Hermeyne G. came to Maria Shelter filled with anxiety, fear and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. She had a teenage daughter and an eight year old in tow. She and her girls had endured months of moving from place to place. Living with relatives and friends had not brought them any closer to having stable affordable housing and their transient life style was beginning to take a serious toll on their physical, mental and emotional stability. They needed what is most basic to us all, a place to call home.

Because Hermeyne was not employed at the time neither she nor her children appeared very optimistic about their futures. Hermeyne earlier on had enrolled

in a vocational program for medical billing and coding but because she had no stability with housing she was at risk of giving up on the program and dropping out.

Working with the staff at Maria, Hermeyne was able to develop a viable plan of action that included resources for safe dependable afterschool care for her youngest daughter, transportation to and from classes for herself and older daughter, emotional anchoring for the children along with putting in applications for various housing programs. Maria was able to provide the immediate stabilization that the family needed. Together we were able to sort things out, identify and put in place the concrete resources and services

that the family would need in order to move their lives forward. It was at this point that things began to turn around.

Hermeyne graduated from the medical billing and coding program in September 2007. She was able to stay the course which served as a great role model and source of pride for her children; however, the best accomplishment was yet to come. On November 16, 2007 Hermeyne and her daughters moved into their own two bedroom supported living apartment and she will take the state test for her certification in the early part of the new year. Hermeyne reports that she is living a dream come true.

On December 9, 2007 the voices of the women, children and seniors at IWT were featured at a special holiday concert at the Vincennes Senior Center. Harmony, Hope and Healing (HHH) is a creative music program offering dignity and spiritual healing to the homeless and underserved in the Chicago area.

For six years now, HHH has worked faithfully with the residents of Maria Shelter and the participants from the Vincennes Senior Center. We offer individual lessons, group activities and choir rehearsal at both sites. We use the healing power of music and song in the lives of our individuals and f amilies to help them recover from the adverse effects of poverty, homelessness and aging.

Sometimes people talk about today's youth as selfish and uncaring . But we at IWT have wonderful experiences with many youth groups.

• Whittier School in Wheaton conducted a "baby goods drive" collecting diapers, sleepers, baby bottles, Target gift certificates and the like. This was part of a special school project called "Make a Difference Day." The children spent several weeks focusing on hunger and homelessness and culminated their efforts with the collection for Maria Shelter.
• Mrs. Weber's Girl Scout Troop from Kenilworth donated bedspreads, rugs, and towels for the residents' rooms. IWT's Development Director spoke to the enthusiastic group of teenagers, who also viewed our DVD, and demonstrated compassion, concern and understanding of women's issues leading to homelessness.

• Lemont Girl Scout Service Unit 24 donated blankets and household items.
• A special thank you to Ms. Ali Tucker of Artistic Entertaining and her charitable trust, The Hope Chest, for hosting a mother/daughter tea and providing us with the proceeds.
• The Burke Family and Mrs. Jones from St. John's Lutheran School in LaGrange hosted a birthday party for children at the shelter. On Katie Burke's birthday, her friends brought presents and food for the children at Maria. One of the young students from St. John’s approached a staff member and handed her all the money in his pocket, saying he wished he had more to give. What a wonderful act of generosity! Thank you all!

What is a day like for seniors at the Vincennes Senior Center? There is no typical day, but they are all jam packed with exciting activities that demonstrate age is only a number.

Here are a few of the activities that kept the seniors busy this past year:

1. Art and Music Therapy
   Seniors participated in choir, music lessons and started a bell choir. In art, seniors made dolls, sewed quilts, painted and used other mediums of interest.
2. Trips to Iowa and Michigan
3. Weekly Pamper Days (free manicures!)
4. Attended the Mayor's Picnic and Senior Conference
5. Speakers on health, assistance programs, etc. Information from the speakers helped the seniors enroll in weatherization and other energy programs as well as navigating the complex issues of Medicare and drug enrollment programs.
6. Holiday Fundraising Bazaar
7. Special Dinners and Parties

And, the seniors even attended a taping of the popular Judge Mathes television program!

Rita Ford was a mother, wife, a special education teacher, and Secretary of the board of Institute of Women Today, a voice for children and an advocate for women. That voice was silenced on September 9, 2007, when Rita lost her valiant fight with cancer.

Rita received her bachelor's degree from DePaul University in 1976, and began a 29 year career with the Chicago Public Schools. She was a special education teacher at several Chicago schools and had worked for the last seven years at Hampton Elementary where she was the special education case manager, overseeing all special education programs and handling meetings among pupils, their parents and staff. In 1998, Rita received her Master's Degree from St. Xavier University, where she served as vice president of the Alumni Association and often gave the alumni

address at commencement and at the annual Induction and Medallion ceremony. Rita also served as the chair for both the Education and Membership Committees during her years on the Alumni Association.

Born Rita Ann Howard, Mrs. Ford was raised on the South Side and graduated from Longwood Academy. She met her husband, John, while he was working as a lifeguard and she was a summer counselor at Tuley Park. They were married in 1977. In addition to John, Rita is survived by two children, Jorie, a graduate of Purdue University, and John, a senior at Mr. Carmel High School.

Rita was dedicated to IWT and worked tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. She was a problem solver with a vision, and she knew that each of us can make a difference.