In her own words: Living in Visitation House is definitely an experience.  I remember when I first got here and didn’t know anybody, I used to cry and cry.  Then when I started to get to know staff members and resi‐dents, I became more comfortable with being here.  As I became more  comfortable,  the  tears  subsided  and  turned  into  laughter and  joy.    I greatly appreciate the things that this place has done for me.  Being here has molded me into the individual I am today:  strong, grateful, happy, and  independent.   Thank you, Visitation House.  —T. 

Dear Sherry,  Attached are some photos of the boys (hope you enjoy); they are growing so fast!!!!  And we will be visiting very soon; I have not and absolutely will not forget about you guys... you guys have changed my life forever and I could never be where I am today without you guys.... THANK U SO MUCH!!! Just know that what you guys do (helping out women and their children) does not and has not gone in vain!!!!   

Board of Directors Joseph C. Williams

President Thomas G. Hardy

Treasurer Juliann O’Connor

Clerk Deacon Ronald Buron

John Harding, M.D. Margaret Melican Father Adam Reid

Father Walter Riley

House, Inc. Visitation

June 2012 Volume 8, Issue 1 119 Endicott St. * Worcester, MA 01610 * Tel. 508-798-0762 * Fax 508-798-8902 * www.visitationhouse.org

We  thank God for  the  short but  precious life  of  baby Genesis,  born  in  December, three  months p r e m a t u r e .  We  are  very grateful  to  our chaplain,  Fr. Michael  Roy, 

who celebrated the Sacrament of Baptism at the hospital on February 28th and helped us to sup‐port Genesis’s mother and her family during the very difficult experience of losing a child. 

Gifts from God

Semi Annual Newsletter

MEET THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE VISITATION HOUSE FAMILY! 

Amy Rose April 11

Luz Feb 11

Jorge Feb 15

Baby Genesis December 1, 2011—February 29, 2012

Blessed are You, loving Father, for all Your gifts to us. Blessed are You for giving us family and friends to be with us in times of joy and sorrow, to help us in days of need, and to rejoice with us in moments of celebration..

We’re always happy to hear from former residents about their progress after leaving Visitation House.   • One mom visited recently with her toddler to tell us the great  news  that  she  just  earned  an  “A”  in  her  writing class at community college and that she’ll soon be start‐ing an internship at a state agency.  She hopes the experi‐ence she gains will help her get back into the workforce. • Below  is  an  email  from  a  former  resident  who,  since leaving Visitation House, married her  baby’s  father  and welcomed another son.  

There is no foot so small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world…or in our hearts.

Genesis May 29

MOVING ON 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER 

We are continually updating our life skills classes to try to meet residents’ needs. Sherry Robbins, our Social Service Manager, recently conducted a class intended to help our young mothers take a step back from their daily concerns and look at the big picture. Each woman made a road map of her life showing past, pre-sent, and where she’d like to be in the future. In the next session, women will draw their family tree. Understanding that residents could not control what happened when they were children, we are encourag-ing them to proactively determine how they would like to raise their baby so as not to repeat the hurtful experiences in their pasts. Over the summer, Worcester State masters students will be volunteering, teaching cooking for two on a small budget, finding low cost community resources, and resume writing.

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P.O. Box 60115 Worcester, MA 01606-0115

Visitation House, Inc.

We are very grateful to those who have given: • your time and talent • your prayers of support • in honor of friends or family or in memory of a loved one • in celebration of special occasions, e.g., birthdays or anni-

versaries • through United Way by designating Visitation House as your charity Your generosity allows us to continue to help mothers

who need support to give their babies a healthy start!

We’ve made it easier to donate through our website: www.VisitationHouse.org.  You can sign up for EFT by simply printing the form from our website and mailing it to Eve at the address provided.  Or you can donate   

  safely & 

  easily  

  using  

  PayPal.

A big thank you for helping us...

You’re  Invited:   One weekday evening a month  we  have  Mass  in  our  chapel  at 5:30pm  followed  by  a  big  dinner  in  the dining room.  Eve likes to plan the dinner menu  and  direct  meal  preparation,  and the  residents have  a  great  time  learning tricks  of  the  trade  from  someone  who loves  to  cook!    We’re  always  happy  to have guests  join us  for Mass and dinner.  If  you’d  like  to come,  please  call Eve  to  find  out when  the  next Mass is scheduled. 

November 2011 Holy Cross SPUD students visit often

during the school year to spend time with residents and act as peer role models.

December 2011 & April 2012 St. Joseph’s Life Teen Group

washed windows and woodwork, moved furniture, and did yard work.

We are making good progress on the capital improvements and repairs on our “To Do” list: • Install sump pump in basement: $12,000 — completed! • Finish replacing our roof : $15,000 — just completed! • Fill and pave the driveway: $5,000 Can you help with the driveway project? Do you know any contrac-tors who would be willing to donate time or materials?

Special thanks to:  

• Horizons for Homeless Children • Jim Hudson, our webmaster • Joanne Casiello for donating grass‐fed & organic 

meat from her son’s farm • Jim Ridick, who goes above and beyond for VH 

every month • The sewing club at St. Mary’s Elementary School in Worcester 

(our next door neighbors) for making beautiful bibs for the babies and bringing them over 

• September Thompson for sharing her wisdom through life skills classes 

• All of the parishes and schools who have been extremely gen‐erous in donating their time, talent, and treasure 

• The many individuals who have donated baby items and clothing for the moms 

Home Improvement

The Visitation House benefit dinner, held on April 26 at  Our  Lady  of  Mt.  Carmel  Parish,  was  a  smashing success.   We want  to  thank  all of  the many people who helped us put on this great community‐building event.    It  is always wonderful  to bring  together  the Visitation House  family to reconnect and enjoy each other’s  company.   We were blessed  to have Bishop McManus, Bishop Reilly, and many priests join us, as well  as  Ambassador  Raymond  Flynn,  our  keynote speaker,  whose  words  were  uplifting,  entertaining, and inspiring.  If you’ve never made it to one of these fun  fundraisers, we hope you can  join us next year!  Contact Eve Lindquist at 508‐798‐0762 for details. 

We  have  two  new  staff  mem‐bers  lending  their  hands  and hearts  to  our  mission.    Sandy Mancini  is  our  new  House Mother,  working  part‐time  to help  residents  with  meal  plan‐ning,  grocery  shopping,  and financial  responsibility.    She also  handles  the  many  dona‐tions we  receive.   Linda Clancy covers some evening and week‐end  shifts,  spending  time  with residents,  listening and offering counsel during and after dinner.   A  staff  member  is  on  duty  at the house 24/7..y co 

Some  donors  have  set  up  an  automatic monthly donation through their employer. 

We had a full house for our 7th annual dinner.

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