Restoring Dignity #15

Saturday, March 28th, 2015

“Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, defend orphans, plead for the widow.”

(Isaiah 1:16b)

****BEFORE & AFTER VIDEO IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE****

Their Story

Eight years ago, a Karen family of seven was resettled to the United States with hopes of building a new life away from their war-torn home country of Burma. Prior to coming to America, they spent over 20 years in a Thailand refugee camp where they waited to be resettled in a peaceful country. Their first home away from the camps was in Texas, and in 2013 they made the move to Omaha, in search of better employment and a stronger Karen community. Life was going well: the father obtained a good job, the children were excelling in school, and prospects of buying a home began to emerge. However, on August 31st, 2014 everything changed. The father suffered a stroke that left him permanently numb on one side of his body. Unable to work any manual labor jobs, the family roles dramatically shifted, and the mother obtained factory employment over 2 hours from home. For the past 6 months, she has been staying with a friend during the week, and comes home on the weekends to see her husband and children. In her absence, the 19 year old son has stepped up and taken on the role of caring for his brothers and sisters, which has significantly changed the course of his dreams. During his two years of high school in Omaha, he became President of the THRIVE Club, took AP classes, and was recently offered multiple excellent scholarships to several colleges. His dream of moving out-of-state to attend college has ended, as he is now a caregiver to his siblings. The devastation that the stroke thrust upon this family cannot be described in words, and they now stand picking up the pieces of a life they cannot go back to. After being made aware of their situation, we have decided to reach out and help this family re-assemble their life. They are in dire need of organizational items in their small 3-bedroom apartment, as well as many other items which are listed further on this page. Please join us in bringing them the hope they need during this time of immense difficulty.

The Pictures

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The Solution

We are taking action on Saturday, March 28th, 2015 from 10am-6pm, to provide this family with much needed household and organizational items. Come join us to help bring hope, encouragement, and blessings to them!

Supplies Needed

Kitchen

• Kitchen towels
• Wall calendar
• Coffee maker
• Pots & pans
• Teapot
• Cooking utensils
• Clock
• Silverware
• Cups
• Plates
• Wash rags
• Kitchen rug
• Broom w/ dust pan
• Large plastic air-tight container (http://www.target.com/p/dog-feeding-bb-50lb-storage/-/A-14493966#prodSlot=medium_1_3&term=dog food container)
• Plastic storage bags (quart size bags, freezer gallon bags, sandwich bags)
• Garbage bags
• Saran wrap
• Aluminum foil
• Cutting board
• Mop
• Mop bucket
• Drawer and cupboard liners
• Bulletin board
• Tupperware
• Shelving (any kind)

Bathroom

• Towels (full, hand, and face)
• Over-the-toilet storage
• Wall shelving
• (7) toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Toilet paper
• Hand soap
• Shampoo (adult and kids)
• Lotion
• Bath rug
• Shower curtain & liner
• (7) loofahs
• (7) bathroom shower caddies (like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-Shower-Caddy/36128378)
• Shower head organizer
• (7) Deodorant
• Toilet brush

Bedrooms

• (4) twin mattresses,preferably new, but gently used also accepted
• (1) full mattress, preferably new, but gently used also accepted
• (2) bunk bed frames
• (1) bunk bed loft frame (like this: http://www.nfm.com/DetailsPage.aspx?productid=31251044)
• (4) twin size plastic zippered plastic bed bug proof mattress protectors (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fresh-Ideas-Bed-Bug-Bug-Blocker-Mattress-Protector/21387686)
• (1) full size plastic zippered bed bug proof mattress protector
• (1) queen size plastic zippered plastic bed bug proof mattress protectors (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Original-Bed-Bug-Blocker-Zippered-Mattress-Protector/21387686)
• (14) new pillows ($3 at Target or Walmart)
• (3) dressers
• (300) Plastic hangers
• (3) Hanging shoe racks
• Pictures for the rooms/decorations
• Sheets
• (5) twin bed spreads
• (1) queen bed spread
• New underwear 
• New socks: All members of the family
• (2) (4) floor lamps
• (1) desk, to put under the loft bunk bed in the 19 year old’s room
• (3) foldable/carryable laundry hampers (like this: http://www.target.com/p/large-nylon-pop-open-hamper-white/-/A-12227297#prodSlot=_1_14)
• Wall shelving
• (1) (3) bookshelf

Children’s Request

• School supplies (papers, crayons, pencils, colored pencils, markers, notebooks, etc.)
• The 8 year old girl like Shopkins, sold at Toys R Us and Walmart (http://www.shopkinsworld.com/us/go-shopping/)
• The 10 year old boy would like Legos
• The 10 year old girl would like a Barbie house
• The 15 year old boy would like an iPod
• The 19 year old would like a Flip Fold, to help him fold clothing in the house more efficiently (http://www.flipfold.com/) (He also plays guitar and soccer, but was much too modest to ask for anything for himself. Anything soccer or music related would be appreciated).

Living Room

• Dining room tables with chairs
• Decorations (pictures, figurines, picture frames)
• (1) Book shelf
• (1) computer/homework desk
• (1) computer chair
• (1) paper organizer (for bills)
• (1) picture album
• Vacuum with attachment (bagged is preferred)
• Light bulbs
• Computer (the family’s computer broke and the father is really upset about this, as it is his only window to the outside world. He said that a computer that works is something he would appreciate the most).

Cleaning Supplies

• Degreaser (Mr. Clean)
• Bathroom cleaner
• Bleach
• Chemical spray bottle
• Boxes of gloves (disposable and non-disposable)
• Windex
• Dawn dish soap
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Carpet cleaning solution
• Magic erasers
• Large, garbage bags

Restoring Dignity Needs

• Truck to transport larger items to the family’s apartment on Saturday, March 28th, 2015
• Lunch for afternoon and all-day volunteers (pizza, sandwiches, etc.)
• Storage shelves and plastic bins for donation storage
• Dolly
• Storage unit

Drop-Off:

We have two drop-off locations: one in Midtown Omaha and the other in West Omaha.

Midtown Drop-Off Location:

3505 Hawthorne Avenue, Omaha, NE

If no one is home, please leave items on the porch. We sort all of our donations here, and then transfer them to the family’s house on the weekend of action.

West Omaha Drop-Off Location (drop-off trailer will be available on Sunday, March 15th & March 22nd  from 9:00am-11:15am)

3825 N. 202nd Street, Elkhorn, NE

Relevant Community Church will be providing a drop-off trailer at the Indian Creek Golf Course on Sunday, March 15th & March 22nd from 9:00amam-11:15am. Donated items of all size can be brought to the trailer and will be transported to our Midtown location.

**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 locations mentioned above, or you can bring them the day of the project. Many apologies for this inconvenience.**

Schedule of the Weekend:

Saturday, March 28th, 2015

10:00am-6:00pm

There are multiple shifts available:

• Shift one: 10am-12pm : This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning, organizing clothes, steaming, carpet cleaning, & fixing items.
• Shift two: 12pm-2pm: This shift is for people who want to help with cleaning, organizing clothes, steaming, carpet cleaning, and building items.
• Shift three: 2pm-4pm: This shift is for those who can help move furniture into the apartment, build, & decorate.
• Shift four: 4pm-6pm: This shift is for those who would like to help decorate, arrange furniture, hang pictures, etc.
• Half-Day: 10am-2pm: This shift is for someone who would like to have a Restoring Dignity immersion.
• Half-Day: 2pm-6pm: This shift is for someone who would like to have a Restoring Dignity immersion.
• Full Day: 10am-6pm: This shift is for someone who is looking for a full-immersion with Restoring Dignity.

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.

• 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: Hannah Wyble, 3505 Hawthorne Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68131.

• Donate via PayPal

Restoring Dignity has recently merged and become a program under Southern Sudan Community Association (SSCA), a non-profit refugee resettlement agency. Tax-deductible donations can be made to Restoring Dignity via SSCA’s website: http://sscaomaha.info/donate/ . When you donate via PayPal, type “Restoring Dignity” under the “Add special instructions to the seller” box on the PayPal donation screen. Restoring Dignity is ran by volunteers, so 100% of all donations go directly to our projects.

• Volunteer:

For this project, we need a minimum of 40 volunteers, ideally 60 volunteers, spaced out over the course of the day. Our volunteers will clean, organize, steam bed bugs in mattresses and in corners, and decorate. 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. If you would like to help for a half or full-day, that option is also available.

• 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 Southern Sudan Community Association, as they have a mentoring program that is in need of many American volunteers: http://sscaomaha.info/for-volunteers/.

• 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

Director, Restoring Dignity Omaha

Call or text:

402-305-8139