Author Archives: Julia VanTine
Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2019
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
Several years ago, their eyes locked across the garden area where our clients relax. Kevin had arrived at the shelter first; Monica, a month later. It was love at first sight, and their feelings were definitely not encouraged. “You’re not supposed to date here,” Monica says. But they had so much in common, it was tough not to open up to each other. Both married and...
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Tagged:Spotlight, Client Success
Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2019
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
“We live here, we give here.”
—Serge Szortyka, President, Quaker Maid MeatsHow and when did Quaker Maid get involved with Opportunity House?We’ve been donors since 1995, when your organization was still The Reading Berks Emergency Shelter. We wanted to help a local nonprofit that provided emergency shelter to those in need, especially in the winter months.Twenty-four years...
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Tagged:Spotlight
Posted on Thursday, June 06, 2019
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
When did you start to volunteer at OppHouse?
I started to think about doing “something” in the community 6 or 7 years ago. Because I love to cook, and food is love to me, I really felt pulled to serve meals here. I finally stopped procrastinating and signed up for my first meals five years ago. I’ve cooked here monthly ever since.In the past year, you’ve served in so...
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Tagged:Volunteer
Posted on Monday, November 26, 2018
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
With her life in chaos, Tammica, a mother of three, didn’t know where to turn for help. But with your generous support, she’s built a stable home for herself and her children – and has rediscovered hope.
I was in a bad relationship, and it was 10 years of craziness. Some problems I brought on myself, but I didn’t want my kids to suffer for them. I did what was best...
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Tagged:Spotlight
Posted on Monday, November 26, 2018
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
When it comes to child care, too many Berks County families must choose between affordability and excellence. Because of your generosity, this family has both — and appreciates its emphasis on learning and fun! The teachers and aides who care for our children are like family. I know they’re in good hands when they’re here.
Our children are 12, 8, 4, and 2, and for us, the...
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Tagged:Spotlight
Posted on Monday, November 26, 2018
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
The world had seemingly given up on Scott, a Navy veteran. But with your help, Scott built a new life from scratch: a rewarding job, his own little place, and a meaningful, productive life. After a normal life and 20 years of full-time employment in warehouse work, I’d lost my job. It was only a matter of time before I was evicted from my place. So I made the trip from Hamburg to...
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Tagged:Spotlight
Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2018
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
Most mornings, Joe’s outside, scoping out the sidewalks and side streets around the shelter. The trash he finds—paper cups, snack-food wrappers, cigarette butts—goes into a black plastic bag. No one told him he had to. But he’s been doing it since April 2017, when a Shillington cop drove him and his sister Lisa here because you can’t live on a bench in the park. Trash detail...
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Tagged:Client Success
Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2018
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
This Stevens & Lee attorney joined our board last November, thanks to a colleague already active in a number of local charitable organizations. He knew Julie wanted to expand her community involvement. When Opportunity House board member Carol Miller called to ask him to recommend an attorney for a vacant board seat, he thought of Julie.
After touring the shelter, Learning Center, and...
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Tagged:Spotlight
Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2018
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
You can work hard and play by the rules, and homelessness happens anyway. Ask Richard. He worked his whole life and held a good city job until six years ago. At age 48, ill health and an injury turned his life upside down.
But there is good news. This gentle, humble man has found a home at our House, along with hope that he’ll...
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Tagged:Client Success
Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2017
By:
Julia VanTine
Categories:
Spotlights
The black
Chevy S-10 isn’t new, but it’s new to Marvin Sensenig, and it gets him where he
wants to go. During the week, that’s to work and back home, and on weekends, to
family outside the city. He bought the 1995 pickup just weeks ago, the day before his 50th
birthday. “It was my present to myself,” says the Navy veteran. The truck also is a symbol of...
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Tagged:Spotlight, Client Success
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