Networking 'Brunch Bunch' and Non-Profit 'Lunch Bunch' Events

Our Marketing Pro, Robin, had a whammy of a Wednesday on January 29, 2020. Robin attended Brunch Bunch in the AM, and Lunch Bunch in the PM! In addition to working with Right at Home, Robin is the founder of Holy Diapers - a non-profit dedicated to helping those in need of diapers. 

First stop of the day: Brunch Bunch, hosted at Oak Park Village-Slidell. Residents of Oak Park Village and Home Health professionals come together at brunch to network, share stories, and build relationships. Light refreshments are provided for all those in attendance. This event is a fantastic opportunity to socialize and network - getting to know others in the Home Health field. 

Second stop: Robin attended the Lunch Bunch hosted by St. Luke Catholic Church, in Slidell. The Lunch Bunch is a quarterly meeting in which non-profit organizations come together to offer resources, and learn from guest speakers. January's guest speakers included: Adele Bruce-Smith, project coordinator for Safe Haven; and Sister Teresa Daly, advisor with "Stepping Stones". 

Safe Haven, is a project brought about by the action of many people in many capacities. Safe Haven will offer a Crisis Receiving Station where the mentally ill and addicted are diverted from the ER and can be assessed - adults only, no children. They have a 24-bed addiction and sobering center where clients can stay for up to 3 days. Once assessed they will be followed up on by Start Corporation for resources and case management. Clients can self-admit, get dropped off, contact the Police Office for transportation, or if outside city limits call the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, for transportation to the facility. A $5.3 Million grant was awarded to this project, through National Disaster Resiliency funding, facilitated through the LA SAFE initiative. They hope to open to the public in three weeks. 

Safe Haven is located at: 21490 Koop Drive, Mandeville, LA 70471 (across from Fontainebleau State Park). For more information on Safe Haven, visit: www.safehavenstp.org or www.facebook.com. 

For questions, or to obtain more information, Safe Haven may be reached via email: safehaven@stpgov.org. Additionally, Adele Bruce-Smith, can be reached at the Coroner’s office: 985-871-0210.

Next up: Sister Teresa Daly with Stepping Stones gave an update on their holistic case management program. Stepping Stones is a program offered by Family Promise of St. Tammany. The MISSION of Stepping Stones is to help stabilize individuals and families within their life circumstances by utilizing community resources and volunteerism to increase individual, family and community well-being. The client (Seeker) works with a pair of trained advisors (advocates), accessing resources, and developing skills to become stable. Stepping Stones has a number of advisors in specialty areas including: finance, employment, education, legal, health, housing, spiritual, and Veteran benefits.

"We're taking ordinary community folks with no experience in ministry or social services who are stable and know how to navigate life," Sue Rotolo, director of Good Samaritan Ministries, said. "We pair them with seekers, and together they create a plan for the client to make it on their own."

This is part of a collaborative effort with many partners, including Catholic Charities of New Orleans, Good Samaritan Ministry and St. Vincent de Paul of New Orleans.

For more information regarding Stepping Stones, contact Sister Daly at 314-608-2449. 

We had a wonderful time with our Brunch Bunch and Lunch Bunch friends. We look forward to our next meeting, and in the meantime - we will work to share our knowledge within our community.