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The Tabitha House |
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PHASE V PHASE IV PHASE III PHASE II > Tabitha House Visit PHASE I |
The Tabitha House has been providing a safe place for
homeless women and children for over thirty years. They have sheltered
over 70,000 individuals providing them with food, clothing, housing,
transportation and education. |
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In a few weeks we will begin Phase 5 at Tabitha House. MSF has been blessed because Phase 5 has been completely funded by donors who gave $9,000.00 each to create six new fully-furnished bedrooms and two new bathrooms. Two years ago MSF made a commitment to completely renovate Tabitha and our goal is to finish the entire project by the end of 2008. Would you please consider being part of this goal? Please view the Tabitha videos again on the media page at the MSF website and see the difference you can make for moms and their children not only this year, but for years to come. Whether you give as an individual, corporately, or as a small group of people together we can make this happen!! Proverbs 19:17 says: "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and He will reward him for what He has done."
He who lend to the poor, lends to the Lord - Proverbs 19:17 To the Mitchell Swaback Foundation: Tabitha Community Service and its board, staff and clients would like to thank you for the 4th stage of the extreme makeover. The completed 6 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms thoroughly furnished are beyond what words can express. We are delighted over the floors, pictures, linen, window treatment and other accessories! Tabitha House is more than a Marriot Hotel of furnished rooms; it's a house where love and care is extended to hurting women and their children. Please know that your continued work helps ease the pain of many families now and in years to come. We will enjoy and take care of our blessings. Again, thank you so much. Elder Willie & Sister Lula Walker |
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Phase IV is complete! The six bedrooms and two bathrooms that were very worn down came to life again as individuals and companies gave of their time, skills, materials and resources to reach out to those in need. The transformation that took place over a 60 day period was simply amazing. To see the existing rooms first hand was heart breaking, one couldn’t even imagine that moms and their kids were living in these conditions, however it was those images that sparked our passion to give them the best rooms we possibly could. The second floor north wing was completely renovated. New plumbing, electrical, drywall, acoustical ceiling, doors, trim, base, wood laminate floors, ceramic, bunk beds, mattresses, bed spreads, pillows, mini-blinds and pictures brought a home-sweet-home feeling to each room. These new rooms will bring hope, comfort and warmth to all of those who will use them. MSF would like to thank the following individuals for serving: Stan Ostrowski We want to thank Nick Kautz and Rick Counselbaum of Superior Flooring in Elk Grove Village, IL for their very gracious donation of the wood laminate flooring for the bedrooms, the vinyl flooring for the corridor and the ceramic tile that was installed in the bathrooms. Nick, Rick and their crews did a first class installation and we are so grateful to them for being part of this project. A very special thanks goes out to Service Drywall located in Roselle, IL. J&M Painting located in Addison, IL made quick work of the painting portion of this project. Jim Muccianti and crew did a great job for the foundation! Thanks to Hank Reinke from Reinke Supply in Des Plaines, IL for supplying all of the drywall and taping compounds needed for this project. The bedroom furniture made the rooms complete. We would like to thank Scott Moriarty from the Roomz for Kids and Teenz located in Arlington Heights for helping us secure the furniture at greatly reduced prices. Lastly, we would like to thank all of our monthly donors and those who gave monetary gifts that went directly towards Phase IV. Phase IV took a lot people, a lot of money and a whole bunch of love to make this project happen. These rooms will forever impact the lives of others.
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Phase IV is completed! New doors, laminate floors, acoustical ceilings, plumbing fixtures and ceramic tile were installed by over 30 volunteers. The six bedrooms and two bathrooms came alive as new bedroom furniture, pictures and window coverings were put into place bringing special warmth to each room. MSF will be handing the keys over to Mr. and Mrs. Walker, founders of Tabitha, on June 1st. Watch for a complete story and photo gallery in a special e-blast on June 11th! Construction at Tabitha Phase IV is right on schedule. Here are some of the items that were completed in April: new electrical outlets and switches, new sub flooring in the bathrooms, metal studs for new bathroom walls, all of the rough plumbing and a new exterior metal door. We are on schedule to completely turn Phase IV over on May 5th. Both the staff and those receiving Tabitha’s services are looking forward to these new rooms!
Phase IV has officially started. On March 22nd the first hammer swung to begin demolition of the north side 2nd floor bedrooms. MSF is very excited to be part of the transformation that will take place in this space. New floors, ceilings, walls, 2 bathrooms and 6 fully furnished and decorated bedrooms! On May 5th we will present these completed rooms to Tabitha. Please look closely at these pictures and know that you can be part of something very special by giving finically to this project. We need your help and ask again that you would consider sending a gift that will help us fund this project. We all have so much, help us as we reach out to those who are in need.
March 2, 2007 > March 2007 Update We meant with Mike Cody of Cody Design Group to review the permit drawings. There are a few city violations that must be corrected before we can begin Phase 4. These corrections should be made within the month and then we are clear to start. To date $14,500.00 has been sent in for Phase 4. If you haven’t yet, please consider being part of this very special place. Your gift will help us create new bedrooms and bathrooms for Tabitha and those who need to rely on her. In just 16 hours, Tabitha House was blessed with TWO brand new rooms that serve so many people each week. On May 5th, 35 volunteers came forward and contributed a combined total of 420 hours to completely transform the dining area and lounge area of the Tabitha House. Work Included: A new sub-floor, new dura-ceramic tile, new walls, new acoustical ceilings, new lights, new carpet, new tables, cork rails for hanging pictures and a new sound system. The total value of this phase including the labor was $45,600.00! It was truly a blessing to be part of this project because these rooms serve so many. Everyday moms and their kids share their meals together, the kids hang out before and after school in these rooms, on Tuesdays over 200 homeless people sit down and have a warm meal, and on Sundays these rooms become a small neighborhood church. On the outside these rooms don’t mean a whole a lot to us but to those who use them everyday they are nothing short of priceless! One of Mitch’s friends, David Ruta, shared this with us before the makeover started saying, “I think it’s such an incredible reflection of Gods love to serve others in the manner in which all of you will do, especially considering the attention God is going to give, to how much attention we give to those in need.” Seeing the new rooms for the first time, Tabitha’s founder, Lula Walker said this to us, “It’s as God came in and put everything in place with His own hands!” She’s right; Phase III was a God thing the whole way! What happened in 16 hours was nothing short of amazing and we are thankful that God allowed us to be His hands in reaching out to the Tabitha House. UPDATE: Tabitha House Visit My family and I had the chance to revisit Tabitha House in February. We were able to see first hand how much Tabitha means to the women and their children who are staying there. The smiles on the mom's faces and the hugs we received from the children confirmed in our hearts that Tabitha's passion and love for those who have no where else to turn is so great. As the director took us on a tour, I recall one mother's room having a stack of food on top of her dresser. I asked why, the director replied that she moved in with all she had, even her food. The few boxes of food were precious to her and her kids. As we continued the tour it became so clear to me, that we forget how blessed we really are and how many people are in need of the simplest things. On May 5th, 6th and 7th we will be back at Tabitha for Extreme Make-Over #3! We will spend three days working around the clock to completely renovate the dinning room and lounge area. We need your help! How? We will need $20,000 to cover the cost of materials and 50 skilled and unskilled volunteers to accomplish this make- over. Why not be part of the action, get your hands dirty and experience the great feeling of what it is to serve others! Remember, that any gift you give for this weekend will bless someone every single day of the week for many years to come! If you have any questions or would like to sign up for this life changing experience please email Brad Swaback. PHASE 2, THANK YOU LETTER. MSF, your determination to continue the rehab work required to make Tabitha House, not only the standard to be followed for excellence service to the community; but the standard to be attained for conditions of a shelter. We know that raising funds to complete the final five phases of the renovation is no small feat. We thank you for your drive, commitment, and faithfulness. The completion if Tabitha House rehabilitation will be the fulfillment of a 30 year dream. You ARE making a difference! Thank you once again! Sincerely, Willia Anderson Director On September 19th, we will begin Phase II at the Tabitha House. This phase will focus on the administration offices located on the first floor of the building. The area consists of five private offices and a small general office area. Work will include new doors, trim work, ceilings, lighting, paint and carpet. We are very grateful that Rieke Office Interiors located in Elgin, IL has committed to outfit the entire administration area with office furniture! We estimate the cost of this phase to be (not including office furniture) $25,000 to $30,000 This is the first area that a person in need goes to sign-in. Our goal is to create a space that will bring confidence and hope for all who step foot inside Tabitha’s doors. To date a major corporation and a private foundation have committed $15,000 to be used towards Phase II. We still need your help! A small donation from each of you would help us to complete this phase and allow you to have ownership in knowing that your gift is helping someone every single day! Please remember, that every single dollar you give will go directly to the Tabitha House project. Our administrative cost is paid for from a private source. Thank you for your willingness to be part of this project!> Back Daily Herald Sunday April 24, 2005 Suburban groups pitch in and help renovate West Side shelter in a weekend By Deborah Donovan Daily Herald Homes Writer Suburban organizations stepped up and worked around the clock recently to help a shelter on Chicago’s West Side. It took one weekend of solid work for a crew of about 100 people to build a new kitchen, bathroom and playroom at Tabitha House Shelter. The shelter at 550 N. Pine provides emergency housing for women and children. Brad Swaback, president of Just Rite Acoustics of Elk Grove Village, served as project manager and said he got about four hours of sleep during the 64-hour period. This was the first project of the Mitchell Swaback Foundation, established in honor of Brad’s 23-year-old nephew who died last year in a diving accident. “We are in the construction industry, and Mitch loved serving in Peru building orphanages and helping others, so we thought we would use the skills we know for our first project,” said Swaback a foundation director. “I think he would have been very proud of what happened last weekend,” he said. Both The Swaback foundation and the Leopardo Foundation of Hoffman Estates-another major donor for the weekend blitz-committed to rehabbing the old six-flat that serves as Tabitha House. The building has 24 sleeping rooms for 60 women and children, said Richard Cray, executive director of the Leopardo Foundation. A total of 5,000 meals a month are served to people in the neighborhood, he said. The 24/7 style of the project was designed to disrupt the living arrangements of the clients as little as possible, Cray said. People started working at 7 a.m. Friday and most of the work was done by 11:30 pm Sunday, said Cray and Swaback. Tabitha House was opened in 1975 by the Rev. Willie Walker and Sister Lula Walker in their home. “This project made sense,” Cray said. “There are heartwarming stories of women and children and Reverend and Sister Walker.” The Leopardo Foundation was started two years ago by Jim Leopardo and his wife, J.B., of Leopardo Construction, Cray said. Both foundations solicited their company’s subcontractors to help with the project. The Storehouse of World Vision, 5001 W. Harrison Chicago, helped to organize the event, and DeGiulio Kitchen Design of the Merchandise Mart contributed, too. Cray estimated the commercial kitchen equipment brought the value of donated goods and labor to more than $150,000. Storehouse of World Vision is a Christian organization that works to strengthen families, schools and neighborhoods with clothes, toys, household goods, school supplies and building materials. Three Days “Extreme Make Over” Miracle by God, You, Your Staff and Volunteers |
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