Joe’s House continues expansion
Thanks to our intern, Clark Welch, Joe’s House expanded its listing of places to stay to another six cities this summer. We now have listings for Little Rock, AR, Charleston, SC, Kansas City, KS, Zion, IL and Tulsa, OK. Clark also supplemented our listings in the cities of Durham, NC and Philadelphia, PA with additional places to stay.
Our count of places to stay for cancer patients, their families, and caregivers is now just shy of 1000! We have directories of lodging options in 42 states and 71 cities. See www.joeshouse.org, and thanks Clark!
Partnerships
Joe’s House is thrilled to now be a resource for the American Cancer Society®. The national call center agents, who speak to thousands of patients each month, now refer those needing lodging to Joe’s House. Our nationwide list of places to stay is the resource of choice for such calls from across the country.
The affiliation started this summer and we’ve already received hundreds of referrals. We’ll be working on ways to work together with the American Cancer Society® in other ways in the future.
Fundraising
Macy’s Shop For a Cause Day – This year Joe’s House is again participating in Macy’s Shop For a Cause Day – October 13th. Mark your calendars for a day of savings and helping Joe’s House. Joe’s House is selling shopping passes for $5 for the Shop for A Cause Day. By purchasing a shopping pass, you’ll support Joe’s House and enjoy a day of great discounts. The shopping pass includes 20% off regular, sale and clearance apparel and accessories, jewelry, bed and bath items, house wares, frames, china, some luggage, kitchen and personal care electronics. There are some exceptions to some name brand items that are listed on the back of the pass. Participants may also enter a chance to win a $500 gift card.
Let us know how many passes you would like! They are only $5 and make a nice thank-you gift for assistants, friends, employees, and colleagues. Please hurry: October 13th is not that far away.
More Shopping Opportunities to Help Joe’s House
What if every time you shopped online a percentage of the sale went to your favorite nonprofit?
You can shop your favorite stores online and help Joe’s House at the same time with GoodShop. More than 100 great stores, including (but not limited to) Target, Amazon.com, The Gap, Best Buy, iTunes, PetSmart, Staples and Wal-Mart, have teamed up with GoodShop.
The next time you're looking for a new book, computer, DVD, pair of shoes or clothing, go to GoodShop first. Here’s all you need to do. No username or password is required. Go to www.goodshop.com, enter Joe’s House into the line to designate the charity, and click Verify. Then click on the store's logo from the GoodShop site and then shop as you normally would.
What could be simpler?
Annual Drive
Joe’s House annual donation drive will start next month. Did you know that Joe’s House is almost exclusively funded by generous donors – such as you? Every year we ask for donations to help us build and maintain our lists of places to stay, and you’ve come through. That is why we have been able to grow as rapidly as we have, and serve thousands of patients and their families.
We still need your help and the donation drive letters will be coming in the mail soon. Thanks so much for your help in the past. We couldn’t do it without you – literally!
New Voice on the Phone
Welcome to Shara Gray, our new voice on the other end of the toll-free line. Shara comes to us by way of Clara, our previous agent – who has gone on to another assignment at one of our partners, Angel Flight America Mid Atlantic/ Mercy Medical (Thanks, and good luck, Clara!). Both young women have husbands in the Navy – which is how they met – and enjoy their work, helping others.
Since May, Shara has fielded hundreds of calls for us. When we asked her about one of her most memorable calls, she indicated, “It was from a lady who really needed a place to stay. It wasn't even something that we could help her with, because she needed a new permanent home, but I was able to talk with her, encourage her, and most of all listen to her when most people didn't have the time for her.”
We are very happy to have Shara on our team!
Lodging Facility Renewal Project
As a nation-wide reference for patients, Joe's House (www.joeshouse.org) must ensure that our lists of places to stay are current, accurate and timely we go out to each facility to receive their rates, and other information.
Hotels change their rates every year, so every year Joe’s House works with our partner facilities to get their information for the coming year. With close to 1000 places to stay, this is an enormous job.
We’ll start this fall and finish up in January. If you are a participating lodging facility, Joe’s House will be contacting you soon, but feel free to send us your 2008 information. Contact us at info@joeshouse.org.