At Chiara Home, we have been blessed to have nice people do nice things for us and our guests. We call them Angels, but most people recognize them as Volunteers.

Volunteers are more than “nice.” They have an enormous impact on the quality of care we provide our guests at Chiara Home.

They talk with our guests, play with them and join them for walks.

Among our most dedicated and reliable guest service volunteers are Brenda Emmerth, Jeff Martin, Lucas Reineke and Anita Youts.

Over the years, we have enjoyed partnerships with local nursing programs and students who volunteer at Chiara Home. Over this past summer, we got to know four young ladies from the Global Women’s Leadership program at Saint Mary’s College.

Annie from Illinois, Bilquis of Libya, Sumar from Egypt and Eleanor from Valparaiso, Indiana, spent time each week at Chiara Home, playing cards, putting together puzzles, performing karaoke, and painting (manicures to decorative bottles.)

As the new school year begins, we are blessed to have two new students helping with guest care, Gabby and Sarah. Aside from providing our guests with caring playmates, they are

Inside this issue Open House, Sunday

October 12 • 2:00-4:00 pm Christmas Candy ordering Save-The-Date for

“It’s a Polish Wedding”

Our Mission Dedicated to the spirit of

Saint Clare of Assisi, who was known for her care of the outcast by providing both food and hospitality, Chiara Home strives to provide that same care to those among us who have been identi-fied as having a developmental disabil-ity or special need.

We endeavor to undertake those activities that will promote both a gentle and home-like atmosphere, so all persons in our care may experience a place of rest and a time of total acceptance.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS John White, Chairman

Cheryl McCaffery, Vice Chair Kevin Pockrandt, Treasurer

Virginia Pierce, Secretary Judy Hodgson

Carol Kanney Daniel Pierce

Pam Proctor Tom Ross

Andrew Schaefer Aaron Sheets

Michael Szymanski Patty Tyl

Sr. Gretchen Clark SSJ-TOSF Co-founder and President

Sr. Sharon Dillon SSJ-TOSF Co-founder, ex officio

State Senator John Broden Honorary

Contact us if you are interested in joining our volunteer board.

1425 Clayton Drive, South Bend, Indiana 46614 574-287-5435 www.chiarahomerespite.org

Unconditional, Heartfelt Care – Just Like Home Since 1993!

From The Heart

Fall 2014

Continued next page

Volunteers Have Significant Impact Here

demonstrating the clinical skills they are learning in pursuit of degrees in Nursing at Saint Mary’s College.

Saint Mary’s College student Annie losing a game of rummy to Mitch, the card shark!

Jeff and Stephanie enjoying a walk on a warm day.

Gabby

On Sunday afternoons, high school student Christine and her sister visit with our weekend guests. Beyond fulfilling a community service requirement, they are developing compassion and learning more about the needs of disabled persons. We are certain these lessons will manifest in future advocacy.

Other volunteers help us with yard work and around the house, as well as serve on our board of directors and advisory committees — acting as advocates for our guests and their caregivers.

Without their generous service, Chiara Home would not exist! The value of their volunteer time keeps the cost for care at Chiara Home affordable.

There are many ways that you can become involved at Chiara Home! If you would like to know more, please contact Sister Gretchen at 574-287-5435.

Impact — Continued from previous page

Join the Friends of Chiara Home Society! Friends of Chiara Home Society began in 2004. It is a

group of people who wish to help families continue to care for their disabled loved one at home as much as possible, for as long as possible, but need a respite from time to time.

Members commit to donating at least $1,200 over the course of the year, payable annually, bi-annually, monthly, etc. Through their contributions, members of FOCH ensure care is available to so many deserving families.

If you would like to learn more about joining this giving society, contact us at 574-287-5435.

As a Friend of Chiara Home, you are entitled to: Recognition as such in Chiara Home publications; and, Complimentary ticket to fundraiser events.

FRIENDS OF CHIARA HOME SOCIETY 2014 • Debbie Commons • Tom and Sharon Kroll

Peter and Mary Graber • Mike Leep & Gurley Leep Mr & Mrs Edward Hardig Automotive Family Gretchen Hunt • Stuart McComas Dennis & Rosemary Inch • Ted and Annette Noell

Help Stock our Cupboard Our wish list includes:

Paper towels Toilet paper Paper plates (dinner size) Paper napkins Laundry soap (high-efficiency) Fabric softener (Snuggle) Tissues Light bulbs (60w) Trash bags (13 gal.) Lysol spray Twin size sheets Canned goods:

Spaghetti with meatballs Spaghetti without meatballs Mac & cheese

A New, Smiling Face at Chiara Home

Sue Carter joined the staff at Chiara Home August 18 as a caregiver, Monday through Friday from 2:00–5:00 pm.

Sue also provides private care for elderly woman every morning.

She has stepped right into her role and the guests really like her.

Join us in welcoming Sue!

Sumar, who is blind, is helping Greg complete a puzzle.

Eleanor

Bilquis

Sue Carter

Anita Youts Brenda Emmerth Lucas Reineke

Dates to Remember : CLOSED: October 18 & 19

CLOSED: November 27-30 (Thanksgiving)

CLOSED: December 23-27 (Christmas)

Sarah

High school student Christine spends her Sunday afternoons

with Chiara Home guests so caregivers can take a break.

Your Donations Make a Real Difference in the Lives of Our Deserving Families Since 1993, Chiara Home has kept a commitment to the families we serve that we would keep our fees for service as

low as possible and never turn away anyone if they could not pay. Fees for service paid by guest families covered less than a third of our operating expenses and are only 28% of our total

revenue. Simply put, without the support of generous donors, we could not provide care, make the capital improvements, or maintain Chiara Home to the standards our guests deserve.

In our last fiscal year, we were able to “forgive” $13,357 in service fees. You can help by making a donation in honor or memory of loved one, include Chiara Home in your will or trust, join

Friends of Chiara Home, make an annual gift, or participate in our special events.

These are the donors who supported Chiara Home this quarter:

Major TJX Foundation Anonymous

Top Ms Evie Alwine Barnes & Thornburg Center Township Gleaners Community Foundation of St Joseph County The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Inc. Mr & Mrs Jeff Guyton Dr & Mrs Brian and Holly Sucharetza United Way of Elkhart County Inc

Partners Lt Col Theresa Chenoweth Ret Mr John Graf Ms Virginia Hahn Mr Michael Hayden Honeywell International Charity Matching Massimo's Pizzeria & Backside Bar Ms Beth Mengel Michiana Endoscopy Sr Eileen Schmidt ssj-tosf Sr Claudine Balio & Sr Jeanne Consemius ssj-tosf Rev Teunisje Velthuizen

In-Kind Gifts Merry Maids of South Bend (housecleaning) Mr & Mrs William and Theda Nixon (pantry items) Mr & Mrs John and Fran Soyka (bottle tree) Stanley Steemer (carpet cleaning)

Backyard Gazebo Campaign

Conrad N Hilton Fund for Sisters 1st Source Bank Foundation Ms Monica Brickel Dr & Mrs Steve and Lisa Gerber Mr & Mrs Charles and Diane Gooding Mr & Mrs Rodney and Deborah Green Ms Paulette Harden Ms Irene Leahy Mr & Mrs Gaju and Jashu Patel Mr & Mrs Mark and Dawn Wobbe

Generator/HVAC Campaign Anonymous Robert P & Clara I Milton Charitable Trust Foundation

In Honor of Sister Gretchen Roger, Sally and Joel

Hamburg Mrs Gretchen Hunt Dr & Mrs Dick and Mary

Reineke

In Honor of Patrick Black Mr & Mrs Bernard and

Kathleen Black

In Honor of Tracie Foster Mr & Mrs Howard and Penny

Morgan

In Memory of Heather Aichele Merry Maids of South Bend Mr & Mrs Benedict and Gena Tiseo

In Memory of Shirley Ann Bella Mr Ron Bella

In Memory of James Dickey Mrs Geraldine Dickey

In Memory of David Guido Ms Deborah Commons Ms Mary Thallemer

In Memory of Carol McComas QServices/Metronet, Dan McComas

In Memory of Paul Trippel and Carl Trippel Mr & Mrs Charles and Julie Trippel

Mrs Phyllis Trippel

Chiara Home Christmas Candy Sale Delicious Merckens White & Milk Chocolate Suckers and Bars

ORDER NOW! Available November 1 through December 20

NAME: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

BUSINESS NAME: ________________________________ BUSINESS OWNER/MANAGER: ____________________________________

ADDRESS: ______________________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP: _______________________________________________

PHONE: ________________________________________ EMAIL: _______________________________________________________

PICK-UP DATE: __________________________________

Suckers & Bars $1.00 each MC WC MC=Milk Chocolate WC= White Chocolate Quantity Quantity

SNOW GLOBE: _______ N/A

SANTA: _______ N/A

SNOWMAN: _______ ______

REINDEER FACE: _______ N/A

WE APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS: _______ ______

CHRISTMAS GIFT BOX (Assorted): $15 EACH_ QTY: Includes: Large WC Snowman face,

large MC Santa chimney, large MC Reindeer face, large MC Merry Christmas bar, small Season’s Greetings bar,

Mint Green Tree, MC Tree and White & Milk Chocolate Swirled Tree.

Quantity

SUCKERS/BARS: _______ X $1 each = $_________

CHRISTMAS GIFT BOXES: _______ X $15 each = $_________

BASKET OF 50 SUCKERS: _______ X $50 each = $_________ (Suitable for selling at your business)

Make checks payable to: Chiara Home

Thank you for your purchase. The Chiara Home Christmas Candy Sale helps to support families

who wish to continue to care for their disabled loved one at home,

for as long as possible, but need respite from time to time.

1425 Clayton Drive, South Bend, Indiana 46614 (574) 287-5435 Sis@chiarahomerespite.org

Team Up for Chiara Home!

Trivia Night Join Rob Sparks of U93 for an evening of fun,

frivolity and finer points

10 rounds of questions on a variety of topics

8-member team with highest point total will win

Other games and prizes

Teams are encouraged to bring “tailgate” snacks

Wristbands will be available for beverages

Friday, November 7 Doors to open at 6:30 pm

Game begins promptly at 7:00 pm

Knights of Columbus Club 114 West 1st Street

Mishawaka

$120 per team/table Mulligans will be available

Pre-registration is required Only 34 tables!

Register online at www.chiarahomerespite.org

We prefer full-team registration. If you do not have a full team of 8 players, call 287-5435 and we will put you together with other players.

This is a fundraiser to support the mission of Chiara Home and to give caregivers respite regardless of their ability to pay for our service.

Trivia Night is our first fundraiser of the fiscal year. Annually, we seek to raise $64,000 through special events.

If you or your employer would be interested in being a major sponsor at one of our events, please call our devel-opment director at 574-287-5435.

Thank you to our sponsors:

When Chiara Home moved from West Jefferson in 2007, we knew that our guests would be comfortable with the existing amenities included at our current location.

With the accessible facilities and wide doorways in the one-story home, we no longer had to carry non-mobile

Coming Soon!

Open House planned for the Spring!

guests up and down the stairs. But one thing we missed was the

wide front porch at our old home. Many supporters have contributed

our dream of outside space suitable for our guests over the years. With a grant received from the Conrad Hilton Fund for Sisters, it is finally coming true!

Save-The-Date Looking for a holiday gift idea? Our ever-popular “It’s A Polish

Wedding” is planned for Saturday, February 7, 2015. We will skip the nuptials and enjoy a wedding recep-tion dinner and Polka dancing once again at Holy Family Parish Center, in South Bend.

The evening will feature honey-moon cash, wedding gifts drawn from the “hopper,” and raffle prizes*, including 4 One-Day Park Hopper passes to Walt Disney World!

Dinner, drinks, and dancing all included for only $40 per person.

If you or your employer would be interested in being a major sponsor at “It’s A Polish Wedding,” please call our development director at 574-287-5435.

A great way to honor your loved one at the Polish Wedding is to become a table sponsor. For a contribution of $125, we will place signage with a photo or message from you.

(*RAFFLE LICENSE 135686)

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U. S. POSTAGE

PAID SOUTH BEND, INDIANA

PERMIT NO. 281

1425 Clayton Drive

South Bend, IN 46614

Your Generosity Powers Our Mission Thanks to an anonymous grant and the support of many other

donors, the welcome mat at Chiara Home will not be affected by power outages!

Last month, McCormick Electric installed a power generator to ensure that when weather darkens the skies, guests who rely on electrically powered medical devices will not be in jeopardy.

In fact, our generator may prove helpful for our families when a power outage affects their homes. Because Chiara Home is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our medically-fragile guests will have a safe and secure option in situations which might previously have led to hospital care.

As we continue to make improvements to our facility, we will keep you informed of our progress.

Your continued faithful support empowers us!

We’ve Got (E)Mail – New, Updated Addresses With the support of Jeffrey Sparks, CEO of Cloud PC, Chiara Home is mak-

ing progress toward secure e-commerce. This includes new email addresses for our staff.

Co-founder and president Sister Gretchen Clark can be reached at sis@chiarahomerespite.org

If you’d like to make a gift to support Chiara Home, contact our Director of Development Beth Mengel at beth@chiarahomerespite.org

We have a general email box for inquiries: info@chiarahomerespite.org. Our website remains www.chiarahomerespite.org and you will find infor-

mation there on our programs, our events and links to other resources. We also wish to recognize the donations of computers and technical support

provided by Bob Duehlmeyer over the years. Thank you for bringing us into the World Wide Web!