MORRIS COUNTY — Homeless Solutions recently celebrated its 25th Annual Dream Builders’ Bash on Friday, March 28th.
The Bash is the non-profit’s most significant yearly fundraiser. It supports the shelter programs and services it offers to help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Morris County regain their independence.
This year’s event, “Dream Big, Build Bigger,” celebrated the power of community and honorees who’ve shown extraordinary dedication to HSI. The evening was filled with beautiful tributes and touching stories and was also an introduction of Homeless Solutions’ new CEO Jaclyn Stoll to the steadfast supporters in attendance.
The evening’s honorees included Bob and Nancy Boye of The Boye Foundation, who were given our Dream Builder Award for their decades of philanthropic support to HSI. The Knights of Columbus #359 George Washington Council were awarded the Mary E. Van Kirk Volunteer Spirit Award for their years of dedicated volunteerism to the organization.
An inspirational part of the night came from our guest speaker, PG, a graduate of our Transitional Housing Program who told her story as a single working mother who lost her home to rising Morris County rents. This narrative is becoming all too familiar as we see the waitlist for affordable housing increase exponentially in our community.
She praised HSI’s staff for supporting her, including helping her access much-needed resources that she initially didn’t even know were available. Our THP graduate should also be commended for the intense effort she put forth to secure stability for her family. She took advantage of every opportunity, workshop, and program that she could to help her in her journey back to independence. As she said, “The HSI programs work if you do your part and never give up.”
The Bash guests enjoyed cocktails, dinner, dancing, raffles, silent and live auctions at The Westin Governor Morris in Morristown. HSI CEO Jaclyn Stoll had the pleasure of being joined by local dignitaries such as Senator Anthony Bucco, Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, Morris County Commissioner Christine Meyers, present and past HSI Board of Trustees, and 275 attendees who all came to support HSI’s critical mission of empowering those who are homeless or at risk to attain housing stability. Celebrating 25 years of support for the Dream Builders’ Bash was a beautiful evening, with over $5.3 million raised since its inception in 2000.
Homeless Solutions philosophy is “A Hand Up, not a Handout.” Homeless Solutions has been helping the homeless and at-risk in our community as a private, nonprofit organization since 1983. We are unique in what we do. It’s not just about providing a healthy meal and a place to sleep. They aim to give those we serve the tools and surroundings they need to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient. What sets our nonprofit apart from others is our continuum of housing options, including our main shelter, Transitional Housing Program (THP) for families, Warming Center for street homeless in the winter, Mt. Kemble Home for senior women, Women’s Campus for single women in shared housing, and the Affordable Rental Housing units we own and operate – in all 136 units of affordable homes for Morris County residents.
For more information on how you can support Homeless Solutions, click here.
