Thank You – Race to Embrace Independence 5K Results

During an unprecedented year, we had a truly unprecedented, fully virtual, Race to Embrace Independence 5K.

Thank you for your continued engagement with our annual fundraiser

celebrating the journeys of our women.

We had over 400 registrants and 36 teams participate in the safety of their own homes and communities.

With an eight day race week we worked to pay homage to the history of the race while embracing the unique circumstances of 2020! A new registration and fundraising platform and your hard work helped us to exceed our peer to peer fundraising goal of $35,000.00.

With an amazing array of prizes from our donors, this year’s online raffle was more popular than ever! This event wouldn’t have been possible without our long list of race sponsors, who despite the current economic climate, continued to show their commitment to the cause. 2020 sponsorship pledges exceeded $74,000.00.

We also owe an extra special debt of gratitude to our 2020 5K Planning Committee, whose creativity and ability to adapt to new challenges, made a successful virtual event possible. You all are as a golden as our 2020 race shirt! The one thing that rang true throughout this experience is that the race must go on!

Indeed it did, and our projected net from the 5K is likely to be over $100,000.00 again this year!

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Happy Fall to All,

Although it seemed as if 2020 would last forever, I have to admit that it has gone by quickly and I can’t believe the holidays will soon be upon us. As you may know, at Marian House we celebrate every major and minor holiday with the intention of spreading cheer and lifting the spirits of all the women and children in our care. We expect the 2020 holidays to be very different than in previous years, but we will do everything possible to make them special regardless. Please see the article on “Tis the Season” for details on how you can help. We continue to be blessed with good health, despite the number of COVID-19 cases locally and nationally. Our attention to CDC protocols and guidelines for all staff and residents at Marian House have helped us to avoid any positive cases.

We hope you and your family are also in good health. Since March, all of our events have become virtual. We recently completed a very successful 12th Annual Race to Embrace Independence that was held virtually over an eight-day period. Necessity is the mother of invention for sure! Look for details in the 5K wrap-up article in this newsletter. We also had a fun Trivia Night fundraiser that was so popular, we plan to hold another one in January.

We miss our volunteers coming to visit and have created some virtual volunteer opportunities. We can share these with you by contacting advancement@marianhouse.org. We are excited to share that our volunteer Cate Hutson was able to finish the Girl Scout capstone project that she started pre-COVID. We hope you enjoy reading about her beautification of the playground at our Independence Place campus.
I wish you a healthy fall and the happiest of holidays. Please know how much we appreciate your support of Marian House and we hope we will see you in person very soon.

Wishing You Peace,
Katie Allston, LCSW-C
Executive Director

Heart of the House – July Quarterly Newsletter

The pandemic may have brought about some changes, but it has not slowed us down! We’re adjusting to the virtual world of events and fundraising, all of which are critical to the ongoing operations of Marian House. In addition, our women continue to excel, not only amidst a pandemic, but against the injustice and systemic oppression that many of our residents face in their lives. View the full newsletter below

Heart of the House – July Newsletter

A Letter on Current Events

Dear Marian House Friend,

As we approach the midpoint of 2020, I want to take a step back and reflect upon what a year it has been, and what our experience tells us about where we are going.
Little did we know in January that the first six months would result in three devastating, world-changing crises, the intensity of any one of these is enough to shatter who we once thought we were as a society. The Covid-19 pandemic quite likely ensures that we will not return to the “normal” we once knew. It has been quickly followed by a rapid and all-encompassing recession as jobs, businesses and other institutions may be permanently lost as a result of the virus.

Then, just three weeks ago, we learned of the tragic and avoidable death of George Floyd. His death, and those of numerous others before him, stripping bare the systemic racial inequities that continue to plague our country. We now see daily ongoing activism and the coming together of a nation trying to correct the disenfranchisement that continues to occur in black and brown communities. This includes citizens returning from incarceration and others struggling to find a place in our society, and most importantly, the women and families we serve.

Our vision is clear: Marian House must continue to strengthen our society by unlocking the potential found within the women we serve, and the values which guided us through our first thirty-eight years must continue to guide us through these troubling and turbulent times. We must still value the innate dignity of each human being.

Within a culture of respect and understanding of the human condition, the values of patience, trust, honesty, and integrity direct all of our interactions and endeavors. Marian House will remain committed to equity and inclusion. We will continue to value diversity of thought and honor individual identity including race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, and religion.

Our work is hard. Our work is important. The realities of the fast changing world in which we now find ourselves make our work harder, and even more critical. But we must do more. And we will.

Thank you for joining our commitment to the community by helping us live the core values we espouse, as we strive, with love, care, patience and persistence to do the right thing for the women we serve. Please work with us to explore how we can do more, how we can do better.

Our women and our community deserve no less than that.

Thank you for your ongoing interest and support of our important work at this critical time.

Katie Allston, LCSW-C
Executive Director

Heart of the House – April Newsletter

In the midst of these uncertain times, we can all use a little good news… view our Spring Heart of the House Newsletter HERE

Letter from our Executive Director

Please view our Executive Director’s message regarding COVID-19 by CLICKING HERE.

Heart of the House – January Newsletter

Winter is in full swing, but stories from Marian House will warm your heart! View the full newsletter HERE!

Holiday Help

Heart of the House – October Quarterly Newsletter

With summer’s end, autumn’s rush, and winter not too far away, we’re excited to share what’s been happening at Marian House and what’s to come this season!

Jane, one of our residents, shares her story of resilience: what brought her to Marian House, her progress since coming, and her exciting plans for the future!

You can also read about ways to get involved this coming holiday season, through our Thanksgiving Food Drive or our Holiday Adopt a Woman/Child/Family!