Wonderful Witchy Women with a Cause is all about helping others through fund raising and providing immediate help once a year to a specific group or person in need. A different group or person will be selected each year.
Wonderful Witchy Women was founded in 2006 by Cheryl Bailey.
After listening to a sermon at her church in Saratoga, Cheryl felt called to do something more
meaningful with her group of friends who met annually to have lunch and wear fun Halloween hats
just before Halloween. She asked the group if they would get behind her to raise donations for the Heritage
Home in San Jose, California, a home for unwed and pregnant women and their small babies.
The women were excited about the idea and together they sent two truckloads of useful household items, baby clothes, personal care products and so much more. The event was held this 2nd year at Steamers Restaurant in Los Gatos, California.
The following year, Margie Montgomery, also of Saratoga, California, stepped up as Co-Chair.
Together, with 125 women from the local communities in attendance, they raised over $4,200.00 plus a van loaded with more donated new items for the home, mothers and children. The event was held this 3rd year at California Cafe in Los Gatos.
The event will always be held the Monday preceeding Halloween.
Our 2008 event made over $20,000.00!!!
Many individual donations and auction items accounted
for
increasing our numbers from $4,200.oo in 2007 to this big jump.
Many thanks to all of you for helping get us there!!!
HERITAGE HOME - ONE WOMAN'S TESTIMONY
A Testimony of God’s Goodness & Transforming Power:
My life before Heritage Home was a complete disaster. It all started with my childhood, how I was raised, the role models I had, and the horrifying experiences I went through. I had been through so much by the age of 14 that I dealt with my feelings of anger, sadness, fear and even happiness by using drugs. That’s how my story begins.
I ran away numerous times and was in and out of Juvenile Hall until I was 18 years old. After that, I got deeper into my drug addiction. I was homeless and doing anything to feed my addiction. The next thing I knew, I was pregnant, homeless and living in an abandoned trailer with no food, water or heat. One morning I woke up and realized I needed help. For once in my life, I put someone else first: my daughter. Something inside me told me to call my dad and ask for help. Four hours later, I was on a bus and then on the internet, looking for a place for pregnant women. I left everything behind; drugs, my boyfriend and even old memories. I called Heritage Home, went for an interview and was accepted an hour later. I walked out with a big smile on my face, saying “Thank you!”
While being at Heritage Home, I have discovered who my higher power is, God. God has helped me with my addiction and with my daughter. He has given me strength, courage and a willingness to change my whole outlook. He has given me life, and helped me accept myself and others.
My life has changed dramatically since coming to Heritage Home. The program staff and volunteers have taught me many life skills including: parenting skills, relationship skills, financial planning, respecting myself and others, how to be independent, how to view things from another perspective, as well as how to overcome my addiction through the twelve–step program. The schooling provided has helped me start the process of getting my GED. Most importantly, Heritage Home has given me the right skills to become a good mom to Gracie Lynne, my beautiful daughter.
Brittany
Click for more Heritage Home testimonies and for Haritage Home quarterly newsletter.
For more information on the Heritage Home: www.cityteam.org/heritagehome
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Erica Rix Funding contact: mccall_jen@yahoo.com
Donations may be made directly to the Erica Rix fund:
Erica Rix Fund c/o Jennifer McCall 16190 Los Gatos Blvd Suite 102 Los Gatos, CA 95032
Recent news story on Erica Rix
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26850113/
News stories:
http://www.nbc11.com/news/17527229/detail.html?dl=mainclick
Donors help girl, 6, whose hand was severed
Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, September 22, 2008
(09-21) 19:10 PDT Los Gatos --
The Bay Area is coming to the aid of a first-grader whose hand was severed in a bizarre jump-rope accident.
More Bay Area News:
Painting crews on the Golden Gate Bridge have taken up a collection, and teachers are offering to tutor 6-year-old Erica Rix of Los Gatos. The family phone keeps ringing with fundraising offers.
Two weeks ago, Erica was riding in the back of her mother's Chevy Suburban with one end of her jump rope wrapped around her wrist when the other end dangled from the back window, got caught in one of the wheels and caused her hand to be cut off.
"I heard a thunk and thought, 'What was that?' " her mother Allison Rix, 32, said Sunday.
Her daughter started to scream. Rix pulled over on Danes Road and saw blood shooting from her daughter's wrist.
Rix believes her daughter would have died if not for the drivers who stopped to help.
One of them, 48-year-old Jim Bailey of Saratoga, "whipped off his belt like a superhero," Rix said, and made a tourniquet to stop the blood.
He held Erica while she asked him what happened, and whether she was going to get a cast like the one she admired on a classmate.
Motorist Gail Andrews located the girl's hand in the street, with the jump rope still wrapped around it. She stood over it and prevented traffic from hitting it, Rix said.
After 10 hours of surgery and nine days in intensive care, Erica's hand is reattached.
She's recovering at home, taking visits from well-wishers and playing the game Sorry with her mother.
Surgeons repaired the bones, veins and arteries in Erica's hand. She doesn't have feeling or movement, but doctors hope she will regain sensation after upcoming surgeries to work on her tendons and nerves.
"She's the luckiest little girl in the world," Rix said.
"She had a couple days of depression when she got home, but now she's back at full energy," she said.
E-mail Meredith May at mmay@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page B - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
You can be a part of our mission to help others in many ways. Please consider joining us in our efforts to help others through the following ways:
1- Financial donations to the designated charities found under About Our Charities tab
2- Buy a ticket to the event. Everyone is welcome to come to the event.
(We expect this years event to sell out, our capacity is 150, so send in checks early! In the event the luncheon is sold out, checks will be returned un-cashed to sender).
3- Donate a new item, restaurant coupon, goods or services or any other usable item for our silent auction
4- Donating items directly to the Heritage Heritage Home
Here is the list of items:
1. Baby bath tubs
2. Baby Hygiene
(Shampoo, lotion, baby Q-tips, oil ECT.)
3. New born diapers
4. 0-3 month pacifiers
5. 0-6 month clothes (boy & girls)
6. bottle liners
7. slippers (s-xl)
8. robes ( l & xl)
9. New socks & underwear (for mothers)
10. Alarm Clocks
11. Larger Maternity clothing (xxl & xxxl)
12. Baby wipes
13. Night lights & Batteries
14 Burp Rags
15 Receiving Blankets
16. Twin Blankets & Comforters
17. Throw Rugs 3’-5’
18. Glue sticks
19. Light weight vacuums
20. Brooms & Mops
21. Deodorant
22. Newborn Hand Mittens
23. Strollers & car seats
24. Laundry detergents
25. Binder paper
26. Spiral Notebooks
27. Toothpaste & Toothbrush
28. Shampoo & Conditioner
29. Small cribs
30. Baby monitors
31. Garden tools
32. Meat
33. House painting
34. Blinds for the dining room
35. Picnic table
· Layette Cloths – New born gowns Newborn PJ’s
· Sleeping Wedges
· Car seat holders (Snap N-go)
· Q tips, nail scissors, diaper ointment, diaper wipe warmers
· Breast feeding pads
· Disposable cameras