August 25th, 2010
On August 14, Candy Powell – Caruso was one of 15 people in the United States to win the Sunshine Peace Award honoring extraordinary individuals in the field of domestic violence. Candy was presented with the honor in a ceremony in Wilmington, NC, where she was seated next to Doris Buffet for a special dinner.
 Candy Powell-Caruso and Doris Buffet The Sunshine Peace Awards are presented by the Sunshine Lady Foundation, founded by Doris Buffett, sister to investor Warren Buffett. Ms. Buffett established the Sunshine Lady Foundation in 1996, and to date has provided over $100 million for various projects, including scholarships, fellowships and grants to assist women, children, and families in need. The award recognizes contributions for developing resources and facilitating the social change necessary to end violence against women and children.
Previous recipients include Lynn Rosenthal, White House Advisor on Violence Against Women; Rita Smith, Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Elizabeth Martin, founder of womenslaw.org; Paula Lucas, founder of American Women Overseas, and other men and women who have made a difference in this field.
Congratulations Candy!
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August 24th, 2010
 Volunteers unload donations The weekend food drive raised 605 pounds of food and $656 to purchase groceries. One donation came from an anonymous donor who worked in a position where they would sometimes refer people to RCS Food Bank for help. The donor had always wanted to do something to help out. Recently the donor received a bonus at work and realized it was a perfect way to fulfill her desire. The donor gave a check for $500 – their entire bonus! Tears and hugs were exchanged and she left shortly after.
RCS Food Bank is happy to accept your donations of food and cash for our ongoing needs. Donations may be dropped off M, T, W, F from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Thursday from 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Thank you for your support!
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August 23rd, 2010
 A Special Cake Just this weekend, Lucy, an Advocate at The Haven of RCS was trying to help a dedicated mother make her daughter’s birthday very special. Having recently escaped a violent relationship, the mother wanted this birthday to be especially happy. Many of the women and children who seek help from The Haven of RCS have a monthly income of less than $1,000 when they leave their abuser. Without any extra money, this mother was very worried about having a birthday celebration and no cake.
Hearing about this very important need, Bev and Tim Nehls stepped in and provided very special cake for a very special person.
Volunteers and donors are the life-blood of all RCS programs. Our work is not possible without the support and work of thousands of people. Check out our volunteer opportunities page or call Rachel Thurber at 584-3528 x407 to find out how you can make a difference!
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August 17th, 2010
Since October 1, 2009, RCS Food Bank has assisted more than 5000 people each month by providing basic life-supporting staples. As our economic situation has not improved, our community’s needs remain very high. The gulf oil spill has complicated the situation with layoffs in tourist dependent industries.
To meet the need of thousands of hungry people, RCS Food Bank will be holding a
“Back to School” Food Drive
August 21, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon.
People desiring to help may drop off donations of food and money at 700 Druid Road in Clearwater.
Businesses and civic organizations are encouraged to get a basket from the RCS Food Bank and host a drive at your organization or place of business; just call 727-443-4031. Pickups and other transportation can be arranged.
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January 30th, 2010
The Winter RCS Messenger has been mailed. This edition includes a feature article on volunteerism, information about teen dating violence, and a special thank you for our Faces of Domestic Violence donors. If you did not receive a copy, please make sure your address is up-to-date in our database. You can call us at (727) 584-3528. You can also download a PDF copy by clicking the following link:
RCS Messenger
Please be patient as the download will take a while.
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January 30th, 2010
 RCS began 43 years ago through the vision and effort of volunteers. This past year has held its fair share of challenges for our community. RCS was challenged to balance its budget while increasing its services to serve 35% more people than in 2008. RCS volunteers played a major role in this effort to reach out and help more people than ever in 2009.
Throughout the last year, RCS received support from more than 2,200 volunteers, providing over 40,000 hours of service. Volunteers serve many capacities including: answering our 24/7 domestic violence hotline, interviewing participants at the RCS Food Bank, completing yard work and gardening, construction projects, apartment renovations, and more. RCS volunteers provided an astounding $711,000 worth of work during 2009.
An example of the generous volunteerism provided to RCS is the work of Temple Ahavat Shalom. Members of the Temple provided a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner to the residents living at RCS Grace House. The dinner provided the resident families time to relax, enjoy the company of each other, and feast on a delicious home-cooked meal. The Temple has partnered with RCS in other ways – including the upcoming February 7 food drive.
If you’re looking for a way to give back to the community, please contact Rachel Thurber, RCS Volunteer Coordinator, at (727) 584-3528.
Thank you to our volunteers who make our work possible.
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January 15th, 2010
 The Haven of RCS was awarded a $1000 grant from Allstate to help survivors of domestic violence. The grant was received in partnership with RCS’ insurance broker, Solace Insurance of Largo. Bob Childress, President has been a tremendous help to RCS, providing his expertise to help control annual insurance costs and motivating volunteers to help out in RCS’ programs.
The Haven of RCS Advisory Committee was on hand to accept the generous donation from Allstate.
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January 13th, 2010
Today, the downtown Clearwater Farmers’ Market held a special benefit for the RCS Food Bank. Area restaurants and partners provided delicious soups for patrons who made a donation of food or money to help the RCS Food Bank.
Visitors to the market enjoyed hot soup which warmed them during the cold weather. 107 pounds of non-perishable food and $224.51 in monetary contributions were collected at the event. This is the equivalent of about 200 nutritious meals for people in need.
In addition, RCS received a generous donation of new underwear from It’s Our Nature along with other donations of gently used clothing from the public.
The benefit was a wonderful time to meet the wonderful market vendors.
RCS wishes to thank the following restaurants for donating their tasty soup:
Angies Restaurant
Pickles Plus, Too
Chiang Mai Restaurant
O’Keefe’s
Cleveland Street Cafe
Divino Italian Restaurant
Tin Can Café
Island Way Grille
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December 7th, 2009
Chapel by the Sea, on Clearwater Beach, has always been a strong supporter of RCS and The Haven of RCS. In November 2008, Lorraine Freitag, wife of Pastor Herb, wanted a way to support The Haven of RCS throughout the year, knowing that the emergency shelter was a safe home to about 500 women and children each year. She got a copy of the wish list for The Haven of RCS and started publishing it in the bulletin. Then she looked for a visual to remind her fellow congregants to bring in the items. At the church tag sale she bought an orange suitcase. She decorated the inside lid with brochures, the wish list and other materials about domestic violence. Soon everyone began calling help for The Haven of RCS the “Orange Suitcase” Project.
Lorraine delivers the items once each month. The Orange Suitcase is well known and is often filled to overflowing.
The Haven of RCS is thankful for the help from our RCS congregations. Everything that is donated means we will have less to purchase and money can be used for other participant needs like prescriptions, bus tokens and other items. We look forward to the second year of the Orange Suitcase Project.
If you would like to start a suitcase project at your church, synagogue, or business, please contact Chris Warwick, Director of The Haven of RCS, at (727) 441-2029.
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November 18th, 2009
Chris Warwick, Director of The Haven of RCS and Kathi Trautwein, Director of the RCS Food Bank participated in this year’s Great American Teach-in.
This annual event gives business leaders, community partners, and other professionals the opportunity to help students understand the value of education. Each volunteer visits a local classroom to explain their career as a way of inspiring students. The opportunity affords students the chance to ask questions about various careers and life experiences.
Kathi was a guest at Belleair Elementary and Chris was welcomed at Countryside High School.
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