Six Janesville men are embarking on a new journey to golf 100 holes in a single day.
The 100 Holes for the Homeless Golf Marathon will be held on Monday, September 18, at the Janesville Country Club. It is a unique opportunity for participants to test their endurance, while having fun supporting GIFTS Men’s Shelter.
In addition to raising awareness for GIFTS Men’s Shelter, these six golfers are collecting pledges. Supporters can pledge a total amount or an amount per hole golfed. The golfers include:
- Mike Ellis, Riverside Golf Course
- Dave Ellis, GIFTS Board Member
- Lance Marting, Janesville Country Club
- Kevin Riley, Riley’s Sports Bar & Grill
- Mike Schroeder, Old National Bank Investments
- Mark Thomsen, Blain’s Supply
To stay focused on the GIFTS faith based mission on providing a “hand up and not a hand out,” capital projects and annual operating budgets are funded through community events like this, donations and non-governmental grants. GIFTS does not receive any government funding.
The money raised from this event supports the capital campaign underway for the new shelter and resource center, located at 1025 N. Washington Ave, in Janesville. Community supporters have already provided nearly $1,000,000 towards the goal of $1,600,000. The capital campaign will pay the cost of interior renovations and furnishings, exterior landscaping, an operational reserve, as well as pay off the loan of the building purchase.
The renovation of 1025 North Washington Street will accommodate meal preparation, overnight sleeping, daytime programing, and evening enrichment activities. Klobucar Construction was selected through the bidding process, facilitated by Angus Young. Projected completion is scheduled for November, 2017. The 9,000 square foot building was selected after a rigorous review process of existing properties in the community that could be converted to fit the mission of the organization. GIFTS will utilize the building as the site for its main offices, a resource center for guests, a commercial kitchen, 42 beds—up from the current 25—and a garden.
The greatest resource GIFTS has is the support of 40 partner churches. The support of the churches has been the key to sustaining the services that are offered to homeless men in Rock County. While the location will change, the churches will continue to serve as the hosts each week, providing the generosity of their time and talents as GIFTS moves forward.
To Make a Donation:
Contact Jon Wangerin, Campaign Co-Chairperson, 608-436-3350, jwangerin@johnsonbank.com
GIFTS (God is Faithful Temporary Shelter) was born in 2007 when a group of concerned Janesville citizens saw an unmet need in our community. Women and children without shelter had options available to them; however homeless men had nowhere to go. These concerned citizens first met in early fall, and on Christmas Eve 2007, the shelter opened with four cooperating churches. Today, forty churches are involved in the operation of the shelter.
The goal to provide the men a hand up rather than a hand out led to the October, 2013, opening of the GIFTS Resources Center. The Center offers materials, technology, and personal assistance to help the men connect with established community resources. Each guest receives an evaluation by a volunteer social worker who then creates a social history. The guest then partners with a volunteer to help them create an individual life improvement plan based off of the social history which guides their efforts and allows them to respectfully regain their footing in society.
