December 6, 2011

Dear Extended family member of OMH:

I know that you all aware of the dream we had regarding Coppage Cottage, our transitional living duplex adjacent to OMH. Over the years we saw the difficulty that our graduate moms faced when they ‘aged out’ at the tender age of 18. Coppage Cottage was the logical solution: our own transition house to bridge them into fully independent adult living. When the opportunity came to make this dream a reality, you were all there supporting us with your generous donations, time for home improvements, shopping to make it ‘turn key’ ready and all the other countless ways you supported us. Unfortunately, like all dreams, what we had hoped for did not turn out as planned. I want to take the time for you to fully understand why we as a board had to make the painful decision to sell the property after 2 years.

The reality is that we have only had the house rented 3 times in the past 2 years. We tried our best to have the girls stay with us as we assisted them with mentoring, babysitting and transportation. But the girls had other ideas.  As a board it became apparent that the operational budget of OMH simply could not sustain this additional home without revenue. We extended our renter options to include girls formerly of foster care, with or without children, as well as women with children who were at high risk of entering foster care.  We even got HUD housing approval.

Over the past 5 months we have had wonderful changes to OMH. I am most proud of our new Executive Director, Karen Mason, MSW. Karen has been with OMH for over 4 years, first as an intern social worker and volunteer, later as board member and then president. Karen fully understands Helen’s vision and it has been such a joy to watch her passion blossom further. Karen has done an outstanding job in not only administrative duties but also being the strong maternal figure our girls need:  offering them the perfect balance between love and discipline.  For Karen, this is more than her job; it is an answer to her true calling in life. Just talk with Karen for 5 minutes and her energy about what she is doing is infectious.

Fortunately, we were able to sell the house with a small profit. All of the funds will be used directly to support OMH. So please know that all though the original intention of your donation was regrettably unable to be honored, your donation will directly support OMH. We face budget deficits with grants and donations at an all time low with economy.  We have opted to use some of the sale of the house to work with an experienced grant writer to help us get those grants that in the past were much easier to obtain.

Many of you know we have been ramping up various fundraising opportunities to support our home. One of our biggest fundraisers is now our annual Hearts of Love Gala, the second one of which is on February 10, 2012 at the Grandezza Country Club. We will have dinner, dancing with Cahlua and Cream as well as key note speaker, Valerie Edwards, an FGCU journalist and former foster care child. We hope you can all join us in this celebration.

In closing, please know that we are as upset as you regarding this difficult decision. But like all families we want to communicate with our members and stand by each other during tough times. I hope we helped you understand our need to make this decision and ask for your continued support.

I also encourage you to visit the home; we have a lot of new faces and changes. If I can answer anyone’s individual questions, please do not hesitate to call me at (727)-421-7736 or email me directly at mdsievers@hotmail.com.

With Gratitude,

Teresa Sievers, MD
OMH Board of Directors, President