For the 7th consecutive year, Inn from the Cold’s annual donation-matching fundraiser, Claire’s Campaign, will be returning for the month of May. Claire’s Campaign was launched by Gary Nissen, in honor of his mother Claire. Gary Nissen created the campaign so that vulnerable children were provided with basic necessities and to offer mothers-in-need supports and services to help raise their children. This month, donors are given the opportunity to double the impact of your donation and help sustain quality programs at the Inn meant to improve the lives of families experiencing homelessness.
The donation-matching works as follows: When you donate through Claire’s Campaign, Gary Nissen will match donations up to $250,000; Karen Zutter, Gary’s sister, will match additional donations up to $100,000; the Hutchison Family will match donations up to $50,000, and one anonymous donor will match another $100,000.
The goal this year is to raise $1,000,000, which will fund our Family Support Program. Through this program, the Inn will be able to continue providing services geared towards early childhood and youth development, health and wellness, and meeting basic needs of the families experiencing a crisis. With the economy in its current state, we anticipate that the number of families requiring our services will continue to grow, and your participation in Claire’s Campaign is essential to our continued operation of services tailored to meet the individual needs of families coming to the Inn.
We want to ensure that families experiencing crisis do not need to worry about where they will sleep or how they will feed themselves. We want children to have the opportunity to go to school and to participate in socially enriching activities –summer camp, movie nights, celebrating their birthdays. We want to establish a welcoming environment for children and families where they may maintain their dignity, their self-worth, and their hope so that they can work safely towards regaining their independence.
Please help Inn from the Cold support children and families by donating directly to Claire’s Campaign on our website. Help us create a positive space where families may break the cycle of homelessness and reclaim agency over their own futures.
