Past Board Chair Susan Escher discusses the accomplishments of Sheffield Place

What makes an agency effective? The ability to prioritize the right things to do at the right time, while not losing sight of the overall goal.  

Susan Escher (right) with husband, Mitch, at the 
dedication of the SEVI House. 

Through my years working as a volunteer at Sheffield and as the Board Chairperson, I have seen the organization adapt to the needs of the community while working to make a positive impact in the lives of the women and children we serve.  That included setting up a “classroom” during COVID to accommodate student learning. It has been in the addition of the SEVI building to expand the number of families that can be served.  Also, it is the ongoing strengthening of the after-care program to continue to support our families long after they leave our facility.  

Susan Escher (left) speaking at the SEVI House dedication
with CEO/President Kelly Welch (right) and client Hope (center). 

In addition, every day we help mothers improve their parenting and coping skills, work with them on budget and work skills and help the kids have areas for creativity and learning in a safe environment.  So many come from tragic, trauma-filled circumstances with little hope for the future.  

Martin Luther King Jr said, “out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”.  
Sheffield is a stepping stone of hope for so many families.  As we look to the future, Sheffield will continue to reassess how we can be effective – whether that is expanding services or improving our facilities.  

I am honored to work with the excellent staff, volunteers and Sheffield families to improve the quality of life in our community and encourage everyone to get involved.

2023 Board Chair Kyle Siner Discusses the Reasons for His Involvement at Sheffield Place

 

Tiffany Siner and daughters deliver backpacks

My wife, Tiffany and I, were introduced to Sheffield Place well over a decade ago by some very dear friends of ours who invited us to Sheffield Place’s gala fundraiser event – Off The Wall at Drexel Hall.  We thought “Great - a fun night out with friends while supporting a good cause!”  At the event we got a glimpse into the work that the team at Sheffield Place does and met several of the great staff that have dedicated their efforts full time in support of Sheffield Place’s mission.  Ever since then, we’ve only become more inspired to support Sheffield Place in its mission of empowering mothers to recover from trauma and become self-sufficient.

I was honored to be chosen as a member of the board of directors nearly six years ago, and this year I’m truly humbled to have been asked to serve as the board chair.  Tiffany and I and our three daughters have been involved with Sheffield Place in many ways continuously since we were first introduced to the organization.  The organization’s approach to helping women who have decided that they want to support themselves and their children by holding them accountable but supporting them in any way necessary resonates with our family. 

Kyle (2nd from L) and colleagues assemble bunk beds

It has been amazing to see the growth of Sheffield Place over the years.  At that first Off the Wall event, Sheffield Place announced its acquisition of its first house that could be used to provide housing to a woman and her children after she had demonstrated initial success at the main facility.  Today, Sheffield Place has 10 separate offsite housing units and a couple of years ago it acquired and rehabbed a building a couple of blocks away from the main facility that added seven additional living units.  This has enabled Sheffield Place to help more families each year. 

I believe that the continued growth that Sheffield Place has been able to make in our community is directly attributable to the hard, humble work that the staff at Sheffield Place does every day.  It is not glamorous, and I understand that it is often very frustrating for everyone involved when some clients don’t succeed at Sheffield Place, but each time I hear the traumatic stories that these mothers have endured in their lives and their willingness to do what it takes for themselves and their kids to stand on their own, it makes me want to help in any way that I can.

I invite you to come visit Sheffield Place and get to know the long-term beneficial work that they are doing to help some very disadvantaged families become sufficient and contributing members to our community.

Hi, my name is Maureen Purcell. I am a current Board member for Sheffield Place. This organization is very near and dear to my heart. I once was close to being homeless with two little children and through the help of many hands, I was able to complete schooling and gain work that could support my family. I learned in those times how difficult it is to pull out of poverty all on my own.

Sheffield Place’s mission is to lead homeless women with children toward self-sufficiency. It provides a safe environment for them as the family gets to a place where they can live a much better life than they had.  I have been a donor since 2006 so that I could be one pair of silent hands by funding the care the women and children receive at Sheffield Place. It also is a way I can give back to the community that helped to stand me up so many years ago.

We are coming upon the holiday season which is a great time to open our hearts to the grateful lives we lead
and a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the lives not just of the mothers but also their children. It is a gift that can have a lasting effect for generations if the cycle that brought the family to Sheffield Place is broken. Please consider making this one of your charitable organizations for giving.

Thanks for reading my story - hope the rest of this year as well as the upcoming one is full of grace and blessings for you and your own family.

 

A Client’s Story as delivered at Off the Wall, October 8, 2022

 My parents were both addicts.  My dad used cocaine and my mother used weed. I started using cocaine, weed, and liquor at 15.  I was prescribed pain pills for cramps – the opioids that we hear so much about.  I became addicted and eventually began using heroin.

 I became involved in an abusive relationship, had my son, and eventually went to prison for nine months on assault charges.  Except for the time in prison, I always had my son with me.

 Once I was released from prison, I was not ready to be clean. Eventually my abusive partner went to prison. I was about to lose my left arm to infection and at 31 years old I had been high nearly half of my life.  I was tired of that life and wanted to change. I found my way to Sheffield Place with my 9 year old son.  I would like to be able to say that I loved it from the start, but that wouldn’t be true.  So many times, I wanted to walk out.  I was a mess for the first 9 months.  I went cold turkey off of all drugs and narcotic medications.

All along the way, the staff cared about my success.  My case manager, Regina, rode me hard because she knew I could succeed.  And I did. I stayed at Sheffield Place for 11 months and then moved into a Sheffield Place house where my son and I have lived for 2 years. 

I am proud of my successes.  I’m off parole.  I’ve had my job for two years.  I’m three-fifths of the way to obtaining my GED, and my son is involved with school activities.  I have learned that I can take care of myself, make my own decisions, and pay my own bills.  I’m taking steps to buy my own home including improving my credit score.  

But it hasn’t been easy.  I’ve had to process my feelings of guilt for what I put my son through.  I thought I was only hurting myself, but I realize I was hurting him too.  At Sheffield Place he opened up and told me that he was always scared that he would find me dead.

I am still trying to find my way and probably always will be.  When you are trying to create a life for yourself and your son – one of safety and stability – it’s hard when you’ve never seen what that looks like.

I took a wrong turn this summer and relapsed for six weeks.  I could blame it on a bad relationship or on a death in my family, but I have to accept responsibility.  I had stopped taking my mental health meds. I isolated myself. I felt lonely.  I put my job and my family’s security at risk. 

At one point during my relapse, I was in a drug house.  I remember sitting there high with other people who were also struggling. They were high, in pain, and had lost their children to the state. I remember looking around and thinking to myself what am I doing here? I deserved better than this. I had never thought like that before, not in this situation. That I deserved better. 

I reached out to my counselors at Sheffield Place to let them know what happened. I knew that I had to be honest in my recovery.  I didn’t want to get away with using.  That would only leave the door open for me to consider getting away with it again – another path to another relapse.  That’s how an addict’s mind works.

Since then, I have worked on building my support system. I realized my coworkers, that have been in my life for the last two years, are huge supports. I have gone back to NA meetings and am finding a church. I have dreams for my future and my son’s future that include finishing my GED, going to community college, becoming a cosmetologist, and opening my own business.

Thank you for listening and for supporting the work of Sheffield Place.  It saved my life.      

 

 

Board Member Chris Bradley Reflects on the Opportunity to Serve

I am pretty fortunate to have gotten to know some very good people that introduced me to Sheffield Place a couple of years ago which turned into an opportunity to serve on the board.  Being relatively new I gravitated towards an area of comfort and am on the Facilities Committee.  Working in the construction industry allows me to offer my best talents.  I’ve seen such tremendous growth in the living spaces with the remodel of the main facility on 12^th Street, renovation of single-family residences and the new complex on Newton Ave.  And now there is potential for even further expansion across the street.  It’s been, and will continue to be, an exciting time and a great opportunity to serve.

Obviously all this is done for the real purpose of Sheffield Place and that is to give the women and families an opportunity to get back on their own.  This is such a unique opportunity because of the openness with which they can start and still allow them to have family members with them.  I remember the first time I visited and went in the basement and saw all the little kids and how so many of them were immediately accepting.  To know that they could be able to stay with their mom was such a great feeling.  These women are already going through so much I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be not having your children with you or having limited ability to interact with them. 

I am truly thankful my family and my Excel Constructors family can be a part of such a great organization.  Hats off to a tremendously talented and hardworking staff.  We all know not everyone that enters the program is successful but just think about how much better the world is for those that are!

 

 

Board Member Kenny Yeung Describes His Involvement with Sheffield Place

I was first introduced to Sheffield Place by a friend who was on the Board at the time. I attended a luncheon, house tours, and fundraisers (golf tournament and Off The Wall), which provided me opportunities to witness the impact of Sheffield Place.  

Each event had testimonies from clients of Sheffield and all their stories had a common thread: They were stories of resilience, redemption and new beginnings! Sheffield Place provided these ladies and their families a space – both literally and figuratively – to reflect, heal, and holistically support their desire to turnaround their lives, and consequently, that of their children/families. My personal life, though not as traumatic as these ladies, is a story of redemption.  We all have a redemptive story to varying degrees, so I was sold – and who wouldn’t be?! 

I decided to join Sheffield and support its mission both with my talents and finances.  Each time I have had the opportunity to attend events (or even Board meetings), it reinforces why I joined three-plus years ago: (1) it’s an opportunity to serve and give-back out of personal gratitude, (2) impact and love on my “neighbors” and share in their sorrows, joys and success; and (3) set an example for my children and open our eyes to our neighbors’ struggles while instilling the values of service and giving back to the community. Well, selfish as it sounds, I get way more out of Sheffield Place than what I’ve put in!

I invite you to come and check out Sheffield Place like I did – but, I’ll warn you: You’ll get attached and want to get involved!  

 Join us…and an early “welcome” to Sheffield Place!

 

Board Member/Golf Chair Bryan Peterson Reflects on Why He Supports Sheffield Place

 

Bryan Peterson (left) with his team at the 12th Annual Sheffield Place Golf Tournament

Sheffield Place is an organization my family and I have supported for years.  My passion and commitment to the organization have only grown over time as I continuously see the love and dedication coming from the organizations leaders, the direct impact the mission has made on lives of women and children, and the high success rate. 

The women that enter Sheffield Place want to succeed.  The mission is to support them in their effort to gain health and happiness for themselves, become more effective mothers to their children and become positive contributing members of society.  When a woman makes the choice to enter Sheffield Places program, they are looking to get healthy so they can succeed.  They have found the personal drive to work towards meeting their goals.  The Sheffield team is able to offer them the support they need.  Every time I have the opportunity to visit Sheffield Place, it reinforces my commitment to continue to help the women and children who are ready for that step.  The smiling faces of the children are all I need to show me the love and safety they feel at Sheffield Place. 

My family has found multiple ways to get involved with Sheffield Place including back-to-school functions, organizing essential needs drives, barbeques, serving on the board, and donating gifts at Christmas for the women and children.  We are consistently able to see our financial and time donations working.  The success stories from the graduates of the program make it all worth the work.  I encourage you to get involved with Sheffield Place.  With this organization, you will see your hard work and dedication directly impacting the lives of those that need support in our community. 

Bryan Peterson