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Dear Heavenly Rest,
Summer has been a time of sunshine, heatwaves, and outreach activity at Heavenly Rest! We packed sandwiches for our neighbors over on 92nd and 1st Avenue, ran our first summer cycle of Raising My Voice, and more! Thank you to all our volunteers who donated non-perishable items, coached Raising My Voice participants, helped at the Free Store we ran in partnership with Open Hearts Initiative, and donated their time and money to our back-to-school drive. Your support makes this work possible.
We've also been planning for the fall and the program year! We are so excited for our new rector, The Rev. Kate Malin, to start on September 15th! This fall, there will be opportunities to volunteer with the New York Common Pantry, cook meals for the community fridge, and more. We are excited to jump in!
Blessings,
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Hannah Nolen, Pastoral Care and Outreach Coordinator | |
Lucas Thorpe, Director of Outreach and Adult Formation | |
Our Outreach efforts are focused in five areas: prison re-entry, education, food and nourishment, migrants and asylum seekers, and housing and the unhoused. We also respond to the moment that the world is living in and crises that erupt. Our work isn't static, and we are thinking about what other initiatives and ministries we should take on-- one of those being responding to the migrant crisis our city is facing. | |
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Summer Raising My Voice
This summer, we had an amazing and heartening cycle of Raising My Voice! It was our first summer cycle, and it was such a success! We had six storytellers share their stories, work on their public speaking skills, find their confidence, and more. Graduation was a fantastic night in the Undercroft, listening to life-changing words. Thank you to Richard Buonomo, Louisa Young, Jen Orme, Amanda Frei, and Gennaro Hathaway-Tillotson for all your time, energy, and effort that helped make this cycle possible.
We're so excited for our fall cycle to kick off! Starting Sept. 17, our CHR coaches will once again embark on a powerful journey with new storytellers. We're thankful for our continued partnership with Circles of Support!
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Linda Steele and the amazing graduates! | |
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Grassroots Grocery
Over the summer, we continued to collect and donate non-perishable goods to the community fridge on 92nd and 1st Ave. Thank you to everyone who donated food and delivered the groceries! Your help makes a vital impact in feeding our neighbors.
We also held three Bring and Pack Sandwich Packing events in July and August! We gathered together to make, pack, and deliver sandwiches for the community fridge. During our summer Choir and Arts camp, the campers made 100 sandwiches for the fridge!
This fall, we will continue our work with Grassroots Grocery! We're still collecting non-perishable food, and you can drop off donations in the basket at the back of the Nave. We're always looking for volunteers to drop off the donated goods at the community fridge! If you're interested, please get in touch with Hannah Nolen or Lucas Thorpe.
Vi Lynk, Director of Children and Families Ministries, runs monthly cooking nights for teens and adults. The next event will be on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 5:45 pm. You can sign up here!
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Open Hearts Initiative: The Free Store
On Jul. 13, we partnered with Open Hearts Initiative to host a free store in Darlington Hall. Open Hearts filled the hall with clothes and housewares for families and individuals who lack stable housing to shop for, and it was all free! It was a wonderful event in which we made a direct impact on the lives of our neighbors.
We are so grateful for our partnership with Open Hearts Initiative and their amazing work for our communities. Thanks to Alice Dunn and Wilson Mendez for their time and help at the store! Interested in volunteering at a future free store? Reach out to Hannah Nolen or Lucas Thorpe.
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Back-to-School Drive
All students deserve to start off the school year prepared. In order to help make that a reality, we partnered with LSA Family Health Services and Good Shepherd Services for our Back-to-School drive.
CHR hosts two LSA tutoring programs throughout the program year-- Young Minds Matter and College Access. In the College Access program, high school seniors get paired with mentors who guide them through the college admissions process. This past year, all four seniors were accepted into colleges throughout the state. Through the back-to-school drive, CHR gave the four students $500 gift cards to help them prepare for college.
We also partnered with Good Shepherd Services to support students in grades K-12. On Sunday, Aug. 25, we packed 42 backpacks with the help of 25 parishioners! These backpacks will go to students throughout the city.
Thank you to all who packed backpacks and donated to the drive!
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Two of the graduates of LSA College Access Tutoring! | |
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Outreach Service Day: Volunteer with NY Common Pantry on October 26th!
We are called to feed our neighbors, just as God feeds us with spiritual food. This year, we are partnering with New York Common Pantry for our annual Outreach Service Day. Heavenly Rest is a sponsoring organization of NYCP, and we're excited to revitalize our partnership. NYCP works to combat hunger and food insecurity through a variety of programs. In 2023, they distributed 5.4+ million meals to 29,215 households through their Manhattan, Bronx, and Mobile Pantry programs.
We'll go to their Bronx warehouse for a food packing event to help NYCP feed our neighbors. The event is on Saturday, Oct. 26. We'll meet at Heavenly Rest to travel together to the Bronx and return to Manhattan by the early afternoon. All are welcome to join us! Please sign up here and reach out to Hannah Nolen or Lucas Thorpe with any questions.
We are looking forward to being together while we help feed our neighbors.
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Thrift Volunteers Needed for October 19th Sale!
Heavenly Rest's Thrift Sale returns this fall, and they're looking for volunteers! The sale is Saturday, Oct. 19, and they're asking for volunteers on Friday and Saturday. Volunteer opportunities include assisting with set-up, sorting, selling, and packing up. If interested, please fill out this form and contact Lucas Thorpe with any questions.
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Volunteer with New York Common Pantry
To meet our neighbors' needs, we encourage you to volunteer with New York Common Pantry! There are volunteer opportunities that meet a variety of schedules at both their Bronx location and their Manhattan site on East 109th Street. You can sign up here!
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LSA: Young Minds Matter Tutoring
LSA Family Health Services' Young Mind's Matter Tutoring will start up again at Heavenly Rest this fall! Students will gather in Darlington Hall on Mondays and Wednesdays for homework help and tutoring. We're so excited to continue our partnership with LSA and be able to provide these students with a safe space to study.
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Homecoming Sunday: September 15th!
Mark your calendars for Homecoming Sunday on Sept. 15! We will welcome our new rector, the Rev. Kate Malin, and kick off our program year. The service will include a backpack blessing for our students and a festive brunch in Darlington Hall after the 11 am service for Kate! All are welcome, and we hope to see you there!
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Share your impact with us! | |
We are amazed by all the ways that our community members step forward. We want to hear what you're doing to make a difference in New York and beyond. Share your story! | |
We’d love to have you involved in any of our outreach programs! You can check out our newly redesigned outreach website to learn more and/or email outreach@heavenlyrest.org for more information, to ask questions, or get connected to any of the things we’re doing. | | | | |
