UBE Arizona Evening of Service to Family Promise

Food, Fun, and Fellowship! On Saturday, November 23, 2024, UBE Arizona members came together at Saint Barnabas on the Desert in Scottsdale (saintbarnabas.org) to share a great meal, games and books, and meaningful connection with families experiencing homelessness.

The young moms and their children that we were privileged to be with are working hard to change their circumstances through the programs of Family Promise of Greater Phoenix. Their mission is: “[T]o provide emergency shelter and social services to help families move from homelessness to employment, permanent housing, and self-sufficiency.” (https://familypromiseaz.org/)

Joined by Peter Sinclair and Sarah Petersen and her family of Saint Barnabas and UBE Arizona friend and supporter Ismael Vega, our volunteers present for this special evening were: Paula Aguayo; Canon Dr. Janet Beason; Kathryn Elliott-Hudson, Vice President; Br. Lee Hughes, Treasurer; Sylvia Scott; Dr. Marg Schmidt; and Susan Tuttle, who currently serves as a coordinator of the Boundless Welcome: Family Promise at Saint Barnabas program. Also part of the team preparing for this evening were members Nancy Atherton; Canon Dr. Dawn Conley, Immediate Past President; Canon Judith Conley; and Helenor Webb, President.

Joy Triche, founder of Joy for Books, which “… champion[s] culturally diverse children’s books as a path to literacy,” (joyforbooks.org), was also part of the UBE Arizona volunteer team. Ms. Triche and Janet Beason, who serves on the board of Joy for Books, played games with the children, let them and their parents choose as many books as they would like to keep, and capped off the evening making bookmarks together for their new books!

This is the second Evening of Service to Family Promise of Greater Phoenix organized by the UBE Arizona Outreach Committee. We continue to be blessed by this opportunity to share God’s love and bounty with our sisters and brothers in need.