making a home for her children

Life Haven residents and families of the Child Care Program enjoyed a night of holiday cheer! Children enjoyed a magic show and a visit from Santa and his elf. Thank you Porcini International for cooking and serving the meal and shopping and wrapping gifts for the party! Thank you Subway employees for donating gifts for the women to enjoy!

l i f e h a v e n h e a d l i n e sI S S U E I N U M B E R 2 W i n t e r 2 0 1 3

Gia was living with her grandparents in New York with her two children, when she

decided she needed to make a change. While she liked having her grandparents as a

support system, the house was not big enough for her and her two children to live in.

Gia decided to move to Connecticut with her mother.

Gia’s children had a smooth transition after moving. Gia’s nine-year old son Ben was

happy at school and performing well. However, not long after, family relations became

tense between Gia and her mother, and Gia was forced to move out on her own. Gia’s

mother was happy to take care of Ben, but she needed to �nd a place for her and her

one-year old daughter. With no one else to turn to, Gia found help at Life Haven.

Life Haven provided Gia and her daughter a safe place to stay and the support system

she needed to become self-su�cient, beginning with completing an assessment of

programs that Gia and her family would qualify for. Gia enrolled in HUSKY and Women,

Infants and Children Program for supplemental food.

Now Gia was set with healthcare and food and wanted to turn focus to her daughter’s

needs. Life Haven sta� referred Gia to New Haven Home Recovery’s Healthy Start

Program. In the program, Gia was able to �nd a�ordable child care for her daughter.

Gia’s income was limited. While she had a part-time job, she struggled to save money

for housing. Sta� connected Gia to New Haven Home Recovery’s Housing First for

Families program (HFF). This program helped Gia through the process of �nding a safe

and a�ordable home for her family. When she found the right apartment, HFF helped

Gia with a security deposit and �rst month’s rent. Gia got the boost she needed to

become independent.

I N E M E R G E N C Y

400C H I L D R E N

SHELTERSI N O U R S T A T E

S P E N D T H E N I G H T

B U T Y O U R H E L P M A K E S

A L L T H E D I F F E R E N C E .

Homelessness a�ects women and

children in Connecticut in shocking

numbers. That’s why Life Haven, with

your support, o�ers temporary shelter

in a safe and nurturing environment

for homeless pregnant women and

women with young children. We

shelter 100 families annually,

including 250 children. We thank you

for your continued support and

commitment to our cause.

thank you to our volunteers

Spring Glen Church members volunteered

their time to paint at Life Haven. Thank you

for all your hard work!

Interested in volunteering? Send us an

email at volunteer@nhhr.org or call

203.492.4866 for more information.

C A R O L Y N C A R Y

M O T H E R T E R E S A

IFI WILLI W I L L N E V E R A C TI F I L O O K A T O N E

volunteer spotlightCarolyn Cary quickly jumped in to volunteering

at Life Haven to help with answering phones

and administrative functions. Carolyn wanted to

volunteer at an organization to learn about

issues homeless women are currently facing in

the community and thought Life Haven was a

good place to start. She is now assisting the

organization with a volunteer handbook, using her

knowledge in her role as a volunteer.

Carolyn enjoys volunteering, but also has a passion for travelling. She served in the

Peace Corp and travelled extensively throughout the Middle East. Since then, Carolyn

and her husband have traveled the world including, New Zealand, Europe, Galapagos

Islands, Tanzania, and throughout the United States.

Carolyn’s dedication is important to the mission of Life Haven.

I L O O K AT T H E M A S S

For more than 10 years, Lois Fucci has been

volunteering at Life Haven. After the passing of her

mother, Lois was in search of a place to donate her

mother’s household linens and clothing and came

across Life Haven. Lois was impressed by the services

the agency was o�ering, including cooking lessons

and the child care program she asked about

volunteering and the rest is history!

Lois was an adjunct instructor at Gateway

Community College for over 20 years. After she retired, Lois realized she could not stay

away from the classroom and returned to Gateway Community College to teach reading,

writing, and mathematics in their Comprehensive Academic Studies program. Lois has

many other interests, including reading, theater, movies, and spending time with her

grand-nephew. She also served in the Peace Corps, spending 2 ½ years in the

Philippines.

Life Haven is happy to have Lois as part of the family and appreciates the countless hours

she has volunteered at the agency.

volunteer spotlightL O I S F U C C I

SAVE THE DATE

Summer on the SoundThursday, August 1, 2013

Owenego Inn, Branford

s t a y c o n n e c t e d

sta� spotlight

l i f e h a v e n h e a d l i n e s

A SPECIAL THANK YOU!

Thank you to Elsa and volunteers of Iglesia Unida El Calvario who

prepared a holiday lunch for the residents at the shelter.

Stay connected with Life Haven by liking Life

Haven on Facebook or visiting our website

www.lifehaven.org.

e v e n t sElsa Baez and Fred Nobles work together to ensure Life Haven

maintains a clean and safe environment for the women and children.

Elsa and Fred are responsible for the daily maintenance of the

building and can �x anything from a broken light bulb to an

over�owing sink.

Elsa has been with Life Haven for more than 20 years. She describes

Life Haven as more than just a place to

work, but as a family. Outside of work

Elsa is very active in her church

community and is also a pastor. Near the

holiday season, Elsa and members of her

congregation cooked and served a meal

for the residents at Life Haven.

Fred joined the team in 2011. When Fred

is not working hard at Life Haven he �nds time to relax by playing the

saxophone. Fred and his band played for all sta� at the annual

holiday party and really worked the room.

Elsa and Fred have both spoke about how

much they enjoy their work. They enjoy

getting to know the residents and Life

Haven and making in a di�erence in their

lives. Elsa and Fred make a great team and

are important to ful�lling the mission of

Life Haven.

Thank you to Porcini International for cooking dinner for the event (Pictured Above).

Joseph Patton led the group in Christmas Carols to spread the holiday cheer (Pictured Left).

2 0 1 2 C H R I S T M A S P A R T Y

John Courtmanche and Marty O’Connor are passionate about the mission of Life

Haven and give as much time as they can to the organization. In 2012, John &

Marty as members of the Life Haven Fund Development Committee wanted to

revive the Christmas Party which had been an annual tradition but did not happen

in 2011. Together they secured sponsorships, food donations from Porcini

International and wine and beer donations from DiChello Distributors. Thanks to

their hard work as co-chairs of the event almost $6000 was raised to bene�t Life

Haven. We are very fortunate to have John & Marty as Life Haven volunteers.

Richard & Donna DubeCarol DyniaJonathan EinhornPeter & Carol EvansBrian & Katie FischerValerie ForemanCynthia GibbonsMary GinsbergJohn & Joann GiriBob & Mary GrandeArthur HaddenLaw O�ce of Mary-Ann HaranHolly HawkinsBarbara Ho�manMaryrose Ho�manJB Sports, LLCKennedy, Johnson, D’Elia & GilloolyLaw O�ce of Jack KeyesFrederick and Kim Leaf

John TirozziNancy WallaceFelicia WatsonAngela & James WestwoodJohn Artis YoppLorraine Young & Bill GallagherScott & Linda Zimmerman

t h a n k y o uNorman & Patricia BenderDr. Harold & Maureen BornsteinMaureen BurnsCora CarboniCarchia Law O�cesDonald Celotto Jr.Joseph & Carol ChiapponeElieen Colihan & John GrilloDr. Leo & Kathleen CooneyJohn & Betse CourtmancheDichello DistributorsPeter CurleyBrian & Ellen De BowesJohn & Kathy DeStefanoMichael DonahueE. Ann DonneryJohn DonneryWilliam & Diane DowJohn & Audrey Downey

c/o NHHR153 East StreetNew Haven, CT 06511

NONPROFIT ORG

U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit #1119

New Haven, CTF O R S U P P O R T I N G T H E 2 0 1 2 C H R I S T M A S P A R T Y

Martin & Ellen LooneyJoan LowndsVito & Anna MazzaRichard Melbourne & Even MillerLaw O�ces of Mongillo & InslerNicholas NeeleyBarbara NelsonMartin O’Connor & Mary O’LearyGrace PascaleJoseph & June PattonJames & Eileen PerilloAugustine Peverada & Susan KennedyPorcini InternationalNicholas PrencipeLeslie RascatiSabina Dolan Gladys Saulsbury Foundation Arthur & Margaret Sanders

Life Haven, a not for pro�t organization, is an a�liate of New Haven Home Recovery, Inc. Life Haven provides emergency shelter and child care services to women with children and pregnant women.

Thank you University of New Haven students for volunteering at the Christmas Party.

If your name is misspelled or inadvertently omitted, please email Kristen at kmckay@nhhr.org.