A Publication of

St. Luke’s Community House

Winter 2002

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Many of the families that St. Luke's serves share holiday memories that may be different from yours. No tree…a frozen dinner… no presents…no visitors to share the day with…silence.

Help us make warm memories for our families, families who average

income is less than $17,000 annually, families who make

the choice on an ongoing basis between food and rent, and seniors who live alone. We call them the

working poor. For them we can make Christmas memories that will brighten

faces, warm hearts, and give hope.

Holiday Memories

Here's how you can make holiday memories for others

Donate new toys to the St. Luke's Toy Store Toys must be delivered no later than December 7.

Adopt a Family or Senior Call 350-1134 to get matched with a family

All families are screened to show proof of residency in the 37209 zip code and

The mission of St. Luke’s Community House is to help low income working families

in West Nashville achieve their potential and prevent problems

that threaten the stability of families and community. The vision is to see parents,

children, youth, seniors, and extended family members develop the inner strength

and support to deal with life’s challenges and opportunities.

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St. Luke’s Board of Directors

2002 -- 2003

Bettye AbernathyBeth Callaway Alexander

Melinda O. BassJack O. Bovender

Charles W. Cook, Jr.Cleo Cowan

Elaine DicksonSteve Fridrich

Angela Moretti GoddardDavid Herbert

The Rt. Rev. Bertram HerlongAnthony F. Holt

Todd H. KaestnerJohn Kimbro

James McCabeStuart McWhorter

Berkeley H. NichollsGeorgianna RussellRobert A. Shadoin

Parker SherrillClaire W. Tucker

Betsy WillsEmily P. Zerfoss

Letter From Our Board President

Council of Advisors2002 -- 2003

The Rev. Randall DunnavantJames W. Perkins, Jr.

www.stlukescommunityhouse.org

The Real Economic Dilemma

We all feel it. The stock market is suffering; sales are weak; downsizing is a recurring event. Our lives are changing, at least temporarily.

St. Luke's feels it too. Donations have fallen way short, while the demand for our services is increasing. The dilemma for us produces much anxiety.

The St. Luke's neighborhood is one of the poorest in all of Nashville, yet the majority of its residents, who are of appropriate age, are working. They are called the working poor." Family incomes average less than $17,000 annually. There is no public housing in this neighborhood. Few people ware receiving government assistance. The education level among adults averages 6th grade. Refugees and immigrants, of which there is an increasing number, face language barriers. They all turn to St. Luke's to provide programs of support, such as childcare, emergency food, and home repairs. And they turn to St. Luke's to provide avenues by which they can improve their lives, such as financial classes, language tutoring, and computer training. We must not turn them away. Because if this time is hard for you, it is even harder for those families who live day to day, week to week, month to month.

How do we survive this time? We ask you to remember St. Luke's when you are making your holiday plans and your year-end gifts. We ask you to help us widen our circle of support by telling your friends of the importance of what is happening here.

Charles W. Cook, Jr.

Cathy Buttrey was a student in the St. Luke's childcare program. (back row, fourth from right) Now she spends time reading to today's

children through her volunteer work with HCA.

Former St. Luke's Student is Now a St. Luke's Volunteer

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Five Ways You Can Make A Difference in The Lives That Follow

Prepare a will to take care of the organizations you love.

Use the beneficiary designation of your retirement plan, 401K, or IRA to benefit your favorite charity.

Purchase a life insurance policy naming an agency as the owner and beneficiary.

Endow your charity and receive lifetime income through the use of a Charitable Gift Annuity.

Remember loved ones with memorial gifts.

Art Reach 2002

Art Reach Chairs: Kay Neal, Grace Johnson, Zee Pendleton

Artist Myles Maillie enjoys a visit with longtime friend Terry Bulger

Enjoying the show and their friendship are Pam Sheridan, Liz Pearce, and Marci StewartThe tough part is deciding what to bid on

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Tiffany Israel, Associate Executive Director

Everyday St. Luke's touches the lives of people in our community who are struggling with life's challenges. It is difficult for many to understand that while our families work very hard, they simply don't make enough money to always make ends meet. What a beautiful blessing it has been for me to be a part of empowering our families and seniors to handle their challenges.

Wendy Porter, Childcare Director

The best part of my job is knowing how much help we give to our families. We serve wonderful, caring parents who want the best for their children, but are struggling to provide it. My dream is to make this preschool program the best it can be to benefit these families to the fullest.

... serving families

... helping neighbors

Tiffany Israel, left, and her baby Abigail enjoy seeing other children at the summer Community Building Day.

Tiffany and volunteer Melissa Hutchison pose with members of the St. Luke's Girl Scout Troop.

Wendy loves spending time in one of the three-year classrooms.

Teacher Jackie Joyner and Wendy discuss plans for the day.

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Julie Bulger, Volunteer Program Manager

Each day I am surrounded by small acts of kindness, true inspiration, servant leadership, and heroism in its most profound form. Watching people give so unselfishly and experiencing the rewards of their time and talents is so encouraging. I am so proud to work at St. Luke's.

Michelle Fuqua, Volunteer Program

Manager

I will always carry the special memory being on Mr. Sharp's ( a mobile meal recipient) "Wall of Roses." His wall consisted of dozens of Polaroid pictures of St. Luke's friends who visited him on a regular basis. What a meaningful "rose garden" St. Luke's i s to all the families we serve. We are all gardeners of Hope.

Teri Simon, Community Programs Manager

I am grateful to be part of a special team of people all united to serve a so often ignored portion of the population -the working poor. It is appealing to me that St. Luke's works so diligently to provide programs for children, parents and the elderly -- helping people at all stages of the life cycle.

... changing lives

Julie, standing second from right, and volunteers from AmSouth have just enjoyed a pizza lunch

Michelle, left, helps volunteer Anne Oldham fill a food box for a community resident.

Teri, left, enrolls a single mother of four in the Christmas Toy Store Program.

Teri checks out the cans of green vegetable in our Emergency Food Box Room

Don Bittick, left, with his family accepts the HCA Caring for the Community Award. Don has been instrumental in organizing and planning many special adventures for our preschool and school-age children. This summer Don and members of this department at HCA took children in our summer program to the Parthenon, the Frist Center, and a Sounds baseball game. He also headed up the preschool Easter Egg Hunt and Christmas Party. St. Luke's is grateful that Don's outstanding volunteer spirit and direct service involvement was recognized by his workplace. Finalist for this award included Liz Connally who

has been a St. Luke's volunteer for over 15 years and Steve Brickner who has been a site manager with the West Nashville Community Development Partnership.

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HCA Salutes Don Bittick

Doug Anderson accepts a check from the Ellen Lehman, President and Jerry Williams, Chair-Allocations & Distribution Committee-both with

the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

Other foundations which have given program support in 2002 to St. Luke's include:

HCA Foundation, Dandridge Trust, Junior League of Nashville, M. Stratton

Foster Foundation, Exchange Club Foundation, Nashville Predators

Foundation, Huseby Family Foundation, St. Thomas Hospital Foundation,

Richards Family Advised Fund, Sherrill Foundation, For All Kids Foundation,

Frist Foundation, Deaton Family Foundation and Alcoa Foundation

Thanks to the Huseby Foundation, St. Luke’s has opened an adult computer class.

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Letter From Our Executive Director

Priceless Gift On Loan To St. Luke's

Ann Walling and the Boult Family Foundation will fund a community health nurse to work in St. Luke's neighborhood. The community health nurse position, patterned after the parish nurse model, better equips St. Luke's to fulfill its mission to help low income working families prevent problems that threaten the stability of families and community.

This West Nashville community has some of the highest rates in Davidson County for premature mortality, domestic violence, substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, adolescent birth rate and infant mortality. Forty-two percent of our adults have no high school diploma---almost twice the average for Davidson County. The teen birth rate is higher here than any other neighborhood in Nashville (55.4 per 1000), as is the infant mortality rate of 14.8 per 100.

The community health nurse is an intervention initiative designed to get at root issues, to provide corrective action and prevention education. The person who made this grant possible is the Rev. Ann Walling. Ann's volunteer work at St. Luke's allowed her to observe the needs first-hand. Ann's role with the Boult Family

Foundation informed her about ways to address these needs. Ann's personal commitment made the funding possible.

Ann's approach is that of a systemic problem-solver. She fashioned a partnership composed of the Boult Family Foundation, with its knowledge and experience in community building, herself as funder, and St. Luke's Community House. Her gift will bless our families, this neighborhood and the greater Nashville community for years to come; but it is Ann herself who is the priceless gift.

The Boult Family Foundation is a private foundation whose goal is to have a life changing impact on the poorest of the poor. The trustees of this fund invest in places where extreme poverty is the greatest. They fund community and economic development opportunities.

The Reverend Ann Walling is Assistant Rector at St. David's Episcopal Church, Nashville. She has a deeply rooted passion about social justice issues. Her primary concern is for those persons at the lowest end of the economic scale who are impacted, to a disproportionate degree, by long-term deprivations associated with poverty, such as inadequate housing, lack of opportunities, meager health care, discrimination, and inferior education.

Ann Walling and the Boult Family Foundation partner with key leaders to effect long terms outcomes, building a sense of community and individual identity.

You can now read our newsletter online!!Visit us at www.stlukescommunityhouse.

org

Douglas L. Anderson

St. Luke’s Community House5601 New York Ave.Nashville, TN 37209-1495

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www.stlukescommunityhouse.org

Wish ListProgram Needs

Ethnic DollsBoys' Pretend Clothes

Lullaby Tapes for NaptimeScience EquipmentLego Table & LegosDiapers, sizes 3-5

Turkeys & Hams for holiday dinnersVolunteer NeedsMobile Meals Drivers

Literacy Tutor Homework Helper

Brass Music Teacher

Financial NeedsKitchen & food costs an average

$43.00 per child per month (Preschool Program) & $35.00 per senior per month (Mobile Meals program)

We need your help!