Your support helped Katherine leave the streets and drugs behind—forever!

Posted in: Newsletters, November 2016 Newsletter, Stories

November
1

Katherine is among a great many men and women at DRMM who will see Christmas in a whole new way this year. Your support has brought her in off the streets, helped her break the bonds of addiction, and opened her heart to God’s love and to His plans for her.

“One of the girls here kept calling me, telling me to come to treatment. And I finally did. I was very intoxicated, angry, hurt, ashamed, guilty—just a full range of emotions. I didn’t see any hope . . . I had run out of options.

“I made a decision that I really wanted to be clean. DRMM brought me to a place where I can be honest with myself without being ashamed. They were truthful about my situation and gave me material and groups [that helped me understand] what God can do for me.

“The spirituality here is just unbelievable. I love singing and giving my testimony. God brought me from the darkness into the light—not because I deserved it—just because of His grace and mercy. Being separated from God leads to being homeless, to no toothbrush or toothpaste, to no toilet paper, and living like an animal. I don’t want to live like that anymore. When I came to DRMM, there was a lot of love at the door. They hugged me and loved me and said, ‘Katherine, we’ve been waiting for you.’

“I came in here with huge amounts of pain, but I learned hope, faith, and love and that’s why I stayed.

“DRMM has prepared me well for the outside world and it’s going to continue to get better and better. There are going to be obstacles, but they have given me a foundation.”

Thank you for your ongoing partnership that allows DRMM to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and offer the tools for sobriety and permanent life change. We can’t do it without you!

Your support is saving and changing lives each day—lives like Katherine’s.

 

“DRMM has saved my life and given me a new beginning.”

Posted in: Newsletters, November 2016 Newsletter, Stories

November
1

Since DRMM’s founding in 1909, hundreds of thousands of people have received the tools and encouragement they needed to overcome addiction, homelessness, and poverty. New beginnings are what your support makes possible through transitional housing, job and education counseling, substance abuse treatment, spiritual guidance, and more. Celebrate with us as 300 men and women graduates begin their new lives!

“DRMM has saved my life and given me a new beginning.” —Angelina

“I am thankful to God and DRMM for giving me a second chance at life. After getting out of prison, no one would hire me or rent housing to me. The Mission not only gave me employment as a cook, but they are also in the process of helping with housing . . . changing my whole outlook on life and making me a better person, especially in the way I treat others.” —Charles

“DRMM has given me the skills I need to live a clean and sober life. I will be the woman God wants me to be.” —Shawana

“Since coming to DRMM, I have made good progress. My health is better and I was able to save money to move into my own place. I thank God and DRMM.” —William

Special thanks to all caring friends and donors whose ongoing support ensures DRMM’s programs can give those who are lost and broken a second chance in life!

Independence, confidence, sobriety, hope, and faith—these are among the great gifts your support has instilled in the lives of DRMM’s 2016 graduates.

 

This Christmas will be very different for William

Posted in: Newsletters, November 2016 Newsletter, Stories

November
1

William’s hunger had become a sharp pain because he hadn’t had much to eat in a long time. But his hope was even more desperate than his hunger, because—with all his heart—William longed to change his life.

Thanks to the gift of a meal provided by a caring friend and donor, we were able to welcome William to a seat at our table as though he was family, and we made sure he got the good, nutritious meal he urgently needed. Then, with tears in his eyes, he asked if it was true that DRMM (Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries) could help him change his life once and for all.

DRMM is a place where new beginnings happen every day

William then told us how addiction to drugs had taken everything that had mattered to him and left him a shell of his former self—a man William did not want to be. “I stole from anybody and everybody I could to support my habit,” William says.

With deep shame, he shared how some of his victims included members of his own family. But since he has entered into our treatment program, William has found the courage to reach out to each of them in the hope of gaining their forgiveness. “I apologized for the things I did to them. Stealing and taking their cars, running off with their money, and things like that. Through the grace of God, they’ve accepted me . . .”

This Christmas will be very different for William—and for those who love him

William is a new man today, inside and out. He is clean and sober, his relationships are on the mend, and independence is on the horizon. For the first time in decades, William is excited about Christmas and whatever the new year brings. His commitment to a new beginning in life serves as an inspiration to others who are turning to DRMM for help. He tells everyone, “I am very serious about my recovery. This journey I’m on is for the rest of my life.”

Thank you for your generosity which allows DRMM to help people like William who are hungry, hurting, and desperate to change their lives!

William was desperate to leave his addictions behind and for a good, hot meal. Your generosity made his new beginning possible!

Why people are more charitable now

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

September
19

The GIVING SEASON – the Ember Months of September to December – is in full swing, and men and women of goodwill like you are glaringly giving more of their money and materials as well as volunteer hours in support of charitable causes they know and believe in.

Our phone lines at DRMM are busier now than in February. The same is true of our safe donation page on DRMM.ORG. I have a greater number of face-to-face meetings with prospective individual and family donors now than in April or August this year. They call or email and request to meet to discuss their giving – which delights me beyond the ordinary, as you can readily imagine.

But why do they give more in “Ember Months” than at other months of the year?

The bandwagon is on the move: People tend to share their giving intentions, preferences and experiences with colleagues, friends and loved ones. It feels really cool to do so – especially when one knows it helps others turn on their emulation light.

Some parents use the season to model the importance of compassion to their children. They cut their donation checks when the children are watching, inspire the children to donate from their pocket money or ask the children to accompany them to make a donation at the offices of a local nonprofit.

Imagine a little girl asking a friend at Monday school if the parents made a charitable donation like her parents did last Friday. Or describing her experience accompanying her parents and siblings to a local nonprofit to make a donation of food boxes, clothes and shoes. That’s powerful!

Many companies have a policy of making end-of-year donations to their favorite charity, and encouraging their employees to do the same by offering to match their donations.

In effect, everybody knows it’s the time to give more, and nobody wants to be left out – not even kids.

The weather has something to do with it: When it’s cold, people tend to spend more time indoors with their colleagues, friends and loved ones. So, they find themselves learning more about the pressing needs of others – especially the hopeless and helpless – in the community.

They watch as a local news channel describes the plight of homeless men, women (including veterans) and children, and how some nonprofits come to their rescue with warming centers that provide clean beds, hot meals and shower.

They are moved with compassion and desire to give more than they have done earlier in the year.

Offshoot of shopping: September 1 to December 31 is also called the shopping season, when stores give consumers greater incentives to buy more items and more often.

But many of these stores, especially the national brands, also offer consumers the opportunity to give more to the poor and less privileged by placing donation boxes at strategic in-store locations or creating links to donation web page of partner nonprofits.

Some bolder stores even offer to donate a percentage of their net proceeds to designated nonprofits.

By so doing, they tend to stir their customers toward giving more this season.

Tax filing time is near: One of the many reasons nonprofits thrive better in the United States than elsewhere is the fact that donations to them are tax deductible.

The tax filing season – January 1 to April 15 – begins as soon as the GIVING SEASON ends. And that explains, in part, why people are usually in the mood of making tax deductible donations during the GIVING SEASON.

In fact, many vibrant nonprofits use new and old media channels to remind them to take advantage of such deductions before December 31.

Bonus is worth celebrating: In this tough economy, not everybody gets end-of-year bonus from their employer but those who do probably see it as something worth celebrating.

One remarkable way to celebrate end-of-year bonus is donating money and materials to a credible charity that is making a real difference in the community. Yes, it’s a wonderful thing to see one’s blessing as an opportunity to bless others.

Do you know other reasons people donate more during the GIVING SEASON? Please, share below.

Police: Stolen nail polish sold to salons feeding heroin epidemic

Posted in: In the News

August
12

LAKE ORION, Mich. (WXYZ) – Across the country, illegal trades are made on the black market every day.

Police in southeast Michigan say a new black market has emerged for cosmetics – specifically nail polish.

Most women don’t think about where the nail polish in their local salon comes from. Police in metro Detroit say some of it could be stolen and sold to salons by drug addicts.

Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh says in his 35 years on the job he’s seen a lot of shoplifting, but it was a particular theft at CVS that raised red flags. Nearly 200 bottles of nail polish were stolen, totaling around $1,600.

“It’s a popular product,” Narsh says. “Almost everyone’s having their nails done and there’s a lot of salons.”

In surveillance video, you can see a man and woman walking into the store together.

They head directly to the cosmetics aisle, their attention focused on high-end, high-priced nail polish.

“They had obviously been in the store before, they knew where the display was,” Narsh says. “They knew the product was there, they walked directly to the product, stole the product, turned around and left.”

In fact, the store caught them on camera twice, each time the woman opened a large empty purse and shoved dozens of tiny colorful bottles inside.

“What they’re going to do is steal a $10 bottle, sell that for $2, take that $2 and then fund their drug habit,” Narsh says.

He says those bottles likely ended up in suburban Detroit spas and salons.

“So usually if there’s a theft, there’s a customer. And in this case they knew that and they were stealing the nail polish, taking it to the small salons and selling it for a dime on a dollar,” Narsh says.

Customers inside the stores have no idea their manicures and pedicures came from an illegal deal – supporting illegal drugs.

Derek Hill, the man in the video, was caught by police. He is currently in jail for two separate felony cases.

We caught up with him in court, where he confessed to the judge, saying heroin was behind his crimes.

“It’s a very, very big problem that we’re having, to the level that we’re saying it’s becoming almost catastrophic,” says Dr. Chad Audi, President of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is tracking the heroin trend. Dr. Audi says the drug is hitting young adults the most. They’ve seen more and more 18 to 27 year olds reaching for help.

“As we speak right now we’re rehabbing a new facility because we need more beds for especially men now, much more than women,” says Audi.

He says thefts of all kinds across Michigan will continue to rise, and new black markets will emerge.

Police do not know which salons or how many are involved in the growing black market for nail polish.

“Especially during the economy that Michigan went through, many times even business owners are going to look to other ways of funding their business and making sure they stay in business,” says Narsh. “It’s unfortunate, it’s illegal, but it happens.”

The chief recommends having a frank conversation with your salon, ask them where they purchase the polish. Use your instincts to determine if the salon is worth your money.

During the court case we watched, Derek Hill was sentenced to 90 days in jail followed by enrollment in a treatment program. He is still going through court process for the nail polish theft.

The woman in the video with him was found on the run in New York. Lake Orion Police are working to get her back to Michigan to face justice and receive help.

Originally posted at WXYZ Detroit

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Informs and Protects Detroit Homeless with Help of Comcast Business

Posted in: Uncategorized

August
3

Michigan Non-Profit Gives Underserved Population the Tools They Need for a Brighter Tomorrow

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) was founded in 1909 as a soup kitchen providing church services, food, shelter, and clothing to those less fortunate. Today, it is a non-profit, faith-based organization recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) with 15 locations in and around the City of Detroit. In its 107 years of service, DRMM has grown to become one of the largest homeless shelters in the country, serving more than 1,800 people every day.

Although it can only serve about 10 percent of the homeless population in Detroit – there are 18,000 people living on the streets on any given night – DRMM is on a mission to find a permanent solution to help its disenfranchised citizens make better lives for themselves.

“We’re playing a big role in helping write Detroit’s comeback story,” said Dr. Chad Audi, President and CEO of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries. “We treat everyone who comes to us with compassion, and we strive to provide them with access to services, resources and technologies that will help put them on the path to success.” 

Technology Required in The Fight to End Homelessness

DRMM provides more than just shelter to Detroit’s homeless. The organization also provides the resources that people need to fight homelessness and substance abuse, like food, inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, transitional and permanent housing, and computer labs for job searches, interview preparation, or homework.

For users of its computer labs, dependable Internet connectivity is critical, providing a lifeline to improve education and employment options.  Internet is also essential to support DRMM’s facility-wide IP video surveillance system, which helps the organization provide safety measures for the people they serve, as well as the employees that dedicate themselves to helping those in need.

Unfortunately, DRMM’s existing 1.5 megabit per second (Mbps) service, delivered via legacy T1 and DSL lines, was not scalable enough to support its Internet-based video surveillance system and provide a quality experience for users of its computer labs, challenging DRMM’s mission to fight homelessness.

“We want everyone to be able to get what they need from our shelter in a timely and effective manner,” said Dr. Audi. “In order to ensure that people leave our shelter successful, we need better technology.” 

Comcast Business Delivers Essential Internet and Cloud-Based Voice Services to Facilitate Change

After shopping around, DRMM selected Comcast Business because the company offered fast and reliable Internet service at a competitive price. Comcast Business installed Internet services at 12 of the 15 DRMM locations ranging in speed from 16 Mbps to 150 Mbps. DRMM was immediately able to see the difference in the quality of its video surveillance footage thanks to the added capacity, and its patrons reported a faster, better quality experience when using the computer labs. Now, DRMM employees can see what is going on in their shelters at all times and provide greater surveillance for their employees and the people who visit the shelter.

“Comcast Business has delivered Internet speeds and quality service that far exceed the other service provider we considered, and at a competitive price,” according to Dr. Audi.

DRMM also selected Comcast Business VoiceEdge, a fully-managed, cloud-based voice solution, to replace its phone service at 12 of its 15 sites. With VoiceEdge, DRMM has a scalable voice service with predictable costs that is fully supported and maintained by the Comcast Business network. DRMM staff can easily dial an extension and be instantly connected to their counterparts at another location, which makes it easier to locate employees and patrons. And DRMM selected Comcast Business TV to provide news and information to patrons and staff at its 12 of its 15 sites.

“We serve the homeless population of Detroit by giving them the technology they need to succeed and that wouldn’t be possible without the quality of Comcast Business services,” said Dr. Audi.