View our recent Daylight and News off the Streets newsletters here.
Daylight
Click the links below to view our print newsletter, Daylight.
News Off the Streets
Want to get News Off the Streets in your inbox every month? Fill out our Keep in Touch form here.
View the latest News Off the Streets below.
April 2021 A Legacy of Volunteerism 
From our earliest days, St. John Center has been guided by a community of people who work every day to create the "St. John Center Way." In the weeks before we opened our doors on April 14th, 1986, volunteers gathered to clean, paint, find supplies, and envision and prepare this space to welcome our homeless brothers and sisters.
In a typical year, over 150 volunteers fill seventeen 2-hour shifts 365 days a year. Volunteers staff the sign in desk and telephones, provide towels and toiletries so that guests can shower, pour endless cups of coffee, and create an atmosphere of love and acceptance for each person who enters.
Of all the difficulties of this last, pandemic year - working without daily volunteers was perhaps the most challenging. Today, as vaccines are more and more available, volunteers are returning and, once again, warmly welcoming the people we serve. For 35 years, volunteers have been the very heart of St. John Center. Welcome and thank you! 
Join Us! On April 14th we will mark our 35th Anniversary providing services in this community with a streamed program. Please join us at noon on April 14th. Board Spot Light 
Whitney King is a West Louisville native and is a Community Home Lending Advisor with Chase Bank. She was introduced to the St. John’s Center while working at the Legal Aid Society. She is in her second year of serving on the SJC Board of Directors and believes that SJC offers an invaluable service assisting clients with removing the barriers that keep them from essential housing. Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505. Congratulations On March 6th, at Raisin' the Rent, our Board Chair Russell Smith pulled the winning raffle chances. We offer our congratulations the winners of these great prizes!
Thank You 
An outpouring of love inspired by the memory of Phil "Skip" Reinhart resulted in the largest Virtual House Party, with 121 guests. Thank you! 
Our Contact Information
|
|
March 2021 Join us at Raising the Rent Tomorrow is the Big Day - Raisin' the Rent 2021. We hope you will join us for a short program -- with a big impact -- on Saturday, March 6, from 7:30 - 8 PM. You can log on through our Facebook Page or by using the link below.
Seafaring Man by Whit Stodghill, Shelter Case Manager 
I work at St. John Center, where many of the guests we serve live with severe mental illness, often coupled with substance use issues. “Jason” reminds me a of an old-fashioned seafaring man. He is bearded and burly and in cold weather wears a thick wool fisherman’s sweater. His dark whiskers cover his chin and the sides of his face but not his upper lip. He often comes in from the cold to the sign-in desk where I work with a big smile, shaking off the rain or snow stuck to his toboggan and covering the shoulders of his coat. Jason sleeps outside. He needs the space and has been barred from the overnight shelters for fighting with other guests or staff.
Jason’s usual behavior at the shelter is to be outgoing and noisy, gregarious and constantly in motion. One day I noticed him seated on the floor with his back against the wall, his knees bent and pulled in tight and his head and shoulders bowed down so that he was curled into a ball. It was a protective posture, not a restful one, and I sensed he was in a great deal of pain. I saw his face a few times. All the light and warmth drained from it. His eyes looked sad and hopeless. He stayed that way for most of the morning.
Eventually I approached him, and softly touched his forearm. He looked up and I held a short note for him to see. It said, “You look so sad. Is there anything I can do that would help?” He shook his head no and curled back up in his ball again. I left him alone.
The next day when I came back someone handed me an envelope with my name on it. Inside was this note written on repurposed Christmas card, “You are a bundle of joy! You give me hope. I can’t be the only one. Love, J.”
Funny, that’s exactly how I feel about him.
Thank You 
St. John Center is profoundly grateful to the people and organizations who supported Raisin' the Rent 2021 this year. We especially want to thank Atria Senior living, our presenting sponsor. Sponsors of Hope 
Rising to the Challenge 
On Tuesday, Charles Price and the Price Foundation issued a remarkable challenge to the St. John Center community. The Price Foundation offered to match every Virtual House Party or Fund the Mission gift $2:$1 up to a total of $30,000.
The St. John Center family came together fast to meet the challenge. By Wednesday afternoon, with the support of the Price Foundation, we raised $90,000 to Raise the Rent and meet the daily challenges of providing care, shelter, and new opportunity to people without adequate housing. Thank you! Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.
Our Contact Information
|
|
February 2021 Why We Raise the Rent Each year, our community gathers in a powerful act of solidarity with our neighbors experiencing homelessness. Raisin' the Rent provides the single largest source of operating revenue for St. John Center. In 2020, this fundraiser ensured that Street Outreach, the Day Shelter and Social Services Center, and the Permanent Supportive Housing Program had the resources to serve the 2,844 people who need us.
You can be part of Raisin' the Rent 2021 in all of the following ways. You can take a chance on terrific Raffle prizes, including a $10,000 Pot of Gold! The Silent Auction opens on March 1st and will include some favorites including quilts, the Irish Basket, and a week at Hilton Head as well as some new and unique offerings like a G.E. Wine Beverage Center full of wine and a farm-raised, whole butchered hog butchered to your specifications. You can donate to one (or many) Virtual House Parties. And finally, please log on to watch our streamed event from 7:30 - 8 PM on Saturday, March 6th.
Join a House Party! 
This year, we mark 15 years of gathering for the annual Raisin' the Rent Party. And this year, for the first time, we can't be together in person. Instead, over 30 of your friends and neighbors are hosting "Virtual House Parties" - online fundraising pages that give you an opportunity to add your donation to the community of people who support St. John Center. Join one - or many - Virtual House Party by making a donation. Check them all out right here.
Thank You Mary Leigh 
St. John Center is grateful to Mary Leigh Brown for eleven years of service. Mary Leigh has been a big part of keeping our financial house in order while caring for her colleagues, the people we serve, and the whole SJC community. Thank you Mary Leigh and best wishes! Thank You We are grateful to the following foundations and organizations for their meaningful support.
Raffle Chances are Going FAST! Raisin' the Rent raffle chances are selling fast this year. Some are sold out, and many are limited. Don't miss your chance on something wonderful - like a week at Caswell Beach, a vacation in the mountains of Asheville, NC, a $10,000 cash prize, a Big Green Egg complete with Kinglsey's gift card, or a private bourbon tasting experience. Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.
Our Contact Information
|
|
January 2021 A New Year, a New Home As we began 2020, St. John Center envisioned a year in which 200 of our homeless neighbors moved home. With your support, and despite everything 2020 threw at us, St. John Center helped 226 people move into permanent housing and start the new year healthy at home. Thank you!
Raisin' The Rent Raffle Tickets for the Raisin' the Rent Raffle will go on sale January 15th. You won't want to wait to take a chance on a week in beautiful Asheville, NC or Caswell Beach, NC. This year we're introducing a Pot of Gold Raffle and your chance to win up to $10,000 cash. You might also win a bourbon experience, a Big Green Egg, or Local Dining for a Year! Last year, most raffle tickets sold out completely so get yours early at the link below!
Annual Homeless Street Count 
Each year, hundreds of volunteers fan out across Louisville on a single, cold night in January for the annual homeless street count. This year, however, Street Count is going to look much different to reduce risks associated with the global pandemic. While the official Point in Time Count will be Monday, January 25, the Coalition for the Homeless will not be sending out volunteers. Instead, outreach staff, day shelters, and meal distribution groups will administer the survey as part of their normal hours of operation from January 26-29th. So while we aren't seeking volunteers this year, we expect to be asking for help again in 2022! Thank You We are overwhelmed with gratitude for all the ways you supported St. John Center in 2020. Truly, we got through because you were part of our community. Your gifts of financial support, supplies, good wishes, and prayer sustained us. Monthly Giving Circle As the new year begins, we hope you will join our Monthly Giving Circle and become part of the sustaining structure of our work. Members of the Monthly Giving Circle allow us to allocate resources where they are most needed all year long – because we know we can count on you month after month. 
Wish List SJC is currently in need of the following supplies:
You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.
Our Contact Information
|