Glorious Hope adds welcoming touch to YWCA Family Village Redmond

Tricia Rendina knows first-hand what it’s like to struggle.

As a single mother raising two sons without child support, she and her boys came close to the edge in the 1980s when she suffered a health issue that required hospitalization.

“If it hadn’t been for a friend loaning us his old Winnebago motor home, we would have been homeless,” Rendina said. She overcame her hardship and today holds a well-paying job as a paralegal.

Last fall, Rendina donated some business clothing to the YWCA Working Wardrobe program at YWCA Family Village Redmond and learned that the transitional housing development for homeless families was looking for volunteers to sponsor some units. To Rendina, it presented an ideal opportunity to give back, so she joined forces with friends—former colleagues—and decided to take on the task.

“Sponsoring the unit is one way I can help other single parents toward their life of opportunities,” Rendina explained. The group calls itself Glorious Hope and includes Anita Fahnlander, Laura Faulstich and Laura’s husband Jeff.

For Faulstich, the volunteer opportunity was a good match for her interests and personality.

“I decided this would be the perfect venue for me to volunteer in because it involved me being creative, and it involved shopping – which I love more than anything!” Faulstich said, adding, “I’m sort of a ‘get-things-done-in-the-background’ type of person. I don’t so much like to be front and center. So, being behind the scenes in getting a unit ready for a family was perfect for me. And I love the idea of being able to anonymously share God’s love.”

Groups that sponsor units at YWCA Family Village Redmond are allowed to pick out furnishings–such as dishware, pots, pans, towels, shower curtains—from a storage of items at Family Village Redmond that have been donated by the community. Groups often then add to what’s available to give the unit a personal touch.

A few weeks ago, Glorious Hope members furnished their unit for the first time. They supplied the kitchen with all the necessities, including baking pans, utensils, mixing bowls, storage containers and silverware. The group also fully stocked the pantry with food, and bought new sheets for all the beds that color-coordinated with comforters.

For a finishing touch, the group dressed the dining room table with place mats, matching dinner and salad plates and bowls, and added a colorful bouquet of daisies as the centerpiece. Group members also left a “welcome home” sign, which they autographed.

“I feel very blessed after completing this unit,” Faulstich said. “Not only was I experiencing a great thing with my friends, but I was part of a solution of hope. It was a time of togetherness and complete focus on someone else. We were united in our efforts to make this world a better place and together we made a difference in one family’s life.”

YWCA Family Village Redmond has two units awaiting sponsorships. Sponsors can be individuals, friends, family members, businesses, churches or other groups. For information about becoming a sponsor or donating supplies to YWCA Family Village Redmond, contact Brenda McCallon at 425.556.1354 or mccallon@ywcaworks.org.