The Society of St. Vincent de Paul opened the expanded St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in downtown Kennesaw, at 2722 Summers St. with an official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 17.  

Thank you to Mayor Mark Mathews, who cut the ribbon and to Mayor Pro-Tem Bill Trash, City Manager Steve Kennedy,  and  Councilmembers Bruce Jenkins,Tim Killingsworth, and Jeff Ducket for helping us celebrateAlso pictured are SVdP Executive Director and CEO, John Berry, SVdP Director of Operations, Kevin Barbee and Kennesaw Thrift Store Manager, Sandra Bryant.  Rev. Fr. Jose Kochuparampil, from St. Catherine of Sienna, celebrated a blessing of the new store.

The new 10,000 square foot space replaces the smaller store which was previously immediately next door. The new location will allow for expanded merchandising space.  The store will be extending its hours of operation in 2012.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta empowers people, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or faith, to achieve self-sufficiency by offering financial, material, educational, and spiritual support and by collaborating with others to develop and deliver programs and services that help those in need.

SVdP is part of an international organization and have operated in North & Middle Georgia since 1903.

Although St. Vincent de Paul is not listed as a United Way partner, participants in the United Way campaign can write in St. Vincent de Paul as a designated charity for their contribution.  SVdP Atlanta accepts more referrals from United Way 211 than any other Atlanta agency. If you have the opportunity to donate to United Way, please write in
St. Vincent de Paul. For more information visit

http://www.unitedwayatlanta.org

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The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)

http://www.opm.gov/cfc/

CFC is the world’s largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with more than 200 CFC campaigns throughout the country and internationally to help to raise millions of dollars each year. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th) support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world.  SVdP is part of the Metropolitan Atlanta Campaign # 0211

http://www.cfcatlanta.westhostsite.com/_root/
SVdP ID#-15524

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Georgia State Charitable Contributions Program

 
http://www.spa.ga.gov/employees/sccp_Main/index.asp

In 1982, the Georgia General Assembly established the annual program giving state employees a convenient way to contribute to participating charitable organizations through payroll deductions. Employees can make unrestricted donations or contribute to a specific organization. Independent and federated charities supported by the campaign provide health, welfare and educational programs to individuals across Georgia.  For more details on the State Charitable Contributions Program.

 http://www.spa.ga.gov/employees/sccp_Main/index.asp

SVdP ID # 180000

Charities Seeing Fewer Donations in Tough Times
http://www.wsbtv.com/video/28896070/index.html

Linda Stouffer reports

St. Vincent de Paul is proud to announce a new affinity relationship with Gas South – Georgia’s fastest growing natural gas provider. As a friend of SVdP – you can save on natural gas and help support us. Gas South will provide financial support to SVdP for new customers who sign up under the program as well as current customers who enroll their account in the program. Already a major financial sponsor, Gas South developed this affinity program to provide even more financial support to our organization through annual donations by offering you great rates and outstanding service.

Switching to Gas South is easy! Your service won’t be interrupted and you don’t need to set up an appointment or contact your current gas provider. Sign up online at Gas-South.com/svdp. You can also sign up by calling 1-866-563-8129 and using promo code SVDP. Plus, you can save even more by signing up online and receiving a bill credit. Lock in a great low rate and watch your savings add up while supporting St. Vincent de Paul.

Everyone is invited to participate in the Gas-South SVdP Affinity Program.  Please spread the word to your conference, parish, local businesses, family and friends.

The Cadet Scouts, girls ages 12-13, decided they wanted to help the victims of the recent tornadoes.
They shopped together and spent $150 selecting items they felt would be most helpful to people who had lost everything in the storms. The troop leaders, Karen Sherwood and Rita Pikor, brought the car load of goods to the Family Support Center Chamblee. The goods will be given to a SVdP Conference in an area that experienced the destruction brought on by the tornadoes.

The troop leaders found St. Vincent de Paul through the web at www.svdpatl.org. Sherwood attends St. Pius X Catholic Church in Conyers; the girls go to Cousins Middle School and Liberty Middle School.
We are grateful for these fine young women and we thank them for their effort to support and aid their community in a time of need and devastation. They were truly giving from the heart!

Earlier, the radio show, the Rude Awakening with Christopher Rude, Perry Laurentino and Leo Mazzone, broadcast live from the ballroom at East Lake Golf Club. After interviews on the radio, Vince Dooley and Fred Kalil posed for photos with each foursome.  The golfers, with their caddies, walked out to their tees and play began.

The participants then gathered later at the club house, where they enjoyed refreshments and bid on the Silent Auction items. Many purchased or won donated items such as a vacation package to the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas, Golf play and stay packages at Reynolds Plantation, autographed Masters Flags, and UGA football tickets, among other things.

 The On-Course competition winners were: Closest to Hole #2­­– Paul O’Neil, Closest to Hole #6–Tom Doss, Closest to Hole #11 – Russ Spencer, and Closest to the Hole #18 – Chris Reynolds.

The Tournament winners were:  First Place–Bill Garrity, Paul Luibell and Tom Coffey.  Second Place–Bill Garrett, Mark Christopher, Chris Reynolds and Joe Gorman.  Third Place – Jeff Hubbard,            Jeanene O’Brien, Bud Jumper and Dan Carlson.

St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta is grateful to all who played and volunteered and especially to our sponsors;

Gold: The Garret Group, Marketing Communication and Insurance Auto Auctions.  Bronze: Catholic Charities, Czarnowski, Susan Kessler, Realtor with Coldwell Banker PREVIEWS International, Gas South, Greg Johnson and Ed Mitchell.  Hole Sponsors:  Integer, Saint Joseph’s, Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP, Sto Corp. and Howard McKinley.

We enjoyed being at East Lake Gold Club, an icon in the golf world. ELCG lived up to every wonderful comment we had heard about the organization. Of course, the most important aspect is the money we were able to raise to support the work of St. Vincent de Paul in North and Middle Georgia!

Tee OFF FOR HOPE 2011 was a stellar event; we can’t wait until next year to do it all again!

For Immediate Release

February 7, 2011
Atlanta, GA–St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta (SVdP) released 2010 outcome measurement results which demonstrate the impact of their programs and services on poverty and need in North and Middle Georgia.  Overall, SVdP Atlanta provided nearly $17 million in financial, material, and educational support to people in need in 2010, an increase of more than 20 percent from 2009.  The Society helped nearly 185,000 people last year, an increase of more than 5,000 people from 2009.

Even while struggling with the ability to maintain staffing and services in this difficult economy,  SVdP was able to increase its support to those in need thanks to the generosity and  increased support of its donors, dedicated volunteer service, belt tightening and cost-cutting within the operation.

Through reducing costs and increasing fundraising efforts, SVdP was able to serve more people, providing more than $8.7 million in financial assistance to people in need in Georgia. This support helped people stay in their homes, keep the electric, the gas and the water turned on, or paid other bills; thereby giving people help and offering them hope. That financial assistance and the food, clothing, furniture, household furnishings, cars, and professional services they provided had a direct economic impact on poverty and need in Georgia of nearly $17 million.
SVdP’s volunteers, numbering more than 4,000, work in 70 Conferences in 55 counties throughout North and Middle Georgia, providing financial assistance, goods and services through 38 food pantries, 10 Thrift Stores and four Family Support Centers. These volunteers gave more than 320,000 hours of service, helping nearly 185,000 people in 2010.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta empowers people, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or faith, to achieve self-sufficiency by offering financial, material, educational, and spiritual support and by collaborating with others to develop and deliver programs and services that help those in need.

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Contact:
 
John A. Berry
CEO & Executive Director
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta
2050-C Chamblee Tucker Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30341
678-892-6180
jberry@svdpatl.org

Caryn Stofko
Communication Programs Manager
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta
2050-C Chamblee Tucker Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30341
678-892-6172
cstofko@svdpatl.org

Monday, April 30, 2012
East Lake Golf Club
2575 Alston Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30317
For directions, call 404.373.5722
or visit:  www.eastlakegolfclub.com  

A Rare Opportunity to Have Fun and Create Hope

Can You Replicate the shot from the mud at 17, like Bill Haas?

Join us on the links at the beautiful East Lake Golf Club* for the 5th Annual Tee Off for Hope 
on Monday, April 30, 2012. The annual Tee Off for Hope is a perfect way to reward employees and entertain clients and special guests. Make plans now to participate in this worthy event to raise the hope of thousands of people in need in our community.          

Golfers will compete for:          

• Top Golfer Prizes
• Par 3 Poker– a fun event
• Hole-in-One – a major prize
• Silent Auction

* site of the annual PGA Tour FedEx Cup competition and home of the immortal Bobby Jones. 

Only 88 golfers will be able to play!

Just 76 spots left!

Register now so you won’t miss out on the chance to play East Lake!

Click here for: Directions to Eastlake   

Sponsor Levels

Presenting Sponsor $20,000- One available; contact Caryn Stofko for details  
Keeps 3 families in housing for a year        

Platinum Sponsor $10,000- Four golfers*, premier recognition in Tournament Bulletin, website and promotional material
Keeps electricity on at 15 homes during the summer

Gold Sponsor $ 7,500- Four golfers*,  logo recognition in Tournament Bulletin, website and promotional material
Provides food for 7.5 families for a year         

Silver Sponsor $ 5,000- Two golfers*, logo recognition in Tournament Bulletin, website and promotional material 
Pays for 1250 prescriptions        

Bronze Sponsor $ 2,500- one golfer*,  recognition in Tournament Bulletin, website and promotional material
Pays for five months rent for a family          

Hole Sponsor $ 1,000 – Appropriate sign/program  recognition
Pays for groceries for a family of 4 for a year            

Individual golfer- $1000 (If paid by 04/9/12, an individual can play for $750!)                         

Foursome - $3,000 (If paid by 04/9/12, a foursome can play for $2700!)        

* Includes all golf amenities, breakfast & dinner, on-course refreshments, valet parking.   

Get Brochure copy here: 2012 TOFH Sponsorship Benefits Form

Sponsor Commitment:  Cash Value, In-Kind or Combination         

All recognition that includes written or time sensitive materials is subject to event and press/print deadlines.            

For sponsorship details or tournament questions, contact:
Caryn Stofko 678-892-6172, cstofko@svdpatl.org            

This morning 14 students from California arrived on St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta’s doorstep to volunteer. 

Part of the Alternative Winter Break program for the University of California Santa Barbara, they arrived ready and excited to serve. Each student applied to participate. Of the 80 applications submitted, just these 14 were accepted.

The students belong to a volunteer organization called the Community Affairs Board. The AS/UCSB Community Affairs Board (CAB) is an official board of the Associated Students Legislative Council and is comprised of active students who work to bring the campus and community together through service.

The AS/UCSB Community Affairs Board (CAB), UCSB’s Volunteer Action Center, is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of all UCSB Students by providing information and easy access to community service work. Through a wide range of projects and community programs, CAB seeks to augment classroom experiences, create opportunities for career exploration, connect UCSB to the community in a meaningful way, and promote the ethics of public service. This is service learning at its best.

The students arrived in Atlanta on Dec. 12 at the same time the frigid weather arrived. They have volunteered with several other nonprofits throughout the week and capped off their visit with SVdP.

While at the Conference Support Center, some of the students worked in the warehouse hanging donated clothing, sorting shoes and household items. Others worked in the Family Support Center, Client Choice Food Pantry stocking the shelves and organizing the food. They left SVdP feeling like they had a made a difference and we at SVdP who met them and worked with them felt restored and inspired by their selfless service to people they will never meet.  What a blessing!