VIDEO: SOS Helping the Homeless
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Ferndale 115 News, 9/19/2011)
The South Oakland Shelter (SOS) organizes a network of churches in the area to provide housing for homeless individuals, as well as food, care, training and support to help them get their lives back on track.
Elisabeth Mirer, Director of Development for SOS, was one of the people behind the organization’s new You Tube video SOS: That Could Never Be Me. Volunteers Paul Thompson, Oliver Darrow and Michael Crawford-Lucas worked with Mirer, SOS Executive Director Ryan Hertz and Volunteer Coordinator Austin Kralisz to create the informative and touching piece about the shelter. “The final outcome was truly driven by our clients and former clients in the video. There were no scripts,” Mirer said.
SOS has partnerships with over 60 congregations in Oakland County that take turns hosting SOS guests for a week at a time. In Ferndale there are five churches that participate: Drayton Ave. Presbyterian, Ferndale Free Methodist, First United Methodist of Ferndale, St. James Catholic, Zion Lutheran.
“We are always in need of funding and volunteers to support the work that SOS does in the community,” Mirer said. “And we are always in need of seasonal clothing, gas cards, and gift cards for our clients.”
For those interested in making a donation that can visit the SOS website at www.southoaklandshelter.org, call (248)809-3773 or contact elisabeth@oaklandshelter.org.
For anyone interested in volunteer opportunities they can contact Austin Kralisz at austin@oaklandshelter.org
There is also a fundraiser for SOS on October 15, 2011 at the Townsend Hotel called Dancing with the Stars. There will be a strolling dinner followed by live performances from Lila Lazarus, Terry Foster, Monica Del Signore, and more who will be paired with local dance professionals. These performances will then be judged by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Jackie Paige, Johnny Maalouf, and other local celebrities. The evening will also raise much needed funds for SOS. For questions or to order tickets by phone, please email amanda@oaklandshelter.org.
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NEWS WIRE NOTES: For permission to use the SOS video please contact SOS at (248)809-3773,otherwise this piece may be used for free by approved media distributors.