize how ridiculously cush of a life I live.
Restoring Dignity did not start on purpose. Through a very tragic event, we became aware of human rights issues within our city, and decided that if we did nothing, we would be turning our backs on the very people God calls us to love.
One of my favorite quotations of all times comes from a man who personally knew human rights issues all too well. His name is Martin Luther King Jr, and he gave the following sermon the day before he was assassinated, which was based on the Good Samaritan parable:

“And so the first question that the priest asked, the first question that the Levite asked was, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But then the Good Samaritan came by, and he reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”

Restoring Dignity aims to ask the question, “If we do not help those in need, what will happen to them?” It is a difficult question to ask, because it is not comfortable. It is risky. It means sacrificing a lot of time, energy, and resources. After every Restoring Dignity I fall two days behind in school. My feet hurt, my back hurts, everything hurts. My kids bedtime gets thrown off, because they are usually there with me till we are finished. All of our volunteers experience the same thing. The donors give their household items away- I know one woman who has given over half of her furniture to these families. It’s not “normal” in our culture to give away everything that we are told that we need to acquire. It feels strange. It is not the “American Dream.” But it is very much worth it knowing that you can give to families who have never had like we have.

These families are the true heroes- they have endured horrible violence, have traveled hundreds of miles fleeing persecution, have lived in squalled conditions in refugee camps, have given birth with no medical personnel…they deserve everything we give them and so much more.

And so we press on, and I ask of everyone, myself included, to always ask the question: “What will happen to them, if we do not stop and help?”

Hannah Wyble

Restoring Dignity, Co-Founder

Restoring Dignity Mini Project May 2013

Restoring Dignity “Mini” Project May 2013

Restoring Dignity received an email from Omaha refugee caseworker, Claire, regarding two young blind men, who are refugees from Burma. Having just graduated from the Nebraska Center for the Blind in Lincoln, they rented a small apartment in central Omaha. However, after putting down deposits on the apartment, water, and electric utilities, they did not have enough funds to purchase basic needed items. Using previously donated items, Restoring Dignity was able to provide these two young Karenni blind men with several basic items. Thanks to your generosity and support, the following items were able to be given to them: plates, cups, bowls, silverware and container, full size towels, hand towels, bath towels, kitchen towels, pots, pans, cutting board, stirring spoons, cleaning supplies, placemats, sheets, blankets, two pillows, pillow cases, two shower curtains, and tupperware.

Items Needed

Items still needed are: one microwave, two beds with frames, two dressers, hangers, one end table to put their CD players, one bath rug, larger kitchen table (for when their friends come over), one couch (smaller, as their apartment is in the basement, and it is difficult to get large furniture in), TV with DVD player, sink stopper (for washing dishes), dish rack (for drying dishes), artwork that is textured that they can touch; also, they read English Braille.

Donations & Contact Information

If you are interested in donating any of the needed items, please contact Hannah at: restoringdignity@live.com or via phone/text: (402) 305-8139. If you would like to drop off any items, their address can be provided to you. In addition, items can be left on the porch at: 3505 Hawthorne Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68131.

Before, After, and Current Pictures:

Our October 2012 Family Is In Need of Help

Remembering back to October 2012, we helped a family of seven from Burma, who had just came to the USA as refugees one year ago.  The father was in the hospital while we were restoring their apartment, and the hope was that he would be able to come home.  However, things have changed for the worse over the past few months, and he is now in a nursing home dying from terminal cancer.  The mother, Mhala, is wanting to be by his side during these difficult days, and she recently took a leave of absence from her job to do so.  However, her doing this means that there is no income coming in.  Restoring Dignity is stepping in at this point to help fundraise enough money to support their family for two months.  This will ensure that Mhala will be able to spend time with her husband and children.  While she was working, she was only able to visit him once a week, due to her work schedule.  We hope to take the burden of finances off of her shoulders for two months, so she can focus on her husband and be with her children.  Join us as we aim to take care of one of our own Omaha refugee families.

Restoring Dignity Project Number Four Is Complete!

I am very excited that the Restoring Dignity project number four is complete!  After spending almost 12 hours working to bring this latest family needed household items and teaching them how to clean with the right chemicals and how to organize, the progress is very evident.  View the Before and After Video, to see the transformation that occurred this weekend.

I met this family through a refugee caseworker who is close friend of theirs.  I have never met such respectful and caring people- this family was an absolute blessing to serve and to work with.  The children, by their own accord, chose to help clean, organize, and rearrange furniture for the entire day.  Even the youngest one, at only 4 years of age, wanted to put on gloves and help scrub walls.  This family has been through more periods of desperation and hard trials than most people will know their entire lifetime, and yet they still maintain a hope and a joy that is breathtaking to observe.  After having to flee their home country of Burma, they spent 10 years in a refugee camp in Thailand, waiting to be relocated to another country.  Three years ago they were granted permission to come to the United States.  While coming to a developed nation is definitely something that they (and many other refugee families) consider a blessing, it still presents a myriad of obstacles to overcome.  Many of these families had no formal education in their home countries, making learning English much more difficult than for those that are literate in their native language.  This family in particular had and are still having a very difficult time making ends meet, due to the father being disabled, which is why we stepped in to help make things a little easier and to provide them with needed household items.

I hope that through Restoring Dignity, others might be inspired to join us or start similar acts of service in their own areas of this city or other cities.  There is such a need, especially amongst refugee families, that Restoring Dignity cannot even help a fraction of families who could use a hand up.

There is also a massive need for change in the way that these slum landlords manage these properties.  We need groups of people to start challenging the conditions that many of these families are forced to live in.  Unbeknownst to many people, a good share of these refugee families do NOT receive section 8 housing, but pay their own rent.  Even though they pay out of their own pockets to live in these apartments, it makes no difference to the landlords, who do not proactively nor effectively treat for pests, such as cockroaches and bedbugs.  There is no excuse for any family living in a developed nation that has a plethora of resources, to have to live in the conditions that these families are living in.  I wish that everyone reading this could witness the pest infestations that we have seen in every home we have helped restore.  It is unacceptable, and it needs to change.  If anyone is interested in collaborating to find effective ways to start an upheaval of these slum landlord practices, please contact me, and we can start a discussion.  My contact information will be at the bottom of this post.

The time has come for those of us who have been privileged to grow up with so many resources, the main one being our education, to bring justice to those who are oppressed.  We have an immense opportunity and responsibility right here in our own city.  One voice might only be heard by a few, but when many voices join together, we cannot be ignored.  Join us.  We need you.

 

Hannah Wyble

hwyble@live.com

(402) 305-8139

Restoring Dignity #3 Finished!

After a weekend filled with lots of hard work, we are finished with the Restoring Dignity project #3!  I was especially excited to complete this project, because this family truly had next to nothing, when it came to basic home supplies.  The first time that I met this family and assessed what needs they had, I was shocked.  For a family of seven, there was one twin bed, one pillow, and one towel.  There was no light in the main family room, so at night the family would sit in darkness, all because there was a lack of a lamp.  The father, who is majorly disabled due to stepping on a landmine in his home country of Burma, slept on the one bed, while the mother and five children slept on the floor.  The day that I took pictures of their situation, a friend of mine had graciously donated two twin beds and a couch for them.  The bed bug situation was even more precarious.  The entire apartment complex is infested with them, and even though the landlord assured me that he sprayed for bugs every month, it didn’t seem to make a difference.  There was no silverware in the kitchen, no dish soap, no hand towels for cleaning or drying dishes (which they had very little of).  The bathroom was in worse condition, with mold growing on every surface imaginable.

I didn’t understand why nothing had been cleaned, until I looked around some more, and found that this family owned no cleaning supplies, no rags to clean with, no paper towels.  And even if they did own these supplies, they do not read English nor their own language, making it impossible to know what to use or how to use it.

There is such a barrier between what we know in our developed country, and what people in developing countries are taught.  For this family, school was not a reality in their country.  The mother had never been educated in her country, so how could she possibly know about mold and its health effects, or about the dangers of leaving eggs in the cupboard or food out on the table all day.

This is where we stepped in- to both teach and help these families how to take care of their homes, and keep them clean.  With the help of a close friend of theirs, who interprets for them, we taught the family about mold, how to kill it using bleach, why not to leave food out on the table, the importance of eggs being refrigerated, how to use a vacuum cleaner, and how to keep bed bugs from biting at night by wrapping pillows and mattresses in plastic.

I do not think that the “before and after” videos give justice to what our volunteers do to make these homes look so dramatically better.  So here is a breakdown of what happened this weekend:

We arrived at 10am on Saturday and immediately filled buckets with water and degreaser solution and bleach.  Every square inch of every wall was scrubbed, sometimes it took a lot of elbow grease to eliminate stains left from bugs that were living behind pictures and in corners.  In the kitchen, everything was taken out of the cabinets, and the cabinets were first cleaned with degreaser and then bleached, to disinfect.  New cabinet lining was laid down, to make for easier cleaning in the future.  The oven was moved, and the wall and floor behind it was cleaned, as well as the inside of the oven.  The refrigerator was emptied, disinfected, and then reloaded again.  Spices, garlic, and rice were placed into plastic containers, to keep bugs out, and the family was taught the importance of always keeping food in the plastic containers.  In the bathroom, everything was bleached to kill the mold, scrubbed, bleached, and then scrubbed some more.  A plumber was called in to fix the toilet, because it was not flushing.  The cabinets were bleached, and then new liner was put in them as well, for easier cleaning.  In every bedroom the walls and closets were bleached and scrubbed, and the clothes were sorted and put way in the dressers.  Closet poles were installed, so the family could hang their clothing, and hangers were provided because they had none.  Then came the steaming of the carpet, to kill many of the bed bugs.  I have had many people ask me if you can really hear bed bugs pop when they are steamed, and the answer is yes.  It is quite gratifying to hear the sound actually, because then you know that you are actually helping to reduce their numbers.  Next, the carpet was vacuumed (and a vacuum was given to the family, because their only vacuum was broken).  And then came the 4-5 hours of carpet cleaning.  End of day one.

We arrived again at noon on Sunday, and began bringing all of the donated items.  When I brought in the bags of toys, the children started literally screaming with joy, because they had never owned toys before.  It was at this point when I had to leave the apartment because I was afraid I was going to start crying- I have never seen children so excited over something that my children take for granted every day.  The bunk bed was brought in and assembled, as well as the full size bed and box springs that was donated as well.  This full size bed means something much bigger than just a picture in a video.  It means that the mother and father will actually be able to sleep side by side for the first time since moving into this apartment.  The mother was very excited to not have to sleep on the floor anymore.  The mattresses were all bagged in plastic, which also means so much more than just preventing bed bugs from biting at night.  This keeps the mattresses safe from the accidental bed wetting that happens with children who are young.  On each bed was placed two pillows, and this may not seem like anything that special, but keep this in mind, this family owned ONE pillow for the year that they have been in this country.  The children were so excited to have their own beds, their own pillows, sheets, blankets.  I had to stop and ask myself, when is the last time I laughed with joy at having sheets on my bed?  A generous friend of ours bought and installed a ceiling fan in the parents room, and what a difference that made in keeping the room cool, especially for the father.

Finally, after 16 hours of work, the apartment was finished.  It took 20 volunteers to pull this off, and more donations than I can count.  I hope this paints a better description of the work involved, and how amazing these volunteers are.  I love all of them.

In summary, I just want to express my gratitude towards all of those people who donated and volunteered.  It may seem like a simple act to give a basket full of towels, but to a family of seven who have only one, it means much much more.  These people that we help are just like you and me.  They laugh and they love, and they hurt and they cry.  They have big dreams and lots of ambition.  They are amazing, and they deserve a chance, just like the rest of us.  I hope that what we do as a community will give them that dose of hope that will help them to better achieve their goals and dreams.  I hope that they will sleep happier tonight, that they will live healthier, that they will see a glimpse of the reason that we do these things…and then my thoughts shift once more to the next family that we will reach out to.  Who are they? What are their names?  Because while we may have helped one family, there are thousands more in this city alone that are crying out in desperation.  Here’s to the next Restoring Dignity project.

God bless all of you,

Hannah Wyble

New Project Scheduled for October 20-21st, 2012

09/28/2012  22:15

The latest Restoring Dignity project is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday October 20-21st, 2012.  You can see details about the project on the Restoring Dignity 10-2012 page.  This month, we are going to be helping a family that recently immigrated from Burma.  The father’s major physical disability, and the mother only being able to find minimum wage employment, has caused this family to struggle with obtaining basic needs.  We are going to help lift some of this burden.  Join us!

 

One Down, Many More to Come

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012  17:53

I am happy to report that the Restoring Dignity weekend (actually two weekends) was a SUCCESS!  We received more than all of the supplies that we asked for, and we were able to clean, repair, and provide for the basic needs of this family.  We had 30 volunteers, used 7 gallons of paint, carpet cleaned for over 6 hours, scrubbed more walls than I would like to count, and put in 36 hours of work (over the span of three days).  All of that hard work paid off, as the house looks AMAZING!  You can view a video of before and after pictures at the bottom of the Restoring Dignity page, as well as view a video of a walk through of the completed house!  I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who donated and/or volunteered!  All of you were PHENOMENAL

All of the supplies that were not used will be taken to our next Restoring Dignity project.  I have recently learned of two additional widows, within this immediate family, and both of them need assistance.  This is just the tip of the iceberg!  I will be posting the new project soon, as I am meeting with the second family later this week.

With that being said, we will be doing a continuous supply drive for any unused or no-longer needed home supplies.  So before you take your household items to the thrift store, sort out any gently used items and send them our way!

Thank you again for all of your support and generosity!  I am proud to have so many friends and family members who want to make an immediate difference in the lives of those in our community.  Hope to see all of you again soon!

-Hannah Wyble

The Issue of the Day

Friday, August 10,2012

The issue that has been placed on my heart, is revolving around helping a family that I know and love.  They have recently lost a daughter, the mother is widowed, and there are four remaining children in the home.  Next weekend, in Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday August 18th, 2012, and Sunday, August 19th, 2012, we are having a “WEEKEND OF ACTION.”  We are going to bless this family in a BIG way by cleaning, repairing, and providing for their basic needs.

All that I am asking is that my friends and family (and friends of friends, and family of family) come together, donate used or new supplies, and work together to bring this family some dignity and hope.
All the specifics can be found here: Restoring Dignity- An Urgent Matter

With love,

Hannah