We are always looking for people to host events on behalf of Open House Ministries!
Creating a special event with your friends, family and co-workers to socialize and learn about Open House, or spending time as a group volunteering, is a great way to enjoy time together and benefit our families.
You can go bigger, too, outside of your circle of friends.
Are you interested in cooking? You could host a dinner and whatever funds and awareness you stir up would benefit the families that live here at the shelter. You could do a bingo night, craft fair, bake sale, car wash, dance, garage sale, food drive, coat drive, etc., etc. If you have a great idea, can get organized and can recruit people (with our help, if wanted), YOU can run your own event for Open House!
Cause+friends+event = awareness and $$$ for our shelter
Our events coordinator will help you with any media that is helpful, putting the event in places you hope to draw guests from, such as the newspaper or our website, Facebook page and/or newsletter.
What will your event be? Location? Time? Date? A few months of planning time is typically needed and usually best.
Here are some ideas:
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- Host a run, bicycle race or golf tournament to help raise funds for Open House.
- Pancake breakfasts. Mmmm.
- Carwashes are a fundraising hit.
- A pizza night at your church could be fun with friends and family as guests who pay a small fee.
- Host a movie night, with popcorn and beverages.
- Run an awareness seminar at your church or school and tell people about homelessness and what they can do to help. (No charge for this one! Knowledge is power!)
- Organize a food drive to benefit our homeless families.
- Put up a donation box at your job or school.
- Collect change at your church.
- Put up a display at your church or school. Have a table with information from Open House Ministries and give people suggestions of how they can help.
- Stage awareness: Have a night of sleeping on the school or church floor to remind others of how it feels to be homeless.
A tea, a sporting event, a fashion show, a comedy night — the sky is the limit.
Call Jean LaCrosse at 360-737-0300 or email her at jean.lacrosse@sheltered.org, if you’re interested in a unique and personal way to help out. We’ll make sure you have promotional or printed materials if needed, and we can provide someone to photograph your event.
Thank you! Every idea is important. And your ideas for helping the homeless are often the ones that are most likely to work at finding your peer group a valuable way to be a part of our life-changing work.
