Mother’s Day is a day to honor our mom. It’s a day to reflect on the sacrifices she gave and all she’s done for us. This Mother’s Day Take The Time To Help Moms- Women In Need (WIN) had a benefit dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. I was honored to be asked by SheSpeaks and super excited that I was going. Truthfully I was thinking I would get to dress up, go to a fancy dinner, and I’d probably do my part and donate something to show my support.

During the dinner, I heard stories and there was one specific story that changed my reasons for being there. By the end of the story I has tears streaming down my face (all glamor out the door) but not because I was sad. The tears were for this mom who had gone through so much and conquered life. She and her son were there and this was a woman who knew how to be a mom. She knew what she needed to do and Win helped her get there. At that moment I realized this was about so much more than just raising money…… these people are changing lives!

Win has become a leading, non-­‐profit agency that serves a combined total of 10,000 homeless women and their children in New York City each year. Win has sharpened its focus from offering shelter and support to homeless women and children to providing the comprehensive programs and services that enable homeless families to succeed in life.

IT BEGINS WITH A CLEAN, SAFE PLACE TO LIVE: WIN HAS OVER 1,000 UNITS OF HOUSING

• Nine family shelters in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn, with individual family units housing more than800 homeless families each night.
• Over 260 permanent supportive apartment units in Brooklyn and the Bronx offering continued counseling and other supportive services for mothers/families with special needs
• In total, Win houses over 3,400 people each night, including 2,000 children; 10,000 people each year
• With eight on-site daycare centers plus after-school educational and recreational programs, Win provides child care services for homeless children of all ages.
• Camp Win, an eight week specialized day camp, serves about 750 homeless children each summer and provides activities during school breaks– helping school age children maintain their educational focus while allowing moms to concentrate on rebuilding their lives.
• Win operates one licensed, outpatient substance abuse clinic for women,. Additionally clinic satellites provide assessments and treatment at three Win shelters
• Win has almost 375 full and part-time staff members, and a dedicated roster of 400 volunteers

 

Why Win Matters

• NYC has a total of 52,585 homeless people.
• 80% of NYC homeless are women and children
• In the past year, the number of homeless children increased by 8%, reaching an all-time high in January 2014 of 22,712.
• Win is among the largest non-profits serving homeless families, Win houses almost 10% of the homeless families in NYC.
• Every night, Win provides shelter and services for a combined total of 3,400 women and their children
• Win has nine family shelters in Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn, with individual family units housing more than 800 homeless families each night

How you can help as you celebrate Your Mom

This Mother’s Day, choose the gift of HOPE LOVE WIN for all of the special moms in your life. This unique beautiful Posey Ring Necklace at Lord and Taylor will also benefit the hundreds of moms currently living in Win shelters with their children. Or, you can sponsor a gift for a homeless mom that will make her Mother’s Day truly meaningful. It’s time for us moms to give back!

For more information on Win, visit these sites

Win website: http://winnyc.org
Donate for Mother’s Day: http://winnyc.org/mothers-day-2014/
Posey Ring Necklace at Lord & Taylor: http://bit.ly/poseywin
Follow on Twitter: @WINNYC_ORG

Help spread the word using hashtag #HopeLoveWin