Happenings @GNP

What is Youshare.org? 

Beginning this month, Good News Partners will begin to use the socially conscious social network: youshare.org.   Youshare.org has taken a different look into what poverty is, and how to alleviate it.  Their way of looking at poverty is through the concept of Shalom.  From their website: “The word shalom describes a world in which every person has a position where they are useful and fulfilled and we have good healthy relationships with God, ourselves, the world and other people.  Thus, poverty is the lack of these healthy relationships.Part of Good News Partners’ mission statement is to end homelessness and hopelessness.  If homelessness is lacking the most basic of material needs, hopelessness is lacking the most basic of spiritual needs: connections and relationships. 

Essentially, youshare.org is a way to facilitate connections. Imagine Joanne’s two sons have moved out to go to college, and she now wants to upgrade the kids’ bunk beds to real beds for a guest room.  Just a few miles down the street, John’s two sons are starting to outgrow their crib, and he’s looking for bunk beds for them.  Youshare.org is simply a way for these two people to connect, and an opportunity for them to help each other. 

How does it Work?  We truly believe that everyone has something to offer. As either a support partner or residential partner of GNP, you can register on youshare.org as a “neighbor”.  This will allow you to hear about specific needs in the community that you might be able to help fill.  When you register you will be able to indicate which types of services you might be able to offer, like babysitting or professional services, and what type of goods you might be able to share, such as baby clothes or furniture. 

When a family develops a need for a specific good or service that will help them to create a safer or healthier home, they will contact one of the designated staff members at Good News Partners who will post the need to Youshare.org. 

If the need fits with the preferences you have indicated, then it will show up in your email inbox (though don’t worry, there are control settings that can group needs together if you’re worried about getting too many). 

If you feel like that particular need is one you can fill, you’ll reply to the advocate, who will facilitate a connection.  Hopefully, the transaction can be a first step in continuing relationships that will transform both parties and strengthen all of our communities. 

Here is how you can sign up:

1.  Begin from the GoodNewsPartners.org website, by clicking on the link to youshare.org,  or simply go to youshare.org in your web browser. 

      2. Once on the youshare.org site, click the “register” link in the top right corner.

      3. On the following page, you’ll be presented with the Terms and Conditions.  After reviewing these, click next if you agree.
 

      4. This will take you to a page titled  “Create a New Account”.  From here you’ll fill out some basic contact information.  If you’d like to receive text messages, you’ll need to put a mobile phone number.  If not, fill out what information you feel is appropriate.   Again, click the next button. 

       5. Next, you’ll fill out a profile specific to youshare.  You have the option of naming the church you attend.  Then, if you scroll down, there’s a section called “Interest Categories”.  This is where you’ll select the types of needs you’d like to be notified about.  These are seperated into three columns, start by selecting Good News Partners from the drop down menu in the first column, where it says “Goods”.  In the other two columns, you can choose “none”.  Remember to select Good News Partners before you start clicking individual items, or it will not save your selections.

     6. Next, you’ll select the specirfic items.  If you’ve got lots of baby things, you might only select things in that section.  If you’ve got lots of extra kitchen things, you might select that.  And of course, if you’d like to view all of the possible needs, just in case, you can select all. 
  

    7. Once you’re finished, you click the button that says save profile.

You’re  now finished! you’ll receive text messages or emails (depending on your preferences) when a need arrises. 

Watch video here

Click here to make your Christmas donation.

“While the national trend has been downward, Chicago-area foreclosure activity is up 34 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year, and up more than 2 percent from the previous quarter.”  

                  - Crains Chicago Business 10/25/12      www.chicagobusiness.com

Toni and her three children are one of the eight families, including twenty-four children, who will be spending Christmas at Good News Partners’ New Life Interim Housing.  After the building she was living in was foreclosed upon, and with no family to turn to, Toni found herself and her children without a place to live.  Even though Toni recently graduated with a degree in accounting, jobs are hard to find in this economy. With more foreclosures, Good News Partners housing will be even more in demand.  Right now, New Life receives 35 inquiries for housing each week that we cannot accommodate.

Because you were there, women like Toni and her three children  have a place to call home. Your continued support will make a difference again.

This Christmas season, if you have been able to make your house payment, won’t you consider helping someone else pay theirs?  Could you match your house payment?  Could you send $50, $100, $1000 or more? 

Your support means so much to so many. 

Merry Christmas!

On Friday, October 26th, 2012 Good News Partners held our 36th Annual Community Dinner. Nearly 170 of our partners gathered at the First Presbyterian Church of Evanston in order to share stories, celebrate God's work, and partake in a delicious meal with one another.

Three of our resident partners, Elisheva Mulvaney, Leeanna Majors and Jimi Hickman, blessed us with stories of how Good News Partners has played a vital role in their life journey. Although their stories were all unique, they seemed to carry a similiar theme; GNP has supplied more than just a home, it has provided a loving community, a sense of belonging, a support system and an opportunity for growth and development.

As our song from the evening stated, "I need you to survive." Let us continue living in partnership and realizing that we all need one another in order to end homelessness and hopelessness, break the chains of injustice and build bridges of reconciliation.

The Christmas Store will be more than just shopping. There will be a café where shoppers can relax, a childcare room where children will share in stories and crafts, musicians to fill the space with Christmas carols, a gift wrap station, photographers to capture the memories and, perhaps, a visit from Santa Claus. With input from the residents, the store will be stocked with a variety of gifts that each registered participant may purchase at a discount from suggested retail prices – either with cash or with “Jingle Bucks” that can be earned through participation in the community through a variety of activities.

To make all of this happen, we must rely on the generosity of our supporting congregations and community partners.   There will be gifts to purchase and sort, cookies to bake, crafts to demonstrate, wrapping paper and bows to donate, decorations to install, songs to sing, payments to be recorded and children to entertain. Many hands will be needed to organize and operate the Christmas Store. We hope that the spirit of Christmas will move you to share your time and talents on December 15. It may just be the best Christmas present you receive this season!

Click here to sign up, or contact Jan@goodnewspartners.org if you would like someone to come to your church or organization to explain the concept. 

Contact Jane Trueheart Huels (847) 226-8664 or Barb Gerleman (847) 498-1155 to join in the holiday fun!