The Latest News and Needs

First of all I would like to say thank you to all who have donated toward our outreach and given backpacks and school supplies for our Project Backpack. It always amazes me to see how generous people can be when given an opportunity to give. We are excited about our Outreach at the Family Life Center on Aug 14th at 4pm to pass out the supplies as well as love on the kids down there. All are welcome to attend and reach out to a child in need. Check out the OH site for more info regarding this outreach.

Mentors Needed
As a result of helping lead a bible study with the women(most all of them are mothers) in the Gateway program at the Family Life Center and Hope Center, I have come to realize the great need for mentors for these ladies. I always allow the women to talk with me afterwards and there was one women who came up to me and specifically asked if we had mentors. She said she just really needed someone to stand with her during this tough time and encourage her to make the right choices. I told her to write her name and info down in my notebook. When the other ladies saw what she was doing and what it was for, I looked up and they were all lined up to sign up to have a mentor.

These women are at a crucial place in their life. Most of them have no family support at all. Many of them have left their families due to abuse and other circumstances. Many of them are overcoming addictions and need encouragement to stay on the right path. They are learning about God, for a lot of them this is the first time. They are so hungry for truth and guidance. They are assigned bible passages to write as a part of the bible study and the instructor showed me how some women complete a weeks worth of studies in one day because they are so hungry for the truth and hope.

I had one woman who has been clean for 4 months and she had expressed an interest in wanting to share her personal story and have God use it to help people. I always use my own personal testimony to break ground with the women and show them that they are not alone. This precious woman shared her story for the first time in front of people and it was so powerful. First of all, I had never heard of so much abuse happening to one woman in my life. But as I looked around and saw tears flowing from the eyes of those women who walk beside her every day, I knew that her words were speaking straight to their hearts. She ended with a message of hope. She said she knows that God has better things planned for her life and that she hopes to turn her life around and use it for God.

These women need encouragement, guidance, hope, truth, and most importantly, God's love shown through an Ordinary Hero. These women are no different than you and me only they have been brought up around hopelessness and the wrong road to life therefore it has led to bad decisions and abuse. We encourage anyone interested to sign up to be a mentor by writing to a specific woman in the Gateway program. I have been told the highlight of their day is to receive mail. Many women never receive anything. This is a great way to get to know someone and also give them something to look forward to. When writing you would need to include stationary and stamps in order for them to write back. It is a simple yet wonderful way to reach out to many of these mothers and give them encouragement.

Some needs of the women in the bible study and the Family Life Center are :

Large Print Bibles~ These women are doing their study with donated small print KJV bibles. They could really benefit from large print NIV or NKJV bibles. They need notebooks, pocket folders, pens.

Bus Passes~ These women are always in need of all day bus passes in order to make it to job interviews. There is a huge shortage of these at the mission.

Phone Cards~ There is always a need for phone cards in order for these women to make the necessary phone calls to follow up with job interviews. There is one open phone at the mission and it is not enough for all of them.

Bath items~ There is a shortage of towels, washcloths, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.

Cleaning supplies~ There is always a need for cleaning supplies. You can imagine what it is like with all of the women basically living on top of one another and sharing just a few stalls in a bathroom.

Contact us at info@ordinaryhero.org to make an item donation towards any of these needs. If you would rather make a monetary donation you may do so by clicking here.


Brighten A Child's Day Kid 2 Kid Pen Pal Project

We are also excited about getting our little ones involved in making a difference in the life of another child in need. We are in the beginning stages of organizing and launching a pen pal outreach for children to have the opportunity to make friends with a child living in a shelter. All children just love getting mail. They especially need a friend and something to brighten their day when life's realities are so hopeless all around them. So a fun, simple card, maybe with some stickers or a gift card stuck in the envelope mixed with a word of encouragement letting that little one know that he/she has a friend to talk to can make all the difference in the world. It also shows our own children the importance of giving and loving those less fortunate. It opens their eyes to the needs in the world.

If you are interested in your child participating in this pen pal project email us at
info@ordinaryhero.org for more information. Holly Fisher, our pen pal project coordinator will be in touch with you.


Again, we thank you for being an Ordinary Hero and for making a difference in the life of a child in need.

We are also on Twitter for those of you who "Tweet". Come follow along on our journey.

Kelly Putty
Founder/Director
www.ordinaryhero.org