My name is Dan Massey. I am the Treasurer of the Board and the Chairman of the Gala Committee. On behalf of both the Board and the Committee, I’d like to explicitly thank all the attendees who came to the Gala. I’d also like to express sincere thanks to each of the volunteers and staff members who put in tireless work to make the evening possible.

The night was full of stories about the impact that Mom’s House has had on the single parents and the children that have come through the program. Our guests heard about the empowerment that these families feel and how the cycle of poverty has been thwarted, and how hope, fulfillment and success have taken its place.

There are two aspects of empowerment, based on the definition. They are authority and confidence. Mom’s House strives to give the families it serves both of these qualities. But, in order to feel empowered, there has to be not just a recipient of power, but a giver of it.

When you give to Mom’s House, you are more than simply donating to an organization. You are affecting the lives of not one, but two generations. You are giving families power, authority, and confidence to control their lives and their futures.

One of the great things about Mom’s House is how tangible the effects of our donors’ gifts are. As you know, the main tenet of Mom’s House is that all of the services are offered free of charge. Therefore, a significant portion of your donation goes to program costs. When you give, you are directly impacting lives.

I want to take a few minutes to tell you where Mom’s House is going strategically and how your giving can continue to make life-changing differences for the families served by Mom’s House.

Primarily, we recently hired an additional teacher at Mom’s House. This move has far-reaching effects. Because of required ratios of teachers to children, we can only increase the number of families we serve by adding personnel.

Our present capacity is slightly over 20 families, but there are times during the year when the size of our waiting list actually exceeds the number of families in the program. By hiring an additional teacher, we will be able to serve five more families, increasing our reach by 25%. Unfortunately, it will not completely eradicate our waiting list. In other words, there are still families that we will have to turn away, even after making this hire.

There are two limitations to adding additional teachers after this year. One is funding. We need to increase our budget in order to account for more teachers. Your gifts will go a long way toward getting more teachers, which will help more families and provide a greater impact on the community.

A secondary concern is our facility. From the very beginnings of Mom’s House in Lancaster, we have had relationship with South Queen Street. During those nearly 30 years, this location has presented its share of challenges.

We are nearing the physical capacity for the families we can serve. If we want to continue to decrease the size of our waiting list, we will eventually run out of room at our current location.

Furthermore, the area where we presently reside is not a consistently great environment for infants, toddlers or preschoolers.

It is not uncommon for the police to be called multiple times per day in the surrounding area. Violence and drug use are tearing apart lives and families not far from where we aim to accomplish the exact opposite.

We are in the very initial stages of a multiyear plan to attempt to better the environment for our families. We are presently setting aside monies each and every month to be fiscally prepared for opportunities that come our way. While we look for those with an ability and desire to be part of a building exploration committee, we will also need monetary contributions in order to realize the goal of a more apt facility.

I wanted to make you aware of our short-term and long-range goals and describe how your giving will go toward not only our present, but our future ambitions. Your donations do and will make a difference.

The Mom’s House organization has its roots as a faith-based organization, and the Old Testament book of Proverbs has verses that I like regarding the power to provide. It says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’ when you already have it with you.”

When we have power to act, that power is transferred from us, becoming the empowerment that was on display at the Gala and that we celebrate, not just that night, but every single day. I ask you to consider your power to act and to provide good to whom it is due. Thank you once again for your impact on Mom’s House.