Thank You for Leading the Way Home!
On November 5th, over 200 of our friends and supporters including faith, business and community leaders joined us for our 4th annual Lead the Way Home fundraising breakfast at Freighthouse Station in Tacoma. It was truly a morning of inspiration and the beginning of a new movement of interfaith service and cooperation.
Dr. Chris Gilbert, our current Board President, welcomed the largest crowd in the history of the event by sharing that, “our vision is to be a center for interfaith relationships deeply engaged in transforming our communities. Interfaith recognizes that each religion is an instrument for the divine, and together the world’s religions form a glorious symphony. Interfaith is the acceptance and the celebration of humankind in all its magnificent faiths, colors, cultures, and traditions. How boring the garden that grew only one type of plant. How beautiful the garden that creates unity and harmony among thousands of its diverse plants. That is the space Associated Ministries has the unique privilege, and dare I say the unique challenge, of creating in this garden we call Pierce County. To empower a unity of purpose energized by the belief in a God who has provided all the tools we need in this garden to help everyone flourish- to ensure the Universal truth that everyone has the right to achieve their fullest capacity.”
Our new Executive Director, Mike Yoder, inspired all attendees by sharing his vision for the future of Associated Ministries. “One of the reasons why I’m excited about having joined the team at Associated Ministries is my conviction that when people of faith join together to respond to pressing needs in our community, it will grab the attention and admiration of a watching world, sending a message that will inspire both those with and without faith,” said Yoder. “At Associated Ministries we are committed to serving as a convener of people of faith – and our community at large – inspiring all comers to be more deeply involved in transforming our community, passionately seeking the common good for everyone, starting with the flourishing of the most vulnerable amongst us.”
At this year’s breakfast, we highlighted our foreclosure intervention and default counseling work. Associated Ministries’ Foreclosure Counseling program helped Gifford and Chelsea to keep their home by securing a home loan modification.
“Foreclosure counseling is a very valuable service that AM provides free of charge to struggling homeowners, and it has been our privilege to work with more than 350 homeowners facing this crisis during the past year,” shared Dia Nichols, Foreclosure Counselor with Associated Ministries. “Pierce County has one of the highest rates of foreclosure in the State of Washington. Reports show one in every six hundred and seventy-eight homes in Pierce County receives a foreclosure notice every month.”
By working together we are striving to assure that everyone who needs a place to call home has the opportunity to reach their dream. Attendees at the breakfast were provided the opportunity to invest in families who need our assistance, guidance and encouragement to help change the course of their lives. Thanks to a generous matching gift from an anonymous AM donor through the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, we were able to raise $62,190 to support our work to end poverty and homelessness in Pierce County.
If you were not able to attend the breakfast and would like to donate, you can do so by clicking here [maxbutton id=”38″]
Lastly, mark your calendars for the next Lead the Way Home Breakfast on November 3, 2016.
