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Restoring Dignity #28

Saturday, June 30th, 2018

“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

― Nelson Mandela

Sign-up to donate items here.

Sign-up to volunteer here.

Their Story

Five years ago, Restoring Dignity helped a Karen family of five whose mother developed brain and stomach cancer after arriving in the United States. We recently found out that their landlord is selling the duplex they have been living in and they have to move out by June 30th. The father is 65 years old and works the full-time night shift, making barely above minimum wage. The mother is unable to work as she still suffers from brain cancer and has seizures when in stressful situations. They have four children at home (10-year-old boy, 12-year-old boy, 14-year-old girl, and 18-year-old girl). Due to their financial situation, they are not able to afford the deposit on their next apartment nor the cost of renting a moving truck. Restoring Dignity found out about their situation and we are going to take action in two ways: (1) We are covering the $1,400 for the apartment deposit to prevent them from becoming homeless and (2) We are going to help them move and set up their new apartment. This is a family who has struggled significantly, first from the war in Burma, and second from the mother’s cancer diagnosis. We are going to help them move and set up their new apartment on Saturday, June 30th, 2018. Join us as we help move this family to their new home!

The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, June 30th, 2018 from 10am-2pm, to help this family move with ease, grace, and dignity. Join us in helping them pack, move, and set up their next home!

Supplies Needed

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

  • (3) window air conditioners (the place they live at has NO air conditioning)
  • (3) Fans for the rooms
  • Decorations
  • Pictures for the rooms
  • Books for ages 10-18
  • Feminine pads
  • Shampoo
  • Lotion
  • Body wash
  • Toothbrushes
  • Toothpaste
  • Batteries (AA and AAA)
  • Paper towels
  • Laundry detergent
  • Toilet paper
  • Dish soap
  • Garbage bags (kitchen size and XL size)
  • Cleaning gloves (disposable and non-disposable)
  • Masks (to wear when cleaning)
  • Lunch for the volunteers (about 20 people)
  • Bottled water (about 60 bottles)

Drop-Off:

There are two ways to drop-off items: (1) At our new storage unit, or (2) on the day of the project at the family’s home. If you plan on dropping off donations at the family’s home, please contact us for their address, and plan on having all items dropped off between 10am-11am, the day of the project.

Store Unit Location:

The Restoring Dignity storage unit is located in the garages behind the Omar Baking Building (4383 Nicholas St. Omaha, NE, 68131–the storage unit is in a fenced-in lot on the corner of 45th and Izard street.

Map of Restoring Dignity Storage UnitMap of Restoring Dignity Storage Unit

Drop-offs at the storage unit will be on the following dates and times:

Drop-off times:

Saturday, June 23rd, 2pm-4pm

**Please note that there will not be any pick-ups for this project. If you are bringing large items, you can drop them off at the location mentioned above, or you can bring them the day of the project.**

Volunteers Needed

Please sign-up to volunteer via our sign-up page. 

  • Saturday, June 30th, 2018
    • Shift one- OLD home: 10am-12pm: This shift is for people who can help the family pack their belongings, load the moving truck, and do basic cleaning.
    • Shift one- NEW home: 10am-12pm: This shift is for people who can help clean the family’s apartment they are moving to. Unfortunately, the family is not able to afford a great place, and the place they are moving to needs to be cleaned. 
    • Shift two: 12pm-2pm-new home: This shift is for people who can help unload the moving truck and can set up and decorate the new apartment. 
    • Handyperson shifts: This shift is for a person who is skilled with tools, can help disassemble beds and other furniture and can reassemble them. Also, for someone who can help hang up pictures and fix broken things. 
    • Full-Day- OLD and NEW home: 10am-2pm: This shift is for someone who is looking for a full-immersion with Restoring Dignity and/or wants to be a project leader. You will start off at the family’s OLD home from 10am-12pm and will transition to the NEW home from 12pm-2pm.
    • Full-Day- NEW home: 10am-2pm: This shift is for someone who is looking for a full-immersion with Restoring Dignity and/or wants to be a project leader. You will be at the family’s NEW home for the entirety of the day.

Sign up for shifts can be found at the Restoring Dignity Sign-Up Page.

How to Get Involved:

  • Donate items:

We could not do these projects without our donors! They are the heart of these projects! Please let us know what you can donate, and we will take the items off of the list above. If someone would like to “adopt” a member of this family or a room in the apartment, by fulfilling the donations needed for that area, let us know. Otherwise, if you have any items in your house that you no longer need or use, please consider donating them to these projects. Your donations truly do make a direct impact on families in need. To donate items to this family, visit our donation sign up page.

  • Donate gift cards

On the day of our projects, we often run low on basic cleaning supplies, hardware for hanging curtains, light bulbs, paper towels, toilet paper, and plastic bed wraps to keep down bed bug populations, among other items. Gift cards to major home stores or hardware stores (Target, Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc) are greatly appreciated and help to bridge the supply gap on project days. Contact Hannah (restoringdignity@live.com) or (402) 305-8139, if you are interested in donating a gift card. If you would like to mail a gift card, please address it to: Restoring Dignity c/o Hannah Wyble, 3505 Hawthorne Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68131.

  • Volunteer:

For this project, we need a minimum of 35 volunteers spaced out over the course of four hours. Our volunteers will decorate, hang pictures, lay down rugs, and install window air conditioners. The more volunteers, the faster we can accomplish our goal. We would love to have you join our team! Please visit our Restoring Dignity Sign-Up Page to add yourself to one of our two-hour shifts.

  • Mentor a refugee family

Did you know that hundreds of refugee families are resettled in Omaha every year? If each of them had an American family who could provide mentorship for at least one year, many of the issues that Restoring Dignity steps in to help with could be avoided. If you are interested in mentoring a refugee family (including this one!), contact Refugee Empowerment Center (formerly Southern Sudan Community Association), as they have a mentoring program that is in need of many American volunteers: http://refugeeempowerment.org/volunteer-opportunities/.

  • 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 donations and volunteers.

Follow us on Facebook:

Restoring Dignity has a Facebook Group that is regularly updated. Please join our group: Restoring Dignity Omaha Facebook Group.

Contact us:

Hannah Wyble

Restoring Dignity

Call or text:

402-305-8139

Email: RestoringDignity@live.com