email: randlinhomes@charter.net
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Randlin Homes Media Coverage |
Randlin Homes is grateful for the
press coverage we have received since our beginning.
With the help and
support of local media coverage, Randlin Home's uphill struggle has
been made a little easier.
We are very grateful for their help and support.
Local non-profit to host online auctionPosted: Dec 09, 2009 6:07 PM CST
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When it Seems There is No Hope, Give Thanks and Trust God
A recent Channel 9 newscast asked the question “Will Randlin Homes have to close it's doors to the many homeless veterans and others in our community?” For those who don't know the foundation in which Randlin Homes has been built, it is a legitimate question.
In the world's eyes, it doesn't seem possible that in the midst of our waning economy when even Salvation Army Thrift Store had to close, that an organization that is almost completely operated by it's previously homeless residents would thrive. The Reintegration Assistance Program that is providing education and training through the HOPE Thrift Store and Training Center is the springboard from which the business enterprises are developing and it's doing pretty well at paying the bills for the majority of the 30+ residents that reside at the 4 transition homes. How can this be? What's the catch? We call it “A God Thing.”
You see Randlin Homes is a “faith based” organization. Faith is defined as the “substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1. In the nuts and bolts of our reality what that means is that no matter what happens, God has a plan bigger than our finite minds. Bigger than the seemingly obvious deficit at the end of the month and bigger than our enemies who appear to be trying to destroy us. He is even bigger than our own faults and failures and He never gives up on us despite our momentary relapses in both faith and for some of our most damaged people, their sanity and sobriety.
What we know for sure is that there is no human explanation for how Randlin Homes has pulled off the things that have happened in 2009 without the grace of God working through his people including all of you in the community who have given so generously.
We started the year with the purchase of the HOPE Thrift Store at 1006 N. 6th Street in February. Crossroad's Mental Health Services made it possible for us to begin the purchase of Randlin's Crossroads 20 bed home at 529 McClellan Street in May with the help of grants from BA Esther Greenheck foundation and the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin.
We became the proud owner's/operators of two vans donated by Crossroads Mental Health Services and one from Hadley's Office Supply and a car and a pick up donated by other community members. We grew in our snow removal and lawn care business enterprises to include nearly 100 accounts. We sold brats to people from all over the U.S. and received $100 for one of those brats from a local supporter.
In July we opened our first three homeless veteran family apartments located in the two homes that we hope to own in a couple of years right next to Randlin's Crossroads.
By fall we were so overloaded with donations at the Thrift Store that we needed to get a warehouse that we are planning to open permanently at 8th Avenue and Sherman Street in Wausau.
Is this craziness to grow this fast with no capital in hand...or is this faith? Is this poor planning...or is it HOPE? Is it sheer will power and determination, or is it God?
Though we will be canceling our first annual fundraising dinner due to NO ticket sales, we are pressing on with our after THANKSGIVING sales at the HOPE Thrift Store that will offer the community tons of great holiday gifts. We are also excited about the Z104 Pigathon fundraiser they are doing for us and online auction on December 10th that will feature the many silent auction dondations from many community members giving gold outings, getaways, goods and services.
We adopted the belief that was repeated over and over again in The Field of Dreams that, “If you build it they will come". We heard the voice telling us to do it even if you can't afford it. Do it even if it seems impossible. Do it even if no one believes in you. Do it even if you aren't quite ready because they, the homeless veterans and others needing a fresh start in life need you NOW, not when you are comfortable in this new venture.
Now, at a Crossroad's, we trust that you, the people who are concerned about our homeless, who want to intervene in the destruction of those with mental illness and substance abuse problems, and those who would like to see alternatives to incarceration through having these people serve the community instead of take from it, will join us and God, in doing your part in this test of faith and hope.
Let's give them, especially our homeless veterans who sacrificed to us, and the non-veterans who are now helping them a hand up, now a hand out. They want another chance to do it right this time. Let's take advantage of this Holiday Season to let them know that we too, see their field of dreams and are willing to help build it, with God's help.
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/
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Portraits of the homeless Link to story: Click Here |
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Reported by Wausau Family on Ireport.com iReport.com is a user-generated site.
While attending this years “Artrageous” festival, in Wausau, Wisconsin, my wife and I visited with artist David Anthony Hummer. We learned that his work has been in over 11 exhibitions, as well as 12 Selected Corporate Collections. Some of his private collections have found homes across the globe.
This story is not about his artistic talents, it’s about how he has helped make the world a better place. According to David “In 1989, while he was in Manhattan on a business trip with a fellow gallery owner he realized his work was about to take a different direction. He had just exited a building where they were showing Hockney’s latest work. A gallery where one with means could purchase a work of art priced in the millions. It was then that he noticed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk with a sign on his lap asking for help. This extreme contrast of wealth and poverty came as a shock.
A few years later his work transformed into realist portraits of homeless people in an attempt to create an awareness of an ever-increasing problem in the US. He abandoned his gallery business and would spend the next 15 years producing these portraits and working with homeless shelters and nonprofit organizations”.
David has returned to the city of his roots and now is helping a local program named The Randlin Homes. Its program helps homeless Vets get back on their feet. He has recently donated 7 portraits from his homeless collection to offer as a benefit to Randlin Homes. The Midwest Biennial has a cash donation box in the gallery as well as a collection bin for canned and dry goods. His future plans involve projects that will highlight hope.
The city of Wausau is fortunate to have David return to the community. His actions are an example of an artist using his talent to help improve lives. Its not fame and fortune that drives him. Its simply the desire to do what his heart is inspiring him to do. It’s people like David that show us there is a lot of good taking place, especially during a time when our world needs it the most. People working together, sharing what they have, will get us through these challenging times. After my wife and I met David (and his mother) we were very impressed. A humble man who is using his brush for a better tomorrow.
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Homelessness in focus: Wausau artist's work examines humanity, social problem
By Keith Uhlig • For the Wausau Daily Herald • August 28, 2009 David Anthony Hummer was an emerging artist and an art gallery owner in Milwaukee when he took a business trip to New York City. That was in 1989, and he was being shown around by a fellow Milwaukee art gallery owner. The two visited an upscale New York gallery, the kind that features high-end pieces by such artists as David Hockney. As the pair walked out of the gallery, Hummer's eyes fell upon a guy sleeping on the sidewalk. A cardboard sign in his hand said he was homeless and needed money. "He looked like a clay sculpture," Hummer recalls. "It was devastating to me." From then on, homelessness became a recurring theme in his art. He specializes in portraits of homeless people, and he employs a hyper-realistic style that evokes both humanity and hopelessness in his subjects. Through the years, the Wausau man used his art to both raise awareness about homelessness and to raise money for organizations battling the social problem. He acts as his own agent, and whenever a piece sold, half the proceeds went to the cause. It's no small amount; he says his work has sold for prices ranging from $5,000 to $100,000. Now, after going through various chapters of life, he has linked up with Randlin Homes, a Wausau nonprofit organization that cares for homeless veterans. Starting next week, he will direct the "Midwest Biennial," a juried fine art exhibit featuring works of diverse artists from across the region. The show won't include his work -- he views that as a conflict of interest -- but he's hoping it will catch on and become a part of the Wausau art landscape. He also is working with Randlin to use art (his and others') to raise money for a shelter that will help homeless vets get back on their feet. Hummer's new work will have a different look. He will create portraits of people who have overcome homelessness. Instead of hopelessness, the work will focus on hope. It's no coincidence that it's coming now, as Hummer is re-establishing himself in Wausau at age 46. And it's no coincidence that it's coming at a time when hope and the future are playing large roles in his own life. He was 11 years old when his father died in Milwaukee. His mother moved to Wausau after his father's death with Hummer and his five siblings. Hummer attended John Muir Middle School and graduated from Wausau West High School in 1981. But he never felt comfortable in Wausau, and after a year at the University of Wisconsin Marathon County, he headed back to Milwaukee. He graduated from UW-Milwaukee, and for years owned two art galleries there. He took a break from art and moved to Chicago, where he renovated and sold Wrigleyville homes. After that, he moved to Las Vegas, where he worked in real estate, but he also resurrected his art career as well. Vegas was interesting, he said, but it ultimately wasn't a satisfying place for him to stay. Moving back to Wausau, in part to be close to family, has meant a new start for him. This time around, it feels like home, and it has given him new energy and contentment. It'll be a case of art reflecting life. "I want to be uplifting," Hummer said. "I feel like my life is just starting." Keith Uhlig is a writer for the Wausau Daily Herald. He can be reached at 845-0651 or kuhlig@wdhprint.com.
If You Go What: "Midwest Biennial," a monthlong juried fine art exhibition organized by David Anthony Hummer When: Sept. 4 to 25. A reception for the artists will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 12 Where: 622 N. Third St., Wausau (formerly Lapaul Furs) Cost: Donations of canned and dry goods will be collected for Randlin Homes. A cash donation box also will be set up in the gallery.
Contact: midwestbiennial.org |
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Helping The Homeless WAUSAU(WAOW)--For many people, homelessness seems like a big city problem. But that's not the case. Kelly Benz of Wausau knows it all too well. He says he spent a week living out of a tent at Marathon Park in Wausau. Then a friend told him about Randlin Homes, a faith-based not for profit shelter in Wausau. He has been staying there for the past 7 weeks.
Randlin Homes can provide shelter for up to 47 people. Most of the people it serves are homeless veterans needing shelter. But, the co-founder of the Randlin Homes says those who are homeless due to substance abuse or mental health issues are also welcome.
Linda Larson Schlitz says, "We have helped people ages 18 through 80. There is a huge need out there."
These challenging economic times may see the need grow in the future. To help ends meet, volunteers organized a brat fry and "fill the washer with cleaning supplies " fundraiser along Grand Avenue in Wausau. The ideas is to raise money and gather cleaning supplies, detergent, toilet paper and other toiletries to ease the financial burdens for those staying at Randlin Homes.
Those who stay at Randlin Homes are given shelter, can take part in counseling and learn job skills. Larson Schlitz believes it the program can change lives,"They have been forgotten. They're battling addictions and other issues. But, once you give them a chance, they are the best."
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During these tough economic times Randlin Homes sees a promising future for the Hope Thrift store.
An area business that continues to do well during the tough economic times is the Randlin Homes Thrift Store. Hope store leaders believe some of their added services are what bring customers in.
Gene Kressel said, "The community really has helped out a lot...we did have a snow blowing business in the winter, so a lot of people knew of that and we also ... a big reason is, we do deliver and pick up stuff. I think that's a big difference of other thrift stores. People that buy couches and bigger stuff, they don't want to haul it over to their house and carry it up the steps...where I'll have two guys that will be happy to do it." The store manager says that he has been meeting his goals despite just opening, but also stresses the fact that continued donations such as furniture, clothing, and appliances are just some of the many items accepted. Online Reporter Cristina Ortiz |
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Randlin Homes shovelers help community and learn valuable business skills. For full story click on image, or..click here
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Shoveling service benefits Randlin Homes residents
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Click on Image to read story....Source Wausau Buyers Guide
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Rebecca Epperson: Healthcare Hero
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America's other fallen soldiersLocal homes help struggling veterans Wausau's John Blahuta is a 60-year-old Vietnam-era Army veteran who for most of his life worked as a corporate tax preparer. When he was laid off from his job five years ago, he expected to be able to find work quickly. "I come from a very hardworking family, a strong work ethic," he said. "I'd rather work than get a handout." But Blahuta did not find a new job. He was told he was "overqualified" for the clerical and retail jobs for which he applied, he said. His bills began to go unpaid, and more bills were added to those. Eventually he lost most of his possessions and his home. "I don't have alcohol (addiction)," he said. "I don't have drugs, I don't have mental illness. But I am a homeless veteran." Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor fallen American veterans -- those who have died in war. But there's another group of fallen vets -- those who face tremendous challenges when their service to the country ends. Some, like Blahuta, may simply fall on hard times. Many others face substance abuse or mental health issues. Nearly a third of veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness. "It's bad when all these men and women go over there and serve their country, and then they come back and ... wind up living in the streets or under bridges," said Kelly Ferguson, 44, a house manager at Wausau's Randlin Adult Care Family Homes, which provides transitional housing for veterans and others in need. Blahuta, who came to Randlin Homes as a resident in October, has been able to apply his professional experience within the organization, and in March he was elected treasurer of Randlin's board of directors. Rebecca Epperson, 51, of Wausau is another house manager at Randlin Homes, as well as a Navy veteran who served during Vietnam. She came to Randlin as a resident after a period of homelessness, and she has faced physical and mental health issues. But she said the biggest problem among the homeless veterans she sees is substance abuse, particularly alcoholism. "They can get a job, and they'll have that job for awhile," she said. "Then they start drinking, they relapse. They lose their job. They lose their home, they lose the friends that they just got. They start that cycle all over again. We're here to break that cycle." Linda Larson Schlitz, who co-founded Randlin Homes with her husband, Ralph, said the organization's environment is crucial to its mission. "We provide a family environment of people who care about them, who remember their birthdays and celebrate their sobriety days," Larson Schlitz said. About 25 percent of Randlin's residents are not veterans. Tanya Throop, 33, is Blahuta's daughter, and she has struggled with mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness in her own life. Residency has provided her with structure and help with everything from taking her medications on schedule to learning how to make crafts. Throop also works on painting plaster figurines in part as a way to learn patience and attention to detail. The homes work with other residents, both veterans and non-veterans, to develop skills that can be applied to other parts of their lives. The issue of how society should provide for veterans is an ongoing discussion, and organizations like Randlin Homes are only one part of it. In late May, the U.S. Senate passed a bill that would expand educational benefits for veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, making them eligible for the equivalent of full tuition at state universities following their service. Expanded educational opportunities and job training were other subjects mentioned by Randlin staff, including Christine Oestreich, 30, of Wausau, a Navy veteran of the Afghanistan war. "Places like the (Marathon County) Job Center give opportunities to veterans who are actively looking for jobs," Oestreich said. Another subject that came up again and again in conversations with residents and staff was the distance most veterans must travel to get medical care. The outpatient clinic for veterans in Wausau has a long waiting list, and is not equipped to treat some conditions. Many are forced to travel to Madison or Tomah to get treatment. As organizations like Randlin Homes try to meet the needs of homeless veterans in Wausau, Larson Schlitz said veterans are also working in her organization to help one another. "We couldn't do it if we didn't have veterans helping other veterans," she said. --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Shelter to add store, training
By Robert Mentzer • Wausau Daily Herald • May 29, 2008
A local veterans shelter plans to open a thrift store where its residents would sell crafts while learning job skills. The goal of the new venture by Randlin Adult Family Care Homes of Wausau is to create a functioning business that provides skills training for the veterans and other Randlin residents, said Linda Larson Schlitz, a co-founder of the organization. Many of the agency's residents battle substance abuse, mental illness and homelessness. The project would be modeled after one offered by the Delancey Street Foundation, a successful residential education agency based in San Francisco, Larson Schlitz said. "What I liked the most (about the Delancey project) was the idea of having their own enterprises," she said. "They use this business as a training tool to re-educate and retrain people who, for whatever reason, either don't have the skills or need new skills in order to become self-sufficient again." In addition, the experience would provide those with gaps in their work histories an opportunity to learn how to work in a structured environment. Employees will learn "organizational skills (and) how to be accountable to someone else," said Christine Oestreich, a house manager at one of the residences. Money generated by the business would be reinvested in the organization, including the residential homes, Larson Schlitz said. Though no location has been identified, Larson Schlitz said she hopes to have the new store open by late July using portions of a grant the organization received last week.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Learn more about the very successful Delancy Street Foudation by following the link below. http://www.delanceystreetfoundation.org
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Still Images by permission of WAOW
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