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Gift of Hope for Homelessness

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Dear Friends,

It was an exceptionally cold winter in 2013.

Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, Will Green, Executive Director of Mentoring Positives, and local business owner Tim Metcalfe decided to go undercover together in Madison, Wisconsin to experience what it was like to be homeless in our community, and to learn directly from our homeless citizens about the challenges they face every day.

What these three men learned is that there are many causes of homelessness, and equally as many challenges for those who find themselves in this plight. Nationally, the average age of a person experiencing homelessness is only 9 years old! The majority of homeless folks hold jobs and are desperately trying to escape homelessness and get back on their feet.

A month after going undercover, Michael, Will and Tim were inspired to rally the community to join them in #payingitforward by collecting jackets, gloves, boots, socks, and other essential items like bus passes to distribute to the over 3,500 homeless citizens who reside in the greater Madison area.

What they discovered is that the gift of mobility and transportation in the form of BUS PASSES was the greatest gift of all. They were like GOLD. What they found was that our homeless citizens have many needs, and the gift of mobility was the most valued gift of all to help meet those needs.

Once a citizen finds themselves homeless, they need our support navigating the system to get back on their feet. Many simply need transportation to get to work or school, while others might need to get to the job center to fill out applications, or to the many different agencies where supportive services are available. Some homeless folks are forced to walk all the way across town in the bitter cold, just to get a daily meal of breakfast, lunch or dinner.

All of these needs require mobility—TRANSPORTATION.

Without the ability to get from point A to point B, a homeless person may not get that meal to sustain them, or be able to keep the job that will help them escape homelessness, or continue the education that will provide them with a successful future.

With a bus pass, their whole world opens back up again. They can get to the job center, they can get to work or school, they can get home to see their families over the holidays. But most of all, what these three men discovered is that a simple gift of a BUS PASS could give someone the gift of HOPE.

This GoFundMe site is dedicated to raising money for one simple purpose, and that is to give our homeless citizens the gift of mobility, the gift of HOPE on their road back to housing, by providing them with bus passes.

Bus passes are relatively inexpensive (as low as $3 in Madison and $6 in Milwaukee), so any size donation will go a long way. Please give generously if you are able and we will make sure that these bus passes get into the hands of the most vulnerable members of our community.

We encourage you to join us in paying it forward by making a donation so we can give the gift of mobility to these citizens in need of a helping hand, and let them know that we see them as who they are—our brothers and sisters—and that we care.

Please let us know which communities or agencies you would like your bus passes to go to.

Current list of agencies:
Porchlight Inc. - Madison Wisconsin 
Boys and Girls Club of Dane County 
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee 
Salvation Army of Dane County
Salvation Army of Greater Milwaukee 
Friends of the State Street Family - Madison Wisconsin

With Great Appreciation,

Michael Johnson - Boys and Girls Club of Dane County
Will Green - Mentoring Positives
Tim Metcalfe - Metcalfe’s Markets

P.S. Anyone who makes a donation from "Now" through December 20th will be registered to win a $500 SHOPPING SPREE at Metcalfe's Market!

P.P.S. Metcalfe’s has also announced that they will donate one bus pass for each employee or customer who wears a CrAzY Sweaters from December 18-20 and stops by one of their markets—up to 1250 bus passes to distribute to those in need. That is $5000 worth of bus passes!

Thank you for your support of a very worthy cause.
Please hit Share now.

Donations 

  • Jill Annis
    • $25 
    • 8 yrs
  • Harry Lum
    • $50 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs
  • Eric Wiltgen
    • $50 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs
  • Marion Smith
    • $100 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs
  • CrAzY Sweaters @ Metcalfe's Customer Donations
    • $518 (Offline)
    • 8 yrs

Organizer

Tim Metcalfe
Organizer
Madison, WI

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