February 2021
 
 
Administration - January has been filled with Tax statements and updating NYS CE-200 status
The assistance from Ann Taylor in preparing our Year-end Giving statements and verifying addresses for mailing these out before the end of January took a couple of hours and working through the NYS website to recertify our CE-200 eligibility status (which allows us to participate in any/all NYS fairs like the SEFA fair) took an additional couple of hours. I also prepared a tax statement for those folks who are making material donations and wish to use it for tax purposes. (And also to thank them for the donated items.) This is not as generic as we might see from a place like the Y but still it is written on letterhead to make it different from our thank you notes for cash donations, which of course we recognize at the end of the year with a tax statement if the gift falls into those categories making it necessary for a detailed receipt.
 
In other news
We have found a lot of people wishing to make material donations of goods either in response to a specific call from the shelter (like for blankets or Chrome Books) or just in general for clothing, coats, underwear and personal care items. Gretchen and I have made more than six trips with full car loads of goods, and Gretchen has been to a shelter more than 5 times delivering these same things. She went to one of the shelters while I went to another making the delivery of the Chromebooks. Here Lauren is smiling under her mask!
Planning:
I am working with Mother Anne on a presentation to the American Baptist Women on February 27th via zoom. The initial promo poster they had, listed Mtr. Anne as the Executive Director and she let them know of the change. Hopefully, we won’t confuse them too much. I will let you know how the presentation goes. Also, Gretchen and I are scheduled to meet with the director (Maggie) of the Saratoga County DV shelter program, Wellspring, on March 9th at 3:00.
 
In the meantime, I’d like each of us to think of ways we might begin presenting ‘workshop’ materials online so that we do not go any longer without offering respite and tools to both/either workers or victims.
 
Faithfully yours,
Maggie

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is denouncing the verbal, physical, psychological and sexual violence that women endure and is demanding greater protections for them.
Francis dedicated his February prayer intentions to female victims of violence, and said those who commit such abuses are cowards.
“It’s shocking how many women are beaten, insulted, and raped,” he said. “The various forms of ill-treatment that many women suffer are acts of cowardice and a degradation of all humanity. Of men and of all humanity."
He praised those women who “dare to break their silence” to seek help and said the church can't look away.
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