Serving Families with our Summer Giveaways

Our Summer Giveaways went beyond our expectations!

We exceeded the 2023 attendance by nearly 50% and though we did not anticipate this, God made sure were were prepared.  Not only did we recieve more clothing donations than previous years, but we also had unexpected donations of backpacks and school supplies, as well as an outpouring of furniture donations even though we had a smaller donation window this year.

Our goal is to truly impact the families we serve and we while we know that an offering of free clothing and a backpack are not, alone, transforming lives, God is able to work in all circumstances. We helped plant that seed of transformation by sharing the Gospel with over 600 people in Purcellville and Sterling.

The impacts:

• 600+ individuals heard the Gospel
• 533 backpacks with school supplies distributed in Western Loudoun
• 200 backpacks with school supplies distributed in Eastern Loudoun
• 752 received clothing
• 100 volunteers helping with prep week and the day of the event
• 150 Bibles given to adults and children
• 70 haircuts
• 385 dental supplies given
• 25 blood pressures taken
• 4 local health reorganizations

 

THANK YOU to everyone who help with this event – the many churches, individuals, and businesses that donated, volunteered, and supported us as we reached out to those in need in our community with the love of Christ.

New Housing!

 

These two young ladies will now be living independently in our transitional housing for individuals with disabilities!

We are so grateful to be able to offer them this opportunity and to see their excitement and smiles during the lease signing.  They are more than ready for this next phase of life and we can’t wait to walk alongside them during this journey.

If you’d like to help support our Transitional Housing Program, which provides homes and mentoring to single women, families, and individuals with special needs, consider a donation to our fundraiser.

Our First Ever 5k!

We are so excited to be hosting our first ever 5k #racewithacause to support our Shelter Branch!  The race will be hosted at Patrick Henry College and is a fun, new way to build relationships with our current supporters and also helps us reach people who may not have heard about Tree of Life but who also want to reach out to the community with the love of Christ.

We are focusing on our Shelter Branch becaue the cost of living in Loudoun continues to be one of the highest in the country, particularly in terms of housing. At Tree of Life, we are working to help local families make ends meet and our Shelter Branch is vital to this effort.  Through it, we provide transitional housing, mentoring, and more to those in need across Loudoun, focusing on a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” This year alone, we have added four family homes and a second independent living unit for individuals with special needs!

We could not launch this new fundraiser without the support of our Title Sponsor – Unity Power Services – who are graciously donating their time and resources to making this race a success!
We would love for you to join us in this effort and come #racewithcause at our first ever 5k for Shelter!

 

More info and registration, click HERE.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

This month, we’d like to tell you about the amazing Lu Klipple.

Lu has been our Community Dinner Ministry Leader in Western Loudoun since 2022 and is such a blessing to our community. Working with the host groups and volunteers, she keeps the dinner organized and welcoming and has built strong relationships with the folks who attend looking for a meal and fellowship. Most recently, Lu felt lead to assist with our Community Dinner in Leesburg which does not have a ministry leader. She has worked to find host groups to prepare serve the meal and has now become a familiar and loved face at the dinners on Tuesday. This has been huge help to our Eastern Loudoun region and so impactful to our dinner guests.

We are beyond grateful for Lu and her heart to serve our community!

DONOR SPOTLIGHT

This month, we want to highlight the team at KM Digital! KM is a local digital marketing agency that has leant us their design expertise for a number of projects over the years.

Most recently, KM designed our amazing new storyboard at SimplyBe Coffee! The storyboard helps us share with customers not just the purpose of the coffee shop, but how it developed out of our experience supporting the special needs community in our Still Waters Ministry. Putting all the pieces of the story together in an eye-catching and coherent graphic was no easy task, but KM did an amazing job making our vision a reality!

THANK YOU to the KM team for their generosity, patience, and hard work on this project and for helping us share about #coffeewithacause!

Our Annual Day Break Picnic is Right Around the Corner!

Our End of Summer Picnic is one of our most loved events.  With lunch, music, raffles, and fellowship all enjoyed in the beautiful setting of Franklin Park, it is not to be missed!

This year, our music will include the awesome Back Creek Valley Boys bluegrass band, as well as a special guest singer – a young man with special needs named Henry who will perform some hymns for us. It is going to be a very memorable and inspiring afternoon!

If you plan to attend, let us know by emailing [email protected].

We hope to see you there!

 

Food Drive with AARP!

AARP is hosting their next SHRED Event at our Sterling Food Pantry!

On Saturday, September 14th, the AARP Shred Truck will be parked outside our Sterling pantry from 9am – 12pm, so bring your documents to shred and some non-perishable food items to help stock our shelves! Feel free to spread the word to your friends, coworkers, etc… we hope to see you there!

1319 Shepard Drive, Sterling, VA

DRAW NEAR TO HEAR

 

“Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.”  Ecclesiastes 5:1

Sometimes I talk before I think; I tell God what I think He should do before I listen to what He wants me to do.  When this happens, I need to guard my steps, as the steps I take may lead me on the wrong path.  Instead, I should be listening to God and drawing near to Him.

It is not the foolish who follow the path that leads to eternal life; it is the wise.  I want to dream less about me and dream more about God.  I want to talk less about myself and talk more about God.  In order to do both, I want to fear God more.  I want to seek God more.  I want to hear from God more.  I want to obey God more.  Through seeking, hearing and obeying, I will know God more and learn His dreams for my life.  I desire His dreams to dominate my thoughts and dedicate my life to focusing on what He dreams for me.

May you be blessed!

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman

Excerpt from Draw Near to Hear, a devotional book by Chaplain Wayne Ruckman, available at SimplyBe Coffee and The Clothing Closet.