UPS & DOWNS, January 2000
WAYFARERS' HOUSE NEWS

Our deep sympathy to Marsha Mazza in the recent death of her grandmother.

* * * * *
WELCOME to Tonya, Lisa, Tammy, Cathy, Jerry and Mike.

FAREWELL AND GOOD WISHES to Jean and Charlene.

HAPPY JANUARY BIRTHDAY to Jerry!

There are new shelves in Wayfarers' House library. Our thanks to Erik Schaumann, who built the useful storage for videos and books in addition to thawing the frozen pipes in the downstairs bathroom, and to resident Tonya and volunteer May Yokoyama for cleaning and reorganizing the library with its new additions.

May and her husband Wako also played a big part in the concert that benefitted Meeting Ground at First and Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington on January 5. The classical program featured music from operas by Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Susa, Gershwin and Menotti, and treated the audience to the voices of sopranos Lisa Lockhart and Kimi Yokoyama Whipple, daughter of may and Wako, tenor Gary M. Seydell and the talents of Michael Crabill, pianist, who gave their performance without charge to Meeting Ground. In the audience and attending the reception were residents from Wayfarers' and Clairvaux Farm, volunteers and staff of Meeting Ground as well as many friends of Meeting Ground and the soloists.

More thanks to all those who worked to clean and ready the George Porter House, the new Meeting Ground property on Mackall Street in Elkton, for occupancy as longer-term housing. Ups & Downs saw Anna and Kathie of Wayfarers' hard at work there as well as volunteer in mission Barbara Dugan. Meeting Ground volunteers had their January meeting at the George Porter House and will be using the site to coordinate their activities for Meeting Ground.

The George Porter House was acquired December 30, 1999. During January and February it is being cleaned and renovated. It is to be opened for its first residents on March 1, 2000. Work groups for cleaning/renovating/painting tasks are needed as well as volunteers for electrical, plumbing and carpentry labor. To volunteer, please call: 410-275-2936 or e-mail Barbara Dugan:
bdugan@meetingground.org.

In the Jan./Feb. issue of Loaves and Fishes, Ron Serino wrote about the George Porter House and the needs it is to meet. He writes of a new HUD study that speaks of the current housing crisis: "The number of affordable housing units are continuing to drop in our country, the rents are rising at twice the rate of inflation, and the number of very-low-income renter is increasing. The result of all these problems is that for every 100 very-low-income households, there are only 36 units both affordable and available for rent." Meeting Ground, in opening the George Porter House, will be enabled to provide longer term housing than has been possible at either of its current sites.

Ron in his article also thanked all the members of the Task Force on New Ventures and others who have worked for a year to create and implement this vision for Meeting Ground, especially Patricia Hughes, Barbara Dugan, Hans Nafzinger, Gerald Cole, Barbara and Al Amman, Schaunel Steinnagel, John and Mary Jo Williams and Joan Morgan.

SPECIAL NEEDS FOR THE GEORGE PORTER HOUSE

Single bed frames, mattresses, box springs
Dressers, small desks, bookcases
Dining tables and chairs
room carpeting

MORE OF MAKING A HOUSE A HOME

And who were the hard-working residents and volunteers who transformed the donations porch at Wayfarers' into an attractive place for residents to "shop"? And which "elf" (Mary Jo?) Set the monitor's room storage areas back in order after it was pressed into service as Santa's workshop in December? And who wrapped all those Christmas packages, Renie Newman? We are sure we do not have the names of everyone who does tasks beyond their chores to make the house attractive, but Ups & Downs will be happy to print more information if you will pass it on to us.

HOT SUMMER DAY
Alisha Roberts

On a hot summer day
There is no wind
Only the warm beams of sunshine hitting my skin
I can feel the sun tanning my skin
If you listen closely you can hear it, too
The dolphins are playing
The children are running
People swimming
And me just wishing I was a dolphin, too.

A GRANDPA

A grandpa he was .
He was a man I could call Pop Pop.
He was funny,
Jolly and always being mischievous.
He was a person I could confide in ,
A man I loved dearly.
He was a person I could talk to about anything.
He was a man I could always count on.
I will miss him very much.
This man is Gene, my Pop Pop forever.
Love,
Alisha Roberts

VALENTINES

February 14 is St. Valentine's Day and soon will be here again. Have you ever thought of giving a valentine that is not of the usual sort, but perhaps a favor done for a friend, a difficult task shared with someone who was doing it alone, a letter to someone who wants to hear from you, or maybe just a simple "thank you" for something that you appreciated?

Did you solve the November Guess Who? You did if you knew that Kathie W. was the farmer who counted cows each night!