Halloween Safety Tips from RAINN

It's Halloween. The day you've finally been waiting for has arrived. You've carefully planned to the last detail and you're ready to go. Before you head out the door wait. There is something you should know.
Every 2 minutes someone in America is sexually assaulted. Reduce your chances of becoming a statistic. Read the information below. It'll only take a minute...

Gayle
___________________

While Halloween is an exciting time of year, sometimes taking days or weeks to prepare for, there are nonetheless risks involved when going out at night. Being aware of possible risks is often the first step in staying safe, especially when in a new environment.

- Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe at any point during "All Hallow's Eve," go with your gut.
- Avoid being alone or isolated with a "zombie" you don't know well. Let a trusted friend know where you are and whom you are with.
- Don't accept "apple cider" from people you don't know or trust and never leave your "apple cider" unattended. If you lose sight of your "apple cider," get a new one.

FOR MORE TIPS, PLEASE VISIT:
http://www.rainn.org/news/sexual-assault-news/halloween-safety-tips-2008

(Non) Missing Child OK! Knoxville KPD Amber Alert cancelled.

Whew! The girl was found it be safe. It doesn't appear to have been an abduction after all. As a mom, I'm glad that
someone took the time to phone it in even though it turned out to be fine. If more people did that then all of our
children would be safer.

Here's more on the WATE website:

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=9272047

Knoxville Police Issue Amber Alert KPD Missing Child Seeks

Knoxville Police have issued an amber alert for an
abducted female.She was last seen in the area of
Tennessee Avenue and Burnside Street at approximately
8:00 a.m. eastern.

The little girl was described as: 
7 years-old
White female
Sandy blonde hair

She was reported to have been wearing:
Blue coat with a fur hood
Blue jeans
White tennis shoes.

Taken from the WATE Story at the link below:
"The child was riding a bicycle. The abductor pulled up
next to the child in a 70's model red Ford Maverick and
after the car left the area the child was missing and 
the bicycle was found on the ground."

If you have seen the child or have information on the
vehicle, please contact the Knoxville Police Department
at (865) 215-4010 or the Tennessee Bureau of
Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=9272047

May God keep this little girl safe as everyone does
their best to bring her home! Pray for her safe return.

Nov. Angel Food Order Deadline

Here's a reminder. The Nov. Angel Food Order Deadline is going to be Saturday, Nov. 8 at 3:00 pm.

Choose from the Basic Box ($30), Senior Box ($28) or Thanksgiving Box ($30 ,This comes with a chicken instead of a turkey). Specials are also available either $18 or $21. Full menus are available here on the Angel Food website. Simply print out their form, circle the items you like and include with payment. Be sure to put your name and phone number someplace on the form. Then, just drop it by our office.

And don't forget. Angel Food is open to everyone. There are no income qualifications or anything like that. It's just a chance to buy a box of food for $30 that Angel Food says is valued at between $60 - $80.

For more on Angel Food from the view of a purchaser please read this Associated Content article.

Calling all Hope for Healing.Org Board Members...

You know who you are. :-)

Don't forget Monday night's meeting. It's at Eastview at 6:00 pm. Let me know if you can't make it. You'll also get this via email.

Thanks.

Domestic Violence Prayer Service - Nice!

We had a sweet little prayer service tonight. The candles were lighted and placed on risers in front of the shop. Participants gathered hands and prayed. We did keep it short because of the cold (our building has no heat) but those who came said they were touched.

We'll be posting pictures of the candles as soon as we are able. Thank you for your support of this valuable ministry.

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Domestic Violence Prayer Service Tonight

Tonight's prayer service is scheduled for 7:00 pm. It was originally scheduled to last for one hour. By popular request we are going to make this shorter - if possible. The luminaries will be left on for the entire evening. This will truly make them a "light in the darkness".

We'll see you there!

Thanks Churches!

Many thanks to the following churches for your support. Without you, we couldn't do what we do!

Baileyton United Methodist Church - truckloads of thrift items
McCampbell United Methodist Church - 5 Star Giving
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church - truckloads of thrift items
Marbledale Baptist Church - truckloads of thrift items
First Baptist of Strawberry Plains - space for upcoming Holiday Craft Show.
Wears Valley United Methodist Church - truckloads of thrift items

Holston Conference United Methodist Men - an amazing Aussie Travel Grill by Meco. Even though it was easy to put together our kids had a great time doing so! (They're having an even better time with lunch!)

A+ Angel Food, Volunteers, Holiday Craft Show

Thanks to our volunteers for a terrific Angel Food distribution and more. We got a lot accomplished yesterday. Everything went really well. This was Mildred's first time at coordinating. Feedback was great!

Also on Angel Food days we are joined by juvenile offenders through Restorative Justice. These are kids who are giving court-ordered community service. They just pitched right in and went to work. Jason had them carrying food boxes, sanding and re-creating furniture and more - right along with other Hope Youth Volunteers. You couldn't have asked for better.

Overall, all the kids helped with the distribution. They also sanded wood items and learned how to turn items that need some TLC into beautiful pieces. A chair was completely repainted and padding replaced. We all worked to make a battered kitchen table into a workable, pretty piece. The girls helped make Santa Claus pins from cinnamon sticks, sand wood and recreate furniture. They also helped a grateful Gwen out in the thrift shop. These items and more will be available at our holiday craft show.

The neatest thing about creating these items isn't in having terrific items to sell. (Although that is a plus.) The best thing is that the kids have a chance to recreate their views on the world. Helping carry food boxes helps their self-esteem. Creating items gives them new skills and helps their self-esteem.

Basically, at-risk kids have a place they can go that they feel is safe. They have a chance to stretch their wings and grow. With that opportunity, lots of positive things happen.

Angel Food Distribution Tomorrow Nov. Menu Available

Don't forget to pick up your food boxes. The distribution is from 9:00 am - 10:00 am. The November menus are available. There is the Basic Box, Senior Box and the Thanksgiving Box, plus specials.

One note about the Thanksgiving box. The hen listed is a chicken and not a turkey. We've had people ask. Gayle phoned Angel Food to make sure. Angel Food confirmed today that the Thanksgiving Box does contain a chicken.

The November Angel Food menu is available here. It's also available on the Angel Food Ministries website. We hope a lot of people will take advantage of the savings. There are no qualifications and no income requirements. Angel Food is open to everyone.

We hope to see you tomorrow!

Nonprofit Founder Speaks on Domestic Violence, Poverty at Jacksboro United Methodist

Gayle Crabtree, founder and executive director of Hope for Healing.Org will be speaking at 10:55 am Sunday morning at Jacksboro United Methodist Church. She'll be sharing about the work of Hope for Healing.org; the lives changed and the difference its made in the community. Not only does the website reach over 80,000 annually for Christ but her work has transformed the Jefferson County community of Strawberry Plains. Locally, Hope for Healing.Org works with victims of domestic violence, distributes Angel Food boxes, changes the lives of juvenile offenders and meets the personal emergencies of local neighbors in poverty on a case-by-case basis.

Another organization came from this transformation to help address other needs (such as library improvements and sidewalks) that are outside the scope of Hope for Healing.Org. Signs are now up that welcome visitors to Historic Strawberry Plains as the community reclaims its historic heritage.

The public is invited to join us at Jacksboro UMC to learn more.

At a later date, Gayle be sharing about the nuts and bolts of Compassion Evangelism. It will be a hands-on session of how to begin a compassion based program locally. Included will be discerning the church's interest, how to conduct a needs survey and who to get on your team. Look for more information to come soon.

See you at Jacksboro United Methodist Church Sunday morning!

Holiday Craft Show Fundraiser for Local Charity

Strawberry Plains Holiday Craft Show
Nov. 15, 2008
10:00 am - 4:00 pm.

To be held at:
First Baptist Church of Strawberry Plains
3100 W Old Andrew Johnson Hwy.
Strawberry Plains, TN 37871

BBQ lunch is available for a donation beginning at 11:00 am.
Quality craft items. Door prizes! Craft demonstrations. Lots of fun!

No admission.

This is a craft show you don't want to miss!

Proceeds benefit Hope for Healing.Org. For more information please visit the listing on WBIR here. Booth spaces are still available. To reserve your booth please email hopeinfo@hopeforhealing.org or download an application here.

Volunteers Make a Difference!

Volunteers make such a difference! We appreciated everyone's help yesterday. The barbecue was terrific and the weather was great. Five youth volunteers pitched in to help with set-up, breakdown and everything in between. A new volunteer came (we love you!). Board members were on hand and staff pitched in to make yesterday fun! Comments were positive. After expenses about $200 was raised.

If you were one of the ones asking if we'd do it again, the answer is yes! - After we get ready for our next two events.

The Prayer Service to Honor Victims of Domestic Violence is Oct. 28. Candles are still available in our office and on our eBay site. Our next fundraiser is going to be the Holiday Craft Show on Nov. 15 at First Baptist Church of Strawberry Plains, TN. We hope you'll come to join us at both of these great events!

Yard Sale, Barbecue, Bag Sale Fundraiser tomorrow!

It all gets underway at 11:00 am. Stuff-A-Bag for $3.00. BBQ lunch starts at 11:00. Big sales on everything in the thrift shop. We've got furniture, computer monitors, store-donated new books, clothes, dishes and more!

Come out and enjoy it! See you from 11:00 - 2:00 tomorrow. View our ad in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty - Our Astounding Results so Far!

Ok, I knew it would be good but I didn't expect it to be this good. Thank you ALL so much for your help. Your page views, eBay sales, Book purchases, ratings... Everything came together to make a big difference for the clients we serve. We can't thank you enough!

Are you ready to learn how it impacted our program? Read on...

On Blog Action Day 2008 we had...

18 times more blog traffic than we have had on any other day!
200% increase in book sales over last month!
2.5 times the number of sales from the eBay store over last week!
13.33% Amazon.Com link conversion rate - our highest ever!
#1 Highly rated blog on Knoxnews.Com - Knoxville Blog Buzz. You scored us a 10!
6th most active blog overall on Knoxnews.Com - Knoxville Blog Buzz!
First ever participation in Blog Talk Radio!

It's too early to tell for sure but it also looks like traffic is up on our link to Yahoo powered Goodsearch.Com. Every time you search this link, we earn cash. It's free and it adds up. You can even bookmark us in your browser. Purchases via Goodshop help us too. Click the link to find our more about that too.

All in all, it was a phenomenal day! A blog visitor did email me saying thanks for the entry I posted about why domestic violence victims don't leave. They now have a better understanding and were shocked at the economic breakdown. The writer's eyes are now open a little wider.

Which is exactly the reason for Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty to have happened in the first place.

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty - 12,703 Blogs Participated!

Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty was the result of Herculean efforts by a small group of people. Can a few people make a difference? The answer is a resounding yes!

Worldwide participating stats are impressive. Are you sitting down?

According to the official Blog Action Day 2008 website:

Participating Blogs 12,703
RSS Feeds 13,412,122

WOW!

For us, data is still coming in. We will have more information later this evening on how this particular blog was impacted. We suspect the news will be very good and we thank each and every one of you. I'll post as soon as we have all the info together.

C-ya online,
Gayle

Blog Talk Radio Embeded Player

The talk radio show for Blog Action Day continues until midnight. Use this embeded player to access the show. It's free, fun and important. Click now!

Poverty Action Day 2008: Alternative Ways to Help

We all know that nonprofit agencies serving the poor need money. But there a lots of ways to help that don't require writing a check. The following is a list to get you started. No doubt you will have other ideas yourself. If you do, please post them in the comments section.

1) Recycle: Collect used ink jet cartridges, aluminum cans, old cell phones and donate the proceeds.
2) Get together with friends and hold a car wash or yard sale.
3) Hold a closet clean out party with your friends and donate the items to a shelter or charity thrift shop.
4) Volunteer your time at a charitable organization.
5) Mobilize your friends to get them involved. Many charities love it when groups volunteer to help!
6) Collect canned food at your workplace on an ongoing basis. Alternatively, clean out your cabinets of any usable food that you aren't likely to use. Give them to the charity of your choice.
7) Organize a make-up drive to collect unused make up samples during make-up gift days at the local department store.
8) Put up a poster or flier in your office from your local food bank or charity.
9) Tell your friends that you support your favorite organization. They may be interested too.
10) Participate in Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

Poverty Action Day 2008

Live and going on now! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BlogActionDay/2008/10/15/BlogActionDay-Part-2

Why can't a victim of domestic violence leave? 2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines

What does it mean to live the 2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines? May of our clients live in the margins. They can't make enough money to make ends meet. Many earn only minimum wage.

In this post, let's look at what it means to be a single mom with two kids faced with the possibility of fleeing from an abuser.

An employee making $7.85 x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks earns $16,328.00 annually or $1,360.00 monthly. That's $272.00 under the poverty level. It's also above the current minimum wage of $6.55 an hour by $1.30 an hour.

The other problem is that many employers don't want to pay overtime. To reduce the risk they will commonly schedule an employee for 35 hours a week - some will schedule less. The scenario above also assumes that the employee will not take a vacation and will not suffer an unpaid work day for illness or any other reason.

Fortunately, we are just outside of Knoxville, TN. According to one study our cost of living is below the national average. That's good news. The median cost of an apartment in Knoxville for 2007 was $638.00. It also leaves just over $700 in the monthly budget for a car, food, utilities, phone and medicines - unless you have to pay day care. The average price for preschool care in Knoxville is $120 to $140 per week.

Even help from food stamps or subsidized rent often isn't enough. That is why we see familiar faces at our food pantry, Angel Food distribution and free clothing days.

Many victims of domestic violence have little in the way of education and job experience. Low wage earning capabilities, combined with the above mentioned hurdles, make it difficult to impossible for a woman to free herself from the chains of domestic violence. For many women, leaving an abuser means having to accept an existence of substandard housing, begging from food pantries and a trail of bills they cannot pay.

Please think about this the next time you hear about a victim. If you are given the opportunity to donate to a battered women's program, please do so.

Poverty and Domestic Violence. It shouldn't be a choice.

I wish I had a nickel for every woman who had to choose between living in poverty and being battered. Financial reasons are often cited as a reason to stay with a batterer. Those not in the field find that hard to understand. How could a victim subject children to an abusive situation?

Statistics say that 1:3 women worldwide will be a victim of abuse in her lifetime. To reassure ourselves that we would "never" have to make that choice we make snap judgments and often blame the victim. In essence, we lock the victim into an abusive cycle and throw away the key.

The following are some websites that look at poverty and domestic violence. Take time to read them. Doing so may help someone you love.

Domestic Violence and Poverty, The Narratives of Homeless Women
Low Income Children in the United States
2006 HHS Poverty Guidelines in the US

Poverty, Our Clients, An Angel Food Birthday Gift

It was one of those stormy mornings that make you want to pull the covers over your head and stay in bed. The drumming of the rain attempted to lull me back to sleep. It was 7:00 am on a Saturday morning. Grudgingly, I hit the alarm clock buzzer and got up. This wasn't any Saturday, it was Distribution Day! The Angel Food truck would be arriving in a few hours. It was September 2006. A group was coming in to help with the food distribution and it was time to get moving.

Angel Food is a way for people to stretch their food dollars. For $30 dollars (then $25) you can buy a box of food that is valued between $60 and $80. There are no qualifications. You can buy as much or as little as you want. From the office in Good Hope, Georgia trucks laden with food are dispatched all over the country. Payment of cash, check, Pay Pal and Food Stamps are accepted. Some of our clients rely on this as their main grocery purchase each month. Food is paid for at the beginning of the month and picked up at the end of the month.

When everything runs smoothly it's wonderful. When it runs badly it's a nightmare.

We got word at about 9:00 am that the truck was broken down somewhere between Atlanta and Chattanooga. At 10:00 am it was still broken, 11:00 came and went with no further word. The truck ended up being delayed for five hours before arriving. The l0:00 am distribution finally happened at 3:00pm.

Stressful doesn't begin to describe the situation. Some clients needed that food box to feed their kids lunch. To compensate, we ordered pizzas while we waited for the truck. Our clients began talking and sharing stories. One woman's story sticks out in my mind. I share it here in an effort to help you understand the stress she was under. Her name has been changed.

Mary walked home to bring her children to lunch. They were under the care of a family member who declined to come. The rain was pouring. After getting the kids dried off and settled she asked to talk with me privately. While the kids devoured the pizza with gusto her story came out in bits and pieces.

According to Lisa, her husband tried to be good but was abusive. He had a decent paying job but she saw no money. Her husband preferred to buy beer instead of groceries. If the family was to eat it would be up to her to figure out how. They were staying with his family members who were less than thrilled with the situation and that didn't help.

Lisa had no car, three young children and no job. I told her about domestic violence shelters and how they work. She refused saying he would find her. She said that would only make things worse. Lisa said she wanted to work but knew the day care bill would be bigger than her check. She didn't know what she was going to do but she knew one thing. She needed the promised Angel Food box. and said she would wait all night if she had to and unload the truck by herself. We both laughed at that statement. She wanted me to. Lisa probably weighed 100 pounds soaking wet. She had an emaciated look with bags under her eyes.

I reassured her that we could take care of unloading the truck once it arrived. Lisa hugged me and thanked me for listening. Then, she did something unexpected. She went to her purse and showed me her driver's license. It was her birthday. She hadn't told anyone because it wouldn't do any good. Being used to "the system" she thought that I would not believe her if she didn't show me proof of what she was saying. Then Lisa hugged me again saying that having food in her home was going to be the best birthday gift she could have.

When she walked out of my office I started scrambling. She hadn't asked for a present but I felt that I had to find something. At Hope for Healing.Org we have always been fortunate to have people occasionally donate new items. Usually I have something put back and fortunately this time was no exception.

I came out of my office and looked around for Lisa. She was there with her kids. They were finished with their pizza and were cleaning the table when I walked up. Lisa looked at me and I handed her a brand new Bible. Tucked inside the box was a pair of new earrings - one of our products made by the juvenile offenders who serve community service with us.

She looked at me surprised. It hadn't seem to cross her mind that I would try to give her something for her birthday. Lisa did what any woman would do. She cried. Then she hugged her kids, walked them back home and came back to wait on her food box.

Lisa is no longer in this situation. They moved a few months after this happened. I ran into her the other day. We only talked a moment but she said things were better. I don't know what happened but she certainly looked better and seemed happier. She still remembered the box and gifts and thanked me for them again. I told her the pleasure was all mine and meant it.

If you view the slideshow on our blog you can see the area we serve. It is beautiful but you can see how stuck a person like Lisa is without transportation or a place to work.

Tomorrow, 10/15 Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty

Don't forget to check here. Also, be sure to tune in to Blog Talk Radio. More information can be found at the following urls:

http://blogactionday.org/
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/blogactionday
Associated Content

Rush Strong School Fall Festival Booth

We had a great time at the fall festival at Rush Strong School last night. This terrific Jefferson County school drew a good crowd. They had some neat baskets to auction. Most of Strawberry Plains seemed to turn out for the event!

For our part we took candy (always a big draw for kids!) and gave away placemats that taught about appropriate behavior.




Read more on
Associated Content »

Angel Food Deadline Sat. 10-12

Please bring your Angel Food forms to the thrift shop between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm today. Thank you.

For more information please visit http://www.angelfoodministries.com

Domestic Violence Awareness

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We're planning lots of activities! Here's what we have lined up so far:

Oct. 10 - Outreach - Rush Strong School Fall Festival
Oct. 15 - Outreach - Online Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty! w/Radio Show
Oct. 17 - Outreach, Speaking - Rutledge Women's Club
Oct. 18 - Outreach Display Hope for Healing.Org - Yard sale and Lunch with Music
Oct. 20 - Outreach, Speaking - REACHS Prayer Service for Victims of Domestic Violence
Oct. 25 - Outreach Display, - Westview UMC Fall Festival
Oct. 26 - Outreach, Speaking - Jacksboro UMC, Women in the Pulpit Sunday
Oct. 28 - Outreach Hope for Healing.Org Prayer Service for Victims of Domestic Violence

Luminary candles for the Hope for Healing.Org Prayer Service are available in our eBay store or by contacting us. They are $3.00 each. Proceeds help us meet expenses.

And don't forget... If your church is planning an awareness event we can help! We have free awareness materials available for download.

Go to http://www.hopeforhealing.org/domesticviolence/clergy now. You'll find bulletin inserts, fact sheets, an awareness flier, brochure, pulpit helps, prayers, responsive readings and more!

There's never been an easier time to plan a service for victims. Volunteers are welcome for all of our events. Contact us to get involved today.

Review Pinhole Eyeglasses

The following is a paid product review on pinhole eyeglasses from Pinhole Glasses Direct.Com.

Website Navigation

I was intrigued when asked to write a website review for the above company. The term “pinhole glasses” conjured up imagines of those “glasses” that came in cereal boxes when I was a kid. My next thought was that it might be similar to pinhole cameras that were made a few generations ago. While the idea behind pinhole glasses may be similar, Pinhole Glasses Direct.Com seems to have taken the pinhole eyeglasses idea to a whole new level.

Design

The website is well designed and easy to navigate. A handy menu is located at eye-level near the top of the website. This easily transports you to the various pages within Pinhole Glasses Direct.Com. Headings and text are clear and easy to read. Graphics are well placed and catch your eye. At a glance you can see that your satisfaction is guaranteed and you notice the free shipping. The layout is consistent and well presented.

Content

Information on the site helps you understand the concept of pinhole glasses. Again, it is well laid out. You will be able to read about how the concept of pinhole glasses originated and has been used. There is information on eye problems such as myopia, astigmatism and other eye issues. Links keep you within the website. The testimonials listed offer compelling arguments for trying the glasses. The site also gives a disclaimer telling you that the glasses are not for use in all occasions.

Functionality

Loading times are quick. Pages are responsive. I noticed no glaring issues when using the site. My pop-up blocker was not triggered while visiting. The site integrates with the credit card processor CCNow for purchasing. This this transition was seamless and the checkout process seemed smooth (as far as I went).

Popularity

A quick Google search for pinhole glasses found Pinhole Glasses Direct.Com to be well placed and on the first search page. A search on Yahoo found similar placement results.

Conclusion

Although I was not familiar with the product when I was originally asked to do the review, I do feel that visiting the website gave me a better understanding. There are a number of other companies out there that sell similar glasses and make similar claims. But really, with a website this good why would you want to buy anywhere else?

Crafts Booth in Jacksboro 10/4/08

The annual fall festival at Jacksboro UMC is tomorrow. We're tickled pink that they've offered us a craft booth! The kids have been working hard on all kinds of projects. We're not fast movers but we have some unique things.

Take a look at these two photographs. This is a table that has captured the imagination of at least six of our kids and staff members. You might say the table was in rough shape when it came in. Structurally it was fine. The paint job was another story.

A team of juvenile offenders, youth volunteers and adults went to work. Hours of elbow grease later and the end result is a beautiful end table to make anyone proud! Photos don't do justice to the real thing. For that, you'll have to come to the festival at Jacksboro UMC tomorrow.

If you can't get to the festival we'd like to offer an alternative. There's a few things up for grabs in the eBay store too.

We hope you come see us!

Luminary Candles for Domestic Violence Service $3

Candles are $3.00. Proceeds go to Hope for Healing.Org for general operating expenses. Candles will be lighted during our evening prayer service for domestic violence victims on October 28, 2008. The service will be held at our office at *3130 Old Andrew Johnson Hwy. Strawberry Plains, TN 37871. Light refreshments will be available.

The luminary candles may be purchased as a friend of Hope for Healing.Org or in honor or memory of victims. There are no limits to the number of candles you can buy.

Candles are available online through our eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/hopeforhealingorg
or by contacting us. It's never been easier to help us help others. Contact us today!

*This is the address of our former office. Our mailing address is now 153 E Broadway Blvd. #113, Jefferson City, TN 37760 - Updated 10/11