Dear Friends and Family,

        I am reaching out to you with the hope that you will assist me in my efforts to help the residents of Chapman Partnership, a homeless shelter serving 800 men, women, and children.  I am trying to raise money in order to purchase pillows for the children who call Chapman their home, if only until they are able to move into their own homes.          

        I have volunteered at Chapman, serving meals, a number of times.  When I found out that they needed pillows for their residents, I decided that this was a project that I wanted to take on.  I know how hard it is to not have a pillow to sleep with, so I decided that I would collect pillows for the women and children living in Chapman.  This way kids without their own homes would still have the comfort that your own pillow can provide.

        Pillows are there for you when no one else is. When I am sad, I can hug my pillow; when I am angry, I punch my pillow; when I am scared, I clutch my pillow; when I feel alone, I cuddle my pillow. My pillow is the only thing I do not have to share with anyone else; it is mine, and I want other kids to have that feeling too.

          Before I volunteered at Chapman, I thought that someone homeless was a man in dirty, ripped clothes sitting alone on the street corner. When I volunteered at Chapman I realized that my image of the homeless was inaccurate. There were men, women, children, toddlers, and babies who do not have their own home. I was shocked to see families coming to the dining hall when I served my first meal.

When I finished serving my first meal, I felt good knowing that I had helped others. I also gained a greater appreciation of all that I have. Now I am asking you to join me in my efforts, hoping that you will extend your generosity toward the residents of Chapman, especially the children, so that they may enjoy the comfort that a personal pillow can provide.  

 

With sincere gratitude,

Naomi Ohana