A special thank you to members of Greenford Christian Church, who gave of their time to help Beatitude House become more productive. The group nearly 40 strong spent the morning of July 26th cleaning and organizing the garages at A House of Blessing Youngstown.  They organized furniture and hauled unusable items to the curb.  In helping us to become organized they also reached out to the neighborhood -as some of the items found were not able to be used at Beatitude House so we passed them along to neighbors in need. 

 Thank you to Pastor Jeff Hugus and the members of his congregation who came out to help.

Five members of Beatitude House Green Clean spent time cleaning the convent by Ursuline High School this morning.  The group consisting of Alma Clark, Tawatha Pierce, Maryvel Vera, Tawanda Patterson and Vernessa Robinson were excited to get the first cleaning job under their belts.   They are looking forward to the official launch of Beatitude House Green Clean the week of October 5th.

Members of Ursuline High School visited The Potter's Wheel and A House of Blessing in Youngstown to do some much needed yard work at both facilities.  While at The Potter's Wheel the group also made time to clean the windows in the building.  The group has volunteered their services to Beatitude House before.  The work day was arranged by Matt Guarnieri, Ursuline defensive coach and Elsie Dursi, Beatitude House Permanent Housing Specialist.

A big thank you goes out to Coach Guarnieri and members of the team.  GOOD LUCK on the upcoming season!

The families of Beatitude House were treated to a special night out Saturday July 25.  Thanks to Ross Scianna, President of Antone's Restaurant Group the families received complimentary tickets to the football game between the Mahoning Valley Thunder and Green Bay Blizzard.  The evening out included hotdogs, popcorn, and drinks for everyone. 

Although the Thunder were not able to capture the victory, the group had fun cheering on the team.  The children were excited to give high fives to the players every chance they got.

Beatitude House Green Clean was excited as they received their first shipment of environmentally friendly cleaning products from Hearn Paper Company.  The group has been busy working on the details of running a business.  Over the past week they participated in training sessions and are looking forward to greeting their first customers.   "Having the products delivered puts us one step closer to opening for business," explained director Kelly Elko.   

Excitement is growing at 1370 Tod Avenue in Warren as the 1.5 million expansion at Beatitude House continues.  The project, set to be complete in early August will enable Beatitude House to service six additional homeless families at year.  The building will also have a children's playroom, a classroom and much needed office space.  "The staff and residents are looking forward to showing our newly expanded building to the Warren community," said Housing Director Shelia Triplett. 

Please join Beatitude House for an Open House on Friday September 25 at 2:30PM.

The families of Beatitude House would like to thank Shannon Tirone, Executive Director, YSU Alumni and Events Management and Erin DeBernardo, YSU Alumni and Events Management for providing tickets for them to attend Youngstown State University's "Forte on the Fifty" event.  The event was held on Saturday July 11 at YSU's Stambaugh Stadium.  Those in attendance enjoyed musical entertainment from Dana All-Star Band and Second Avenue Project followed by a wonderful fireworks display by BJ Alan's Phantom Fireworks.

"My children loved the fireworks and we hope to come back next year," said one mother.  Another added "We truly appreciate the generosity of YSU."

The children of Beatitude House operated a lemonade stand at the corner of Fifth and Lora Avenues on the city's north side last evening from 4:30pm - 6:30pm.  The group raised $70.00, which they will combine with their profits from the sale this Friday and donate the money to a local charity.  In addition to a cold glass of lemonade, customers were able to enjoy either chocolate chip cookies or rice krispy treats. 

The group will be at it again this Friday July 10th from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the corner of Fifth and Lora Avenues. Please stop by and support these children as they learn the importance of reaching out to those in need.  We hope to see you there!

SAVE THE DATE

Beatitude House will host a dedication ceremony and open house on Friday September 25, 2009 at 1370 Tod Avenue in Warren to show the community their $1.5 million expansion.  The dedication ceremony will begin at 2:30pm, with an open house to follow.  We invite you to come see how Beatitude House is working to transform lives.

Three years ago Beatitude House received a $40,000 donation with the stipulation that the money be used for scholarships for the women in our program. For the past three years 4-6 scholarships have been awarded per year. Applicants were required to write an essay on their educational goals and were able to ask for up to $4,000.  We are proud to announce this year's scholarship recipients: Laura Cleary, Bernadette Farina, Jennifer Freels and Mary Wolfcale.  We wish these women continued success as they pursue their educational goals.