Merry Christmas from the Bob Brown House
CHRISTMAS 2010
Dear Friends,
It is my pleasure both as the founder’s daughter and as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bob Brown House to send you Christmas greetings. This has been an exciting year of transition and growth at the house. Over 35 years ago my dad, Rev. Bob W. Brown, had a vision of a home where mentally or physically challenged people could live together as family in a safe, affordable environment. He convinced a varied group of people to join him in this endeavor and they built this home in 1975. Today we are still “opening a door to independence” for the fourteen residents that call the Bob Brown House home.
I became chairman of the Board this spring after the resignation of long time chairman Charlene Summers. Charlene’s leadership and dedication to the Bob Brown House for so many years is deeply appreciated. It is a privilege for me to carry this dream of my dad’s into the next generation. I set eight goals to accomplish during the first several months of my leadership. The road has not been easy but I have met all of those goals. The Board of Directors has 12 new members with new energy, enthusiasm and vision. I have had personal meetings with many new contacts at the Bob Brown House. We are pleased to have a new accounting firm, Price, Stagner, & Co., calculate our payroll and taxes. Our deepest gratitude goes to Fred Brown and his firm for their years and years of service in this capacity. After several staff changes I am pleased with the team we have in place now. Heather Reeves has shown excellent leadership, loyalty and compassion as the new resident manager. Max, Medina and Zach are capable and dependable and loved by all the residents. I am thankful for our staff and the work they do every day to care for these special people and make this a special place to live. We even went on some great outings this year—our annual night at the Legends game, lunch and games at Gatti Town, the pumpkin patch, and another trip to Southern Lights thanks to Steve Crowe and the Trinity church bus. All of the Christmas events at the house were well attended and enjoyed by all especially the wonderful presents given by our Board of Directors. The smiles and laughter warmed the chilly air and gave special meaning to a family Christmas. I know my dad would be pleased.
Finally, if you are reading this letter you are witnessing one of the best achievements of this last year. The Bob Brown House has entered the World Wide Web in a big way. We now have email, a web site and even a Facebook page. Our email address is bobbrownhouse@gmail.com. Visit us on the web at https://www.bobbrownhouse.com. Join us on Facebook at Bob Brown House. We have already received many contacts for volunteers and prospective residents from our site. It is a great way to communicate and publicize for the Bob Brown House. A big thanks goes to new board member, Rhonda Bartlett and her firm RB Design Studio for developing and maintaining our web site.
I look forward to the New Year and the possibilities that are ahead for the Bob Brown House. We wouldn’t be here without the financial help of our supporters. It amazes me what we are able to accomplish considering the constraints of our very small budget. Raising funds is a huge responsibility of mine and I want to ask you for help. There is no amount too small and be assured your donation goes directly to the operations of the house. You can donate directly on our web site or by regular mail. Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested.
I appreciate your support and prayers in the year ahead.
Merry Christmas,
Amy Brown
Photos from Christmas Dinner 12/18/2010