On behalf of our Board of Directors, I am excited to share Carrie Scrimshire has accepted the position of Executive Director for Gilead House.
Aside from Carrie’s extensive track record in community advocacy and planning, Carrie’s brings contagious enthusiasm, heart and passion to this role. Carrie is a familiar face and inspiring leader to the multitude of Marin and greater Bay Area organizations and community members. We are truly blessed to have Carrie select Gilead House in her quest to help moms build life, family and educational skills needed to transform their lives and that of their children. With Carrie’s leadership, Gilead’s future shines bright as does the lives of those we touch.
Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Carrie.
Tracy Hoffman Grubb
President, Board of Directors
REAL MOMS REAL STORIES
Christina left Center for Domestic Peace in October 2018 and found herself homeless...again. She was ready to work hard and moved to Gilead House wanting to embrace all that the program had to offer.
"Gilead House has taught me so much in the short time I've been here. I've learned to connect and find support in other women who have struggled with similar obstacles. I have learned how to trust others and myself. More importantly, I've learned to communicate with my child in an effective way to prepare him for the future with confidence and love."
During her time at Gilead House, Christina...
Raised her credit score by almost 100 points.
Received her driver's license and registered her vehicle.
Developed an education plan for son with the school district.
Opened a savings account and has started to save money.
Started caring for her physical and mental health.
OUR MOMS & KIDS
Like so much else, Christmas at Gilead House looked quite a bit different in 2020 than in year’s past due to the pandemic. But while COVID may have caused Christmas to look a bit different, it couldn't dampen the spirit of Christmas at Gilead House and the generosity of so many wonderful people and groups.
Unlike year’s past when we kicked off the Christmas season with a holiday party attended by our current and past families, this year we decorated the house, put up outside Christmas lights, set up a large tree in the family room, and created a smaller kid's area with decorations and treats. As part of our “Adopt a Family”, a number of special friends bought Christmas presents for the moms and the kids. And a number of churches came together to cook a wonderful Christmas feast including turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, candied yams, and so much more.
There are so many people to thank for making Christmas 2020 just as normal as Christmas’ past. In particular, we would like to thank a number of groups for their support, including Presbyterian Church of Novato, United Methodist Church, St. John’s, the Rotary Club, the Novato Republican Women, Giving with Grace, and Besos, and all of the families and individuals who adopted our families and brought by cookies, candy, and gifts. We know we are bound to have missed someone - so to all of you who we have not offered a shout out, we might have missed you in our head but you are deeply in our heart.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
We are thrilled to highlight Gene Burch Plumbing, Heating & Air and their customers in the season's Donor Spotlight!
Gene's Plumbing believes that their commitment to the community extends beyond fixing leaks, unclogging pipes and installing furnaces and air conditioners. They are determined to make a difference within the community, not only by keeping homes and families as safe and comfortable as possible, but also by creating a spirit of teamwork and connection that allows them to give back to the communities they serve. This is why he created "Gene's Team Membership" (a maintenance program that includes many perks such as extended warranties, annual visits, etc) in which he donates a portion of the monthly membership fees to local charities.
We are grateful to partner with local businesses that shows such care and compassion to their communities!
SMYLIE SCHOLARSHIP
Mike Smylie stepped in as interim Executive Director in one of the most challenging years in the history of Gilead House. During the last year he has worked tirelessly and selflessly to ensure our Program met the ever-changing needs of our community, moms, and kids. What he has been most passionate about is establishing education as a core focus of our Program for our moms- so that they may ensure their time at Gilead House leaves them better suited to engage productively in the world around them, while simultaneously giving their children an example of the critical value of education and self-betterment. In Mike's honor we are so excited to announce the 'Smylie Scholarship' which will be awarded to a mom in our program, to support her further pursuit of education and self-growth.
Thank you, Mike for all you have done for Gilead House, our moms, and our community! We are forever grateful!
VOLUNTEERS
The health of our volunteers, staff, and residents is a top priority. Because of this, we have asked some of our faithful volunteers to stay at home for the time being. Our dedicated staff is internally keeping all of the programs going for the women and children.
We are SO overwhelmed by the endless generosity of our community and greatly anticipate the day that we can open our gates to volunteers again.
Are you interested in volunteering in the future? Sign up here to be notified of future volunteer opportunities.
CURRENT NEEDS
Please visit our Amazon Wishlist! You can use Amazon to buy a specific item and have it shipped directly to us! Donating items from our wish list is a great way to support the Gilead House and stay safe during COVID-19. We have received many items from our generous and kind supporters – everything from a cleaning supplies to diapers!
Did you know that we have a list of all our current needs on our website as well as items that we can and cannot accept? Click here to view our items needed.