Harbor House
Every spring the MOM�s Club of Orlando � Conway Area works hard to raise money on behalf of a charity that benefits children and families. This year they have chosen a charity very close to their hearts, Harbor House.
Harbor House is the only state certified domestic violence shelter in Orange County. In addition to their shelter, Harbor House has other programs including a 24 hours crisis hotline, outreach program, and a court services program. The Harbor House shelter provides a safe haven to approximately 1000 women and children each year. The shelter has 88 beds, but they always have to run over capacity with an average of 100-115 residents daily, 60-65 of which are children. The lives of every single person who stays in their shelter is in imminent danger. They are literally saving people�s lives everyday by providing them a safe place to live while they begin the healing process and prepare to re-enter the community.
The MOM�s Club has made it their mission this spring to raise as much money as possible to help Harbor House fund 2 projects. The first is a Children�s Center. Harbor House is in the beginning phases of building a daycare and school for the children living in their shelter. The school will be run by Orange County Public Schools. Unfortunately, children in households with domestic violence are often abused as well. These children are in danger and need to be protected. In addition, kidnapping is a very real concern. Having a daycare and school on site will insure that these children never have to leave the protected confines of the Harbor House campus.
The second project the MOM�s Club is going to help fund is a kennel. Believe it or not, since most shelters do not take pets, many women will not leave their abusers for fear that they will kill their pet when they leave. In addition, pets are important for the healing process. Think of the child that is traumatized from living in a home with domestic violence. That pet may be their best friend and only solace from living in fear and imagine having to leave that pet behind.
These are large projects and the MOMS Club wants to raise as much money as possible. To accomplish this, they are asking for help from the Conway Community. They have opened an account at Wachovia Bank to accept donations. The MOMS Club of Orlando � Conway Area is a 501 3C, so all donations are tax deductible. 100% of your donations will go directly to Harbor House to fund these desperately needed projects. Please make checks out to MOMS Club of Conway-Harbor House Fund. If you have any other questions please contact Elizabeth Clemens at [email protected].