Flower Corner of Saint Rita
It is said that the new year brings new challenges. It will be similar for our Foundation, although perhaps not necessarily. We currently run 4 Houses of St. Lazarus – these are safe houses for men overcoming homelessness and addiction (we have 43 spots). We also opened a fifth House, but the first for women in crisis: St. Rita's Flowery Nook (11 spots). This House was opened in cooperation with Małgosia Skała from Seed of Goodness Association . As the Foundation, we secure the House, bearing responsibility for its financing, as well as the technical matters related to its operation. The Association is responsible for working with the beneficiaries - the Women. The Foundation's experience in managing four Saint Lazarus Houses and the Association's experience with many years of work with women in crisis guarantee that the Flower Nook of Saint Rita is a safe, beautiful, dignified place for every woman in need.
Working at full steam!
Currently, there are 8 women in Kwiatowy Zakątek with 11 available spots. Although the official opening is yet to happen (we had to postpone it for various reasons), WONDERS are happening in the House. Among the 8 women, there are 5 retirees and 3 women of working age. As I write this article, I already know that all three have jobs. The division of responsibilities is governed by regulations. However, the ladies have improved certain points in the regulations. They decided that since some of them are not working, they would take care of cooking a shared lunch for everyone. This is a great solution not only for economic reasons but also as an element of building community in this place. The retired women even felt responsible to the extent that when new residents were admitted, they shared their food or other essential items. Of course, the Foundation and the Association provided meals and other necessities for normal functioning, but at the time of admission, a staff member is not always present. In such cases, the responsibility of admitting a new ward falls on the House Manager.
Social Cooperative
For some time now, we’ve been working with the Luboń City Hall to launch a Social Cooperative. It’s a tremendous honor for us that Mayor Małgorzata Machalska and Dorota Franek want to work with us to create a new space for people in need. We have also received 100% votes of confidence from the Luboń City Council members. Dawid Turowski will lead the Cooperative on behalf of the Foundation—an incredible person with immense potential and outstanding professional experience. He is also a personal friend of mine. In entrusting such an immensely important and responsible task, I had to choose someone who not only has the knowledge and aptitude to manage wisely, but also has experience working with the poor and those struggling with addiction, and is capable of building a community of people. In my opinion, Dawid is the best candidate for this position.
arrears
We still have many matters that we need to finalize. We had to temporarily put these matters on hold due to financial and organizational reasons. One of these matters is the renovation of the St. Joseph Room. At the St. Lazarus House No. 2, we have a room that we want to convert into the St. Joseph Room. We want it to be a room for quiet reflection, prayer, and meditation. A place for man to encounter God and himself. Unfortunately, we have suspended work because a gas pipe from a disused installation runs through the room. We need to shut off the gas, cut the pipe at the appropriate place, thread it, and seal it. Unfortunately, it turns out that in the 21st century, it is difficult to find a specialist who will undertake this task.
Another backlog item we've put on hold is the bathroom renovation at St. Lazarus House No. 2. We need to purchase the renovation materials as soon as possible. We are short about 5,000.00 PLN. But the renovation is necessary. And we have the materials reserved at old prices. We were supposed to buy them by the end of 2024, but we didn't manage to collect the full amount. Hopefully, we will succeed by mid-February. Otherwise, we might lose the chance to purchase the materials at last year's prices.
stabilization
Maintaining 5 Homes and all the help we provide to the poor and homeless is becoming increasingly difficult. Therefore, the Foundation's Management Board, together with the Foundation Council, has decided on a year of financial stabilization. We will not undertake new projects in 2025. The current monthly cost of maintaining all our aid is approximately PLN 65,000.00. I can say that almost 1/3 of this amount comes from cost-sharing in the upkeep of the Homes by our charges. However, we need to receive 2/3 from Donors. This is becoming increasingly challenging. However, we believe that if we bring mercy wherever it is lacking, there will be people with big hearts who will support our efforts.
Dear Friend, who are reading this article! If you would like to support us, we would be hugely grateful. I support!
door open
We invite you to visit the Houses of Saint Lazarus and the Floral Nook of Saint Rita. You will see firsthand the conditions we create thanks to the help of many people. You will meet our beneficiaries and hear their stories. You will hear for yourself how the help we bring together restores dignity and hope. We invite you to contact.
Finally, one of the beneficiaries spoke publicly on our social media about the Home we opened. This is a comment under the post you will find Here.
You're invited! Visit us and see if it's worth supporting our beneficiaries.
See you later!
Maciej Białka
President of the Do Good Spreads Foundation
tel. 508 633 850
maciej@dobrosieniesie.pl
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