Let’s Connect: Multiple Ways to Support the Mission of Palmer Home

Spring is here and the promise of new life is evident in fresh and tangible ways.  Outside we see birds building nests to give shelter to their delicate eggs, flower buds popping up ready to flood the landscape with vibrant colors and scents, and even determined blades of grass pushing up through cracks in the sidewalk, claiming their place under the warmth of the sun.  Our hearts quicken as we take in the new life around us because we know that all of these things point to the Source of life, the Giver of new beginnings, the Nourisher of hope, and the Author of our stories.

Our hearts also quicken when we hear the words of this Source of life when He calls us to, “…look after the orphans and the widows in their distress…” in the book of James. “Yes!” our hearts cry, “Yes! Let’s be part of what the Lord is doing to bring about new life and new hope in the lives of His children…but how?”  The beauty of being involved with Palmer Home is that there are so many ways to use our individual gifts and talents to bring glory to God and to bring hope and life to His precious children.

Are you ready to pack your bag and serve on a summer mission team? Or are you an avid baker who can participate in a bake sale? Are you gifted with carpentry or painting skills? Are you connected on social media and excited to spread the word? Young and old (and everyone in between!), near and far; there are no limitations on who can help and how to be involved. As our hearts are stirred anew, let’s explore the many ways we can be involved at Palmer Home:

Summer Mission Trips 

Wait! Before you skim over this section because you fall outside of the high school to college age range, consider a new perspective on mission trip participants.  Summer mission trips to Palmer Home are for all the ages. Intergenerational mission trips are a wonderful way to blend the wisdom and experience of more seasoned participants along with the energy and enthusiasm of younger participants. The friendships and mentorships that are formed on summer mission trips often last a lifetime. Are you involved in a small group or prayer team that has met regularly for years? Consider adding a new dimension to your regular routine and serve alongside one another at one of our campuses. Sororities, fraternities, bible study groups, book club members and everyone in between can take part in Palmer Home as summer missionaries. Groups will bless Palmer Home in a number of ways during their stint on this hallowed ground: gardening, landscaping, painting, minor construction jobs, home repairs, assisting with events, and connecting with our precious children and staff are just a handful of ways in which hearts and lives are changed over the course of one short week. For more information, contact Donna Otts on the Columbus campus at dotts@palmerhome.org or Pam Criger on the Hernando campus at pcriger@palmerhome.org

Ambassadors 

Are you active on social media? Do you enjoy using this platform to spread the word and engage with people far and wide? We are looking for social media advocates on our Ambassador Team. Each month you’ll receive an email with ideas, photos, graphics and goals to share with others from your social media account. We’ll provide training about the best way and time to share for the biggest impact. As you share about the work of Palmer Home through these powerful and far-reaching avenues, you can help us rescue more children, recruit additional caregivers, and empower more parents working with hurting youth. For more information contact Melissa Mowrey at mmowrey@palmerhome.org.

Creative Fundraising and Donation Drives 

Maybe traveling to Palmer Home is a long shot at this point in your life.  Don’t fret! There are plenty of ways you can be involved with creative fundraising and donation drives no matter where you live.  Who doesn’t love a decadent (or simple) bake sale when the proceeds benefit an important and impactful ministry? Children can be involved too, whether helping with baking (and taste testing) for bake sales or making posters and signs to advertise about fundraising events.

You or someone within your community can create a summer read-a-thon program for children in which a local business, church, library or family donates funds or books to Palmer Home every time a participant completes a specified number of books. Summer reading becomes more exciting and children at Palmer Home benefit from the proceeds. Win-win!  

Are you hosting a summer grill out, a 4th of July block party, a pool party, or a birthday party? Consider asking your guests to bring a donation for Palmer Home. Click on this link to see a list of helpful items that will meet a need at Palmer Home.  Are you getting married this year? As much as guests enjoy personalized cookies and fridge magnets, another meaningful memento from your special day could be a donation to Palmer Home on behalf of your guests.

Another creative way to raise funds and awareness is to host a local running race or to partner with a local sporting event that benefits Palmer Home. What is more motivating than running a race on behalf of children whose lives are being transformed by the love and care they receive at our campuses? Regardless of the distance between you and Palmer Home, the ways in which you can be involved are endless. For more information contact Lura Jordan at ljordan@palmerhome.org.

Community Partners and Volunteers 

We are so appreciative of the community partners and volunteers who donate their time and energy to us. If you live nearby, we have specific needs for roofing, ceramic tiling, painting, and landscaping jobs at our campuses. We would also benefit from volunteers with commercial drivers licenses. Our houseparents are blessed when community members prepare a meal for their families, or even have pizzas delivered for a midweek supper. There is also a need for care packages that are given to new residents upon their arrival at Palmer Home. The contents of these care packages meet more than basic needs; they extend a warm welcome and usher in a sense of belonging.  For more information contact website@palmerhome.org.

Palmer Home Heroes 

We depend on the generosity of individuals, corporations, foundations, civic groups and churches to provide for our children’s basic needs. Monthly giving is a consistent and convenient way for you to invest in the lives of children who have endured much already and whose futures are fertile ground for hope, change, growth, and abundance. Learn more.

Palmer Home Sponsors 

Sponsorship is a unique and powerful way to connect with the children at Palmer Home. This role entails a commitment to consistency in tangible ways. The relationships born out of sponsorship are influential and encouraging; this is a role we do not take lightly and one that we prize deeply. If you would like to consider being an individual sponsor or a family sponsor please consider the following: including the child in the life of your family, being available for events such as sports games, performances, and recitals, and becoming an extended network of support for the child. The lasting effects of these relationships are incalculable for both the sponsors and the children.  Lives are changed each time we simply show up. For more information contact website@palmerhome.org.

Has your heart been stirred as you read this? Like the spring flowers pushing out of the dark soil, ready to paint the land with color and to bless the world with the aroma of new life, the children of Palmer Home are in a time and place of new life and new hope. The opportunities to be involved, both near and far, are boundless. The children whose lives will be touched and changed by your involvement are priceless. Say “Yes!” and join us as we foster growth and hope in the lives of these precious children.