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Here is our Hope Village September 2024 Newsletter. We hope you enjoy it!

Groundbreaking Ceremony

Thanks to everyone who endured the stifling heat for our groundbreaking on our workforce housing! It's amazing to see how far we've come in less than a decade! We couldn't do this without you. Thank you for your support and generosity! We love you Chippewa Falls!

Chippewa Herald story.  WQOW Story.  FB Post.  FB Video.

A Lot Going On – Construction Begins

There is a lot going on at Hope Village. The team from Rocket was out this week accessing the sewer and water lines stubbed out for our affordable/workforce housing units.

FB Post

Savers – Hope Village Clothing Drive Fund Raiser

Thank you to everyone that donated clothing, shoes and other items to help us fill the Chippewa Valley Technical College trailer. This is an wonderful partnership that allows our community to contribute by cleaning out their closets as we partner with Saver’s, CVTC, our tiny house guests and the Chi Hi Men’s Soccer Team. $2765.00 was raised to benefit our tiny house guests as they work to rebuild their futures.

Mentors Needed

We are in need for caring individuals to become mentors for our Hope Village guests.  We are in limited supply of male mentors.  Mentors are good listeners, offer support and friendship.  Mentors are asked to give 1-2 hours per week staying in contact with guests either in person or by phone.  If you are willing and have time to be a “difference maker” please contact Mike Cohoon 715.210.5405 or cohoonms@yahoo.com

We want to thank our financial contributors for this past month

Boe, Julie
Bortnem, Jane
Bowe, Jeffry & Tami
Burgess, Caleb
Carter, Lisa
Cherrier, Joseph & Lynn
Christopherson, Lisa
Cooke, Mathew
Crossroads Church
Drehmel, Thomas & Janice
English Lutheran Church of Bateman
Festival Foods
Haley, Michael & Patricia Jensen
Harrison, Les & Marilyn
HayHoe, Karen
Jacob's Well
Leis, Carrie
Miller, Craig & Nancy
Nelson, Carla
Roshell, Mark & Kari
Rutledge Charities
Selvig, Rock
Thrivent
UW Chippewa Valley
Warner, Katie
WI Dept of Corrections
Winum Optimist Int'l
Yakesh, Rebecca

Fundraising Meeting

Interested in helping with Hope Village fundraising events? Come learn more about how you can help!

Our Mentors are the Best – They Know How to Party

Our Mentors held a get together for our Hope Village households, it include a simple time of gathering, great food and games with the HV kiddos.

EC Realtors Association Golf Outing

Big shout out to Rhonda White-Wedemeyer and Denise Henry for hosting our booth at the Realtors Association golf outing yesterday! They were amazing hosts. Thank you to Arlan Bergquist and crew for making sure a tiny house was at the course and to Katie Warner for taking care of all the details! Hope Village volunteer’s rock!

Hope Village Thrift Sale – Donation and Resale Team – THANK YOU!

Our team had a successful thrift sale and Junk In The Trunk event helping to raise $1200 plus dollars Sept 9-14. Those tiny houses will be toasty warm this winter because of these volunteers.

Thanks to this hard-working team and to those that donated items and bought our treasures!

Hope Village 2025 Quarter Auction

Mark your calendar for the next Hope Village Quarter Auction. We will be having it March 1, 2025 at Lake Wissota Golf. Watch for more updates, we are working on making it better than last year.

Taylor's Story

Taylor had just graduated one semester early from Chippewa Falls high school. Being new to Hope Village and a shy, quiet person, it was very overwhelming and stressful for Taylor to come to Hope Village by herself. Taylor had just turned 18 and found herself on her own with no place to live." I know I'm 18, but I am just a kid."

Taylor already had a part-time job working with special needs children when she got moved into her tiny house. But to get an apartment, she needs to work full-time, so one of her goals is to get a full-time job instead of the part-time job that she has.

Not having a driver's license is one of Taylor's biggest challenges and one of her biggest goals. Taylor, to get to her job and back would often use vouchers or taxi's, and most of the time one of her mentors, Rolanda. And on some occasions would have to walk the long walk back to Hope Village.

Taylor has a love for animals, especially cats. And when she was young Taylor had 12 cats at one point, she also has had dogs, pigs, goats, two turtles, and more than a couple fish in separate times. One Thing Taylor struggles with is not being able to have her cat in her tiny house. Not being able to have animals at the tiny house is one thing Taylor doesn't quite like about the tiny house program, but other than that Taylor says, "It is great living here with all these nice and caring people."

Something that did surprise Taylor when she first got to Hope Village was how nice and friendly the people were to her. They all said that if she needed help with anything that they would be there to help her and guide her, which was new and amazing to her.

This summer Taylor was able to connect with her birth dad and his family and she hopes to keep the connection and communication with him and his family.

Taylor's aim is to have her own apartment somewhere in Chippewa or Eau Claire, get her driver's licenses, save money for a car, and work a full-time job. She is nervous, excited and anxious about everything but she says, "I believe that everything will work out just fine."

Menard’s Rebates

Looking for an easy way to support Hope Village?

Do you have Menards receipts? We collect them and apply for the rebates. Feel free to mail us your receipts, or your unused rebates. We have friends that send in their rebate forms and have the rebates sent directly to us!! We have installed a mail box near our front door to deposit these items into.

Interested in volunteering?

1. Building and Maintenance Team

Responsibilities: Maintaining and repairing our property, tiny houses, and community center.

Tasks: Weekly "To-Do" lists include various jobs, from minor repairs to more substantial projects.

Time Commitment: Flexible, ranging from 20 minutes to a few hours.

2. Cleaning, Stocking, and Inventory Team

Responsibilities: Ensuring cleanliness and restocking of tiny houses for new guests.

Collaboration: Works closely with the Stocking and Inventory teams.

Training: New members receive guidance from experienced volunteers.

3. Community Center Staffing Team

Responsibilities: Opening and overseeing the community center from 6 am to 10 pm.

Perks: You can read, craft, or use our Wi-Fi during your two-hour shifts.

4. Fundraising Team

Responsibilities: Planning fundraising activities and supporting events.

Opportunities: Joining our annual Quarter Auction and partnering with local organizations for fundraising.

5. Grant Writing Team

Responsibilities: Seeking and writing grants for general expenses and affordable housing development.

Requirement: Grant writing experience needed.

6. Housing Search Team

Responsibilities: Helping guests find safe and affordable housing.

Activities: Assisting with applications, rental resumes, and maintaining a rental list.

7. Donation Collection and Resale Team

Responsibilities: Collecting donations and selling items online.

Acquisitions: Collect items from estate sales on Monday mornings.

Contribution: Preparing items for sale and donating unsalable items.

8. Promotional and Outreach Team

Responsibilities: Educating the public about Hope Village through website maintenance, newsletters, and storytelling.

Collaborations: Works closely with other teams to promote events.

Meetings: Monthly virtual meetings, with tasks assigned and worked on independently.

9. Volunteer Organization Team

Responsibilities: Managing and coordinating volunteers, communicating team needs, and conducting background checks.

Additional Roles: Organizing small teams, like the grass mowing team.

Maintenance: Maintains a master list of volunteers.

Click Here to Volunteer!

Join Us On Facebook

If you want to stay in the loop about what is happening at Hope Village and meet some of our amazing volunteers join our Facebook Page! https://www.facebook.com/hopev...