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Meet Gayla Jones

If you have been to Resurrection House this summer, you probably have met our new office manager, Gayla Jones. She started with us in May, and she’s readily embracing her role.

“These past three months have been amazing,” she said.

Gayla’s career path began in government, first working with the Hallandale Beach police department for 22 years, and then acting as the clerk of courts supervisor for Sarasota County.

After four years there, she decided to make a change. “I can help more in the nonprofit realm,” she thought.

Gayla spent the next few years working at an at-risk facility for young males. That led her to taking a position as director of Drug Free Manatee. While there, she learned about Turning Points, a day center for
the homeless in Bradenton.

That’s when she realized she wanted to work with the homeless, and she found her next opportunity, as
office manager here at Resurrection House.

Gayla’s day-to-day job entails making sure all the administrative duties in the office are operating smoothly. She’s not one to stay tucked away in a back office though. She likes to come out on the floor and get to know our clients’ stories, and she enjoys helping wherever she’s needed.

Gayla likes to be hands-on especially in the kitchen where she enjoys serving. “I love the grateful responses you get from the clients when all you’re doing is handing them their plate.”

Gayla recalled a time when a client asked for her by name only to thank her simply for helping him locate
his lost cell phone. “Imagine the impact I could make after I’ve been here for a while,” she wondered.

She wants everyone to discover the scope of what we do for the local homeless community. “It’s important to me that those living on the streets can come to our door and we can help them. Everybody needs a chance, I’m just trying to do my part.”

Making a House a Home

In 2021, the City of Sarasota’s Homeless Outreach Team (H.O.T.) approached Resurrection House about helping those on the streets make a smoother transition into housing. After a lot of conversation back and forth, the “Floor No More” program was launched. This program helps ease both anxiety and financial burdens by providing homeless individuals with daily living essentials for their new house at move-in.

“It was the missing piece for people moving in,” said Dede Jones, Coordinator of Homeless Response for the City of Sarasota.

Resurrection House’s role in the “Floor No More” program is to purchase and provide these household items at move-in, which can be a huge undertaking. Over the past year, Resurrection House has partnered with a local women’s ministry, called Soul Sisters, who does the shopping and delivery of these items to the newly housed person.

“I absolutely love that these in-need people are getting off the street and we get to sprinkle them with extra love by buying all the things they need to get started,” said Anne Ayres, one of the Soul Sister volunteers.

These household items are hand-selected by the H.O.T. case managers and are unique to each client’s housing situation.

Thanks to the Soul Sister volunteers who gather extra details like color preferences, the individual can feel right at home immediately. “The Soul Sister crew has put more of a personal touch to it,” Dede said.

Anne finds every client and move-in is unique and special. She remembers one soon-to-be resident who was so grateful, that he even gave things back that he knew he couldn’t use, so that the next person could benefit from them.

“Our ministry is grateful to help out in this small way knowing what a big impact housing can have in helping someone get back on their feet” Anne said.

Servant Leadership

Resurrection House couldn’t accomplish everything we do for our clients without partners like Grace Community Church in Lakewood Ranch.

James Brost, a long-time Resurrection House volunteer and member of Grace Community Church, is heading up the church’s involvement with Resurrection House. James shared he was called into this role after being inspired one Sunday by his pastor’s sermon about the importance of caring for others. “That sparked a real passion in me,” James said. “I have a heart to help people who are less fortunate.”

Initially, James reached out to Grace’s outreach director, Michael Cason, about building a volunteer work force at the church to help Resurrection House return to serving our clients five days a week.

From there, Grace officially recognized Resurrection House as one of its community partners, meaning the church pledges to commit their time, talent, and treasure to select nonprofit organizations in the area.
James also started an outreach ministry within Grace where people can sign up to specifically serve Resurrection House.

So far this year, members of the outreach ministry have not only continued to volunteer on a weekly basis, but they also painted several areas within Resurrection House, which hadn’t been touched up in years. Grace supplied all the supplies and the people to do the work.

“We have some other projects already planned throughout the rest of the year,” James said. “Plus, we’re
actively looking at other ways we can make a difference.”

The ministry plans to paint more areas of the building, as well as coordinate a backpack drive in December.

Thank you, Grace Community Church, for your commitment to Resurrection House and our mission!

A Compassionate Community

In my role as Interim Executive Director at Resurrection House I often get asked, “What makes Resurrection House so special?” While I think there could be many responses to that question, the one thing that truly makes us unique is the community that supports us. Our community has been by our side the entire 34 years we have been serving Sarasota’s homeless population. They make our mission possible.

The recent holiday season was a great example of the amazing outpouring of community support. The donations of clothing, blankets, toiletries, and other items seemed to be unending. The more items we brought into our center, the more donations kept showing up at our door. The generosity was incredible.

Financial donations from individuals, businesses, foundations and religious groups also continue to fuel our ability to serve our homeless clients’ needs. Since our inception, Resurrection House has not accepted funding from the city, county, state, or federal government. Monetary gifts of all sizes continue to be instrumental in funding critical services for our clients such as showers, laundry, food, clothing, and medical treatment to name a few. We are so grateful for our generous donors.

Like so many non-profit organizations, the impact of COVID took a toll on our volunteer workforce. Before the pandemic, we had over 150 volunteers serving each week at Resurrection House. When I became a staff member in July, we had around 60 dedicated volunteers, which reduced the number of days we were open from five to three days a week. Over the past couple of months, through the support of our church partners and a growing “word of mouth” network, more and more individuals have found their way to Resurrection House to volunteer. We now have over 100 volunteers, and that number continues to grow. This recent surge has allowed us to expand our operating hours back to five days a week. However, we still need more volunteers. If you are interested in serving at Resurrection House, please reach out to us. We would love for you to join our volunteer team.

Thank you to all who continue to make Resurrection House that oasis in the sea of uncertainty for those experiencing homelessness. I think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it the best, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” The Resurrection House is the perfect place to start helping those around you.

All the best,
Mason Ayres
Interim Executive Director

Introducing Volunteer Coordinator – Peter Sperduti

Some of you may already know Peter Sperduti. He’s been a volunteer at Resurrection House since May 2022, but recently he’s become our Volunteer Coordinator.

A former firefighter, Peter started helping the homeless in the 1990s and has continued with his ministry by conducting Bible studies in shelters and feeding people on the streets.

“I’ve seen miracles happen while doing that,” he says.

Peter explains “it takes a lot of baby steps in ministering to the homeless but it’s rewarding in the end. I love seeing bridges restored for those who have had them broken.” He’s seen parents reconnect with their children and people go from homeless to housed.

“Seeing them being put back together really motivates me,” says Peter. Becoming a volunteer with Resurrection House and making a difference in people’s lives doesn’t require special skills.

“You don’t need to have any previous experience,” he explains. “You just need a heart for the homeless.”

Peter recommends exploring all the volunteer opportunities at Resurrection House – from helping with laundry to greeting clients. “It helps you gain an appreciation that serving here is a true team effort,” he says.

Blanketing Our Clients with Warmth

Every winter for the past 19 years, Notre Dame Club of Greater Sarasota has given Resurrection House hundreds of blankets as part of their Warm Wishes program.

The partnership began when University of Notre Dame students participated in a summer service learning program in Sarasota that included volunteering with Resurrection House.

“Once we realized what a great organization it was, we wanted to help out,” says Chris Kernan, who ran the Warm Wishes program from its inception. He recently turned it over to Pat Forshee, a member of the Notre Dame Club’s board of directors.

The alumni organization’s local chapter, which has more than 200 members, began their work by collecting clothing and canned goods as well as blankets but found the most success with the latter. “We want to help the homeless stay warm in the winter,” Chris says. Their first year, they donated around 100 blankets, and last year the number ran to about 800. The Warm Wishes program supports both Resurrection House and Stillpoint Mission in Bradenton.

Chris says while they gladly accept new and lightly used blankets from their members, most of the donations are monetary, enabling them to purchase brand-new blankets for the best price.

The blankets are delivered in December and given to Resurrection House clients as needed throughout the year.

“We are grateful to Notre Dame Club of Greater Sarasota for their generosity and caring of the homeless in our community!” says Mason Ayres, Interim Executive Director at Resurrection House.

I Love Old Movies

There is no better 1947 movie to watch in the last quarter of the year than “The Bishop’s Wife” starring Cary Grant, David Nivin, and Loretta Young (The 1990’s remake with Whitney Houston pales in comparison). Without spoiling it for you, the film is about a suave, handsome angel (Cary Grant, naturally) who comes down from heaven to rescue the Episcopal Bishop of New York (Nivin) and his wife (Young) from a spiritual dry spell resulting from their obsession with the mechanics and fundraising associated with building a grand new cathedral.

Eventually, the bishop listens to the angel and remembers again what’s really important – on Christmas Eve no less. The bishop stands re-converted, if you will, in his vast new cathedral pulpit, discards his long dull sermon, and says only these words to thousands gathered on the Upper East Side:

Tonight I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking.

Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child’s cry, a blazing star hung over a stable, and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven’t forgotten that night down the centuries. We celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, with the sound of bells, and with gifts.

But especially with gifts. You give me a book, I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer and Uncle Henry can do with a new pipe. For we forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger.

Let us ask ourselves what He would wish for most. And then, let each put in his share, loving kindness, warm hearts, and a stretched-out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.

At Resurrection House we are completing another year serving our homeless sisters and brothers in Sarasota. Can we count on you to fill our stocking as we approach the end of the year, helping us to be an even larger stretched-out hand of loving kindness to God’s children that desperately need to experience a little peace on earth?

With every blessing and good wish, I am:
Yours in the Lord’s service,
(The Rev.) Charleston D. Wilson
Board President, Resurrection House

Celebrating 34 Years of Compassion

On October 19th, 2023, Resurrection House began its 34th year of operation. What started as a Vestry project at Church of the Redeemer in 1985, became a reality in October 1989 when six Sarasota downtown churches came together to form what is now the Resurrection House.

The first couple of years were spent in one room in the old Salvation Army building on 4th street. A small building on 6th street was quickly followed by the present location at 507 Kumquat Court.

Resurrection House owes its existence and success to the many donors, churches and foundations that believe in its mission of helping the homeless. Having never taken funding from the city, county, state or federal government allows the staff the freedom to make immediate decisions to aid those most in need.

Happy Birthday Resurrection House.

What is a Chaplain?

“A Chaplain is many things to many people. He is a mediator, a peace maker, a go-between heaven and earth. He has the trust of a child, the kindness of a best friend, and the strength of a Man of God. He works hard; his hours are the longest; his salary is the smallest; his Boss is the best. It’s no wonder God loves him; he speaks to God for us and to us for God.”

Anonymous

Resurrection House is now so blessed to have our own Chaplain, Michael Hales, who speaks to God for us. He also speaks to all of us about God. His presence every week at Resurrection House speaks to
all of us, but his quiet demeanor speaks most clearly to our homeless clients who are struggling with all the challenges they face every day. He brings them hope and helps to restore their faith.

Chaplain Michael comes in every Tuesday morning. He acknowledges all of us, but pauses to interact with each client. He asks them questions; he listens to them; he hears them; he counsels them; he prays with them.

Chaplain Michael then invites our clients to worship in The Rev. Dr. Fredrick A. Robinson Chapel at Resurrection House. All are welcome to join our Chaplain: to sing hymns, to say prayers, to study scripture
and to share in communion. At the close of his service, Chaplain Michael invites our clients to share their own thoughts and needs with the group or to privately meet with him after the service.

Resurrection House has been truly blessed by Chaplain Michael Hales because he is a Man of God. And he is keenly aware of the differences in each and every client. He listens, empathizes and shows them respect. And we are so grateful that he has joined our team!

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Has it really been 15 years? It seems like yesterday that I was hired as Director of Development for Resurrection House. The calendar might have read January 2008, but in my head and heart it seems like only a few days ago.

Working with the homeless has readjusted my perspective on what is truly important in one’s life. Becoming the Executive Director over seven years ago has changed me in so many ways.

The most lasting lesson I have learned over all the years–when you take the time and effort to help another individual, you end up helping yourself. I did not realize it at the time, but a part of me became more caring, less self-centered and an overall calm person.

At Resurrection House, when a homeless individual makes the decision to change his or her lifestyle, the staff immediately determines the path that will result in the greatest success and provide the steps to accomplish the goal. It is in helping them that the charity and compassion spills over to the individual assisting the change.

I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the decision to use our resources to partner in making the change in others. It is truly a blessing to experience seeing the positive results in others.

I leave my tenure at Resurrection House with a grateful heart and a feeling of accomplishment. I owe a great debt to the Board of Directors, staff and volunteers for their efforts and compassion in helping to complete our mission on a daily basis. I feel certain that Resurrection House will succeed in continuing to help the most underserved population among us.

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