We are very excited to announce our new website! Going forward we will use this new site to announce upcoming events, current needs, and other information.
Check us out here: thehouseoflight.us
empowering families furnishing homes
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
New Website!!!
We are very excited to announce our new website! Going forward we will use this new site to announce upcoming events, current needs, and other information.
Check us out here: thehouseoflight.us
Friday, April 25, 2014
2nd Annual Garage Sale
Mark your calendars! House of Light is having our 2nd Annual Yard Sale Fundraiser on May 9th and 10th! If you will be spring cleaning in the next couple of weeks would you please consider a donation of your items to the yard sale? All of the proceeds from the yard sale go directly to House of Light! The money earned will help to cover our general operating expenses (storage unit fees, gasoline, Bibles, new pillows and linens, marketing, etc.) This is a great way to clean house and support a wonderful cause! If you don’t have items to DONATE to the sale, please consider coming to SHOP!
The yard sale will take place in Tallyn’s Reach at 24326 E. Ottawa Avenue, Aurora CO 80016. For your convenience, you can drop your donations at this address starting next week! Nikie will be home to accept items Monday – Wednesday, April 28-30th from 9:00-11:00am and Friday, May 2nd from 9:00-11:00am. If these drop times do not fit your schedule, please just call or text Nikie at 303-241-8565 to set something up. We will accept donations through Wednesday, May 7th!
We will be accepting most things, but there is a small list of things we are not accepting. No used baby bottles, nipples, etc. No cribs or car seats. No “free with purchase” coffee mugs. Cute ones are good! Nothing broken, missing pieces or parts, or anything yucky. No candles (they melt and are a pain to deal with). No cassette tapes or VHS. Also, please no Christmas items (unless you think it will be a hot seller in early Spring!)
We are incredibly grateful for your continued support!
Friday, February 28, 2014
February 2014
In February we were able to provide furnishings for three single mamas. We loaded up the truck and realized a few things. We did not have enough room in the truck for everything we needed to bring. We also noticed that we were one twin bed shy of what we needed. And peering into our storage unit, we immediately noticed that our "Mountain of Mattresses" was down to one! But these were easy fixes! We threw a table, two chairs, and a TV into the back of one car, and we ran to Sonya's house and pulled the mattress of her sweet girl's bed! Crisis averted!
We then set off for our first drop. We weren't able to take any pictures of that drop, but brought a new mattress with new sheets and the kitchen table and chairs to this mama and her daughter.
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| All filled up! |
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| The extras! |
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| Then there was one! And one is the loneliest number! |
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| Yep! We were totally okay stealing from our own. |
At our second drop, we thought we would be bringing three mattresses, but the mom decided that she only needed two. Therefore, Sonya's sweetheart did not have to sacrifice her mattress this time... When we arrived, there were no beds for this family, and the cutest little girlie "helped" us get everything set up.
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| Mama's Room Before |
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| Mama's Room After |
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| Baby Girl's Room Before |
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| Baby Girl's Room After |
The third drop was definitely the most emotional for us all. A single pregnant mama, due this Spring, with her second baby girl. She has a high-risk pregnancy and had been sleeping on an air mattress with a hole or the recliner that her mother had found on the side of the road. Her cabinets had a few storage pieces with two coffee mugs and some paper plates and plastic cups. She shared a little bit of her story and told us that just a few weeks ago she never knew where she and her daughter would be sleeping, and couldn't believe that she now had a place to call home! She was very emotional and very thankful, which always triggers a few tears on our end as well. She feels safe and proud of her home.
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| Before |
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| After |
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| Mama's Room Before |
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| Mama's Room After |
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| The New Living Room full of Furniture and Amy's Big Smile! |
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| We don't usually donate TVs, but we happened to have to have one in the car, and this mama was so thankful. |
We cannot thank you enough for your willingness to invest in these women. You really are changing lives! Thank you!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Looking Back on 2013
Looking back at what we have done in this last year, we are simply amazed at what we have accomplished. We have learned, and are still learning, how to run this great venture called House of Light. But with the determination and heart from the women who are House of Light, we have delivered furniture to thirteen families.
January: With a round of strong coffee, seven women discussed and created House of Light.
One of the biggest obstacles for HOL in beginning was finding donated mattresses. The HOL Council began to pray for mattresses. Donations began to pour in. We were in no way prepared for the "Miracle of Mattresses" and had no way to store them. Brandy graciously opened up her garage and then her basement. It became comical that what once was our greatest need became our most donated item. At one point we had 12 mattress sets. We also started to build our collection of bedding, towels, kitchen tables, chairs, dressers, and couches.
April: "This is the best day of my life!" Those were the words exclaimed by a sweet girl after her empty house was filled with a table and chairs, sofa, love seat and dressers. Every member of the family went to bed that night with new pillows, sheets, and a comforter. When we arrived, each family member had a mattress to sleep on, and that was all. This little girl slept on clean sheets for the first time! There was not a dry eye to be found!
We even picked up this large table on our way to our drop. We could not even believe that we were able to find such a big table to donate to our sweet family. The Lord had definitely provided!
May: A sweet family that had two girls who both love sports made a furniture donation. They were relocating and didn't need the girls desks and beds. Imagine the timing when we found out the family we were giving the furniture to was a single mom with two girls. Before HOL unloaded, the two girls had a soccer ball, basketball and guitar in their rooms. With the generous donation, each girl had a bed and desk. The mom also got a bed and dresser, and the family had a couch, end tables, a coffee table and a kitchen table. There were tears in this mama's eyes when she said, "I could never thank you enough. My house is something right out of a magazine." Looking at her new tea cups and saucers, she also mentioned that she would learn to drink tea!
Word was getting around about HOL. Our collection was becoming too large for a basement. Needing funds for a storage unit, we did a fundraiser yard sale. People came through, like they always do, and donated like crazy!
June/July: We unofficially took a "break" for summer, but the donations continued to pile up on Brandy's porch and in her basement. We received our first out of state donation, and Lisa traveled back from Iowa with a queen sized mattress, first attached to the top of the car, and then squeezed on top of the children!
August: HOL feels official. We have a new logo. We have business cards. We even have a new storage unit for our donations! Southlands Storage Unit became the new hot spot for loading and unloading the truck!
September: One of this month's drops was to a single mom with four kids. Walking in, the house was perfectly clean, but very empty. In the corner where a six year old slept was a neatly folded burgundy comforter with a stuffed Spidey sitting on top. It felt so good to leave behind a twin bed with sports bedding.
October: Sometimes when a donation comes in it sits for a while, waiting for just the right person or family. Toward the beginning of our gathering items for HOL, we received a cute black and white queen comforter with Dr. Suess on it. It was a little tricky because you want to give a girl, well, something girly. And usually the young boys we provided bedding to were getting twin bedding. When we packed up the bedding for the October drop, we had no idea that the six year old twin boys who were playing hide and seek in the closet were the perfect fit. They couldn't believe this new fun Dr. Suess bedding was theirs. Before HOL there was nothing in the two bedroom apartment. When we left, the once empty apartment was now a home.
November: "My wife really wants to arrange the furniture herself." It was such a sweet thought by the man we delivered to. We delivered a sofa, kitchen table and chairs and two bedroom sets. We were careful to leave the design to his wife. I know I love to have a say where my couch is going to be.
December: We ended up not doing an official drop in December and only picking up donated furniture, which was a blessing in disguise. We had so many donations, we ended up "dividing and conquering," and making it back to the schools to pick up our kids, just in time! We were still able to give furniture to a family through The Family Tree, who graciously met us at our storage unit with their own truck and delivered the furniture for us.
Did you know the ladies moving furniture are the members of HOL? We are a strong and determined group of women. Moving heavy furniture is hard. It is especially hard when the temps are in the 30s (or below) and we have also learned it is tricky to hold a heavy dresser when the sweat reaches your hands. But we love it! We look forward to the second Friday of each month when we can gather together and bless our neighbors. We know, though, that it was more than furniture we delivered to these families. It was a sense of hope. God is good!
January: With a round of strong coffee, seven women discussed and created House of Light.
February: We continued to meet and form who we were and what we would be. HOL began collecting gently used household items by "begging" and pleading to our friends and neighbors...and they willingly came through.
March: Our first drop was to a sweet woman that was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. HOL was able to provide a bed and recliner for recovery. The recliner was a donation that happened a day before delivery. With a bed and a recliner, she was able to schedule surgery, which was way overdue.
We also had a second drop in March for a single mom and her young son. She was working hard and even going back to school. When their family came home after a long day, they had living room and dining room furniture waiting for them!
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| Bed provided for our first client |
We also had a second drop in March for a single mom and her young son. She was working hard and even going back to school. When their family came home after a long day, they had living room and dining room furniture waiting for them!
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| Emily keeping us organized |
One of the biggest obstacles for HOL in beginning was finding donated mattresses. The HOL Council began to pray for mattresses. Donations began to pour in. We were in no way prepared for the "Miracle of Mattresses" and had no way to store them. Brandy graciously opened up her garage and then her basement. It became comical that what once was our greatest need became our most donated item. At one point we had 12 mattress sets. We also started to build our collection of bedding, towels, kitchen tables, chairs, dressers, and couches.April: "This is the best day of my life!" Those were the words exclaimed by a sweet girl after her empty house was filled with a table and chairs, sofa, love seat and dressers. Every member of the family went to bed that night with new pillows, sheets, and a comforter. When we arrived, each family member had a mattress to sleep on, and that was all. This little girl slept on clean sheets for the first time! There was not a dry eye to be found!May: A sweet family that had two girls who both love sports made a furniture donation. They were relocating and didn't need the girls desks and beds. Imagine the timing when we found out the family we were giving the furniture to was a single mom with two girls. Before HOL unloaded, the two girls had a soccer ball, basketball and guitar in their rooms. With the generous donation, each girl had a bed and desk. The mom also got a bed and dresser, and the family had a couch, end tables, a coffee table and a kitchen table. There were tears in this mama's eyes when she said, "I could never thank you enough. My house is something right out of a magazine." Looking at her new tea cups and saucers, she also mentioned that she would learn to drink tea!Word was getting around about HOL. Our collection was becoming too large for a basement. Needing funds for a storage unit, we did a fundraiser yard sale. People came through, like they always do, and donated like crazy!
June/July: We unofficially took a "break" for summer, but the donations continued to pile up on Brandy's porch and in her basement. We received our first out of state donation, and Lisa traveled back from Iowa with a queen sized mattress, first attached to the top of the car, and then squeezed on top of the children!
August: HOL feels official. We have a new logo. We have business cards. We even have a new storage unit for our donations! Southlands Storage Unit became the new hot spot for loading and unloading the truck!
September: One of this month's drops was to a single mom with four kids. Walking in, the house was perfectly clean, but very empty. In the corner where a six year old slept was a neatly folded burgundy comforter with a stuffed Spidey sitting on top. It felt so good to leave behind a twin bed with sports bedding.
 |
| Packing up the truck |
October: Sometimes when a donation comes in it sits for a while, waiting for just the right person or family. Toward the beginning of our gathering items for HOL, we received a cute black and white queen comforter with Dr. Suess on it. It was a little tricky because you want to give a girl, well, something girly. And usually the young boys we provided bedding to were getting twin bedding. When we packed up the bedding for the October drop, we had no idea that the six year old twin boys who were playing hide and seek in the closet were the perfect fit. They couldn't believe this new fun Dr. Suess bedding was theirs. Before HOL there was nothing in the two bedroom apartment. When we left, the once empty apartment was now a home.
November: "My wife really wants to arrange the furniture herself." It was such a sweet thought by the man we delivered to. We delivered a sofa, kitchen table and chairs and two bedroom sets. We were careful to leave the design to his wife. I know I love to have a say where my couch is going to be.
December: We ended up not doing an official drop in December and only picking up donated furniture, which was a blessing in disguise. We had so many donations, we ended up "dividing and conquering," and making it back to the schools to pick up our kids, just in time! We were still able to give furniture to a family through The Family Tree, who graciously met us at our storage unit with their own truck and delivered the furniture for us.
Did you know the ladies moving furniture are the members of HOL? We are a strong and determined group of women. Moving heavy furniture is hard. It is especially hard when the temps are in the 30s (or below) and we have also learned it is tricky to hold a heavy dresser when the sweat reaches your hands. But we love it! We look forward to the second Friday of each month when we can gather together and bless our neighbors. We know, though, that it was more than furniture we delivered to these families. It was a sense of hope. God is good!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
KinderBike
We would like to thank our supporters at KinderBike for their generous donation of 6 brand new KinderBikes! We were able to sell the bikes at our Garage Sale this past weekend where 100% of the profits will benefit The House of Light. Although much of what we are bringing on our drops has been donated, we are incurring costs for truck rentals and purchasing consumable items such as toiletries and kitchen items. Thank you for helping us make a difference in the lives of these families!
You can support KinderBike by "liking" their Facebook Page here and visiting their webpage here.
Friday, March 22, 2013
"Shelby"
Our second drop was for a young teen mom and her 5 year old son. "Shelby" has been working with The Family Tree and going through a work study program to support herself and her son. We ran into a few glitches during this drop, but we were still able to bless Shelby with furniture and even some clothes for her son.
The first glitch was getting the mattress for Shelby's bed, but God provided! Then, on our way, Brandy contacted the case worker who was having trouble getting in touch Shelby. We pulled all of our vehicles over and waited to see what the plan would be.
We finally got the go-ahead to head out to Shelby's house and the case worker would meet us there.
When we got there, it was clear that Shelby was not going to meet us. She had a job interview and was at school. For those of us who had been on Jane's drop it was a little disappointing that we weren't able to meet Shelby, but the case worker assured us that this will probably be more of the "norm" than Jane.
At first we weren't sure what to do with all of the furniture that we had brought for Shelby and her son. We lucked out when her neighbor and her brother showed up and were able to get in touch with Shelby. The case worker managed to talk her in to letting the neighbor let us drop the big items in the backyard and her brother brought the linens and smaller items into the house before he left for work.
Although this drop had a much different feel than the first one, we still know that God's Hand was at work through the entire process. We, as a team, have learned a lot and are continuing to grow into a more cohesive group. And, our passion for our community and especially these women continues to grow!
A big thank you again to all who have contributed. We could not have done any of this without your support, your prayers, and your donations. Thank you!
The first glitch was getting the mattress for Shelby's bed, but God provided! Then, on our way, Brandy contacted the case worker who was having trouble getting in touch Shelby. We pulled all of our vehicles over and waited to see what the plan would be.
We finally got the go-ahead to head out to Shelby's house and the case worker would meet us there.
So, off we went!
When we got there, it was clear that Shelby was not going to meet us. She had a job interview and was at school. For those of us who had been on Jane's drop it was a little disappointing that we weren't able to meet Shelby, but the case worker assured us that this will probably be more of the "norm" than Jane.
At first we weren't sure what to do with all of the furniture that we had brought for Shelby and her son. We lucked out when her neighbor and her brother showed up and were able to get in touch with Shelby. The case worker managed to talk her in to letting the neighbor let us drop the big items in the backyard and her brother brought the linens and smaller items into the house before he left for work.
Once we got started, the drop went quickly.
Although this drop had a much different feel than the first one, we still know that God's Hand was at work through the entire process. We, as a team, have learned a lot and are continuing to grow into a more cohesive group. And, our passion for our community and especially these women continues to grow!
A big thank you again to all who have contributed. We could not have done any of this without your support, your prayers, and your donations. Thank you!
The Crew!
Here is a list of the items we were able to leave for Shelby and her son:
- Sofa
- Two Chairs
- End Table
- Lamp
- Bed Linens for both mama and son
- Bath Towels, Hand Towels, and Washcloths
- Book Shelf
- TV Trays
- 2 Kitchen Chairs
- Bed Pillows
- Clothes for her son
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