It’s “launch week” for my brand new book The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living. To celebrate, we are paying tribute to seven very special examples of “The Grace of Yes in Action”, the seven winners for our “Name the Goldfish” contest. I will be making a personal donation to these organizations and invite you to keep them in your prayers as well. Please help me share the good news about each of these seven organizations by sharing them via social media too — we can do a world of good by sharing the amazing work they are doing to serve others.

Tune in each day this week to meet new “Friends of Fiat”!

St. Anthony Family Shelter:

Winner Erika M. said of her favorite charity:

St. Anthony Family Shelter provides a place for families in distress with a place to stay while they get back on their feet. They say “Yes” generously by welcoming all who need their help, no matter what their faith, ethnic, or economic background is. They seek to help families and provide them not only with a warm place for shelter but also with resources, information, and the motivation they need to get back up and continue serving their families.

Based in Wichita, Kansas, the shelter is a family-centered environment, which provides families with basic needs, assistance and support to gain stable housing, education on parenting and other life skills, and referrals to community resources. After leaving the shelter, families may participate in a follow up program to help ensure their success. I love the shelter’s emphasis (per their website) on preserving the dignity of the families they serve:

The shelter is unique in terms of efforts made to preserve the dignity of the families we serve, “family” being defined as a single parent or married couple with children accompanying them. Individuals and couples without children under 18 are referred to other shelters in the city. As many as 13 families can be accommodated in private rooms each night.

While residing at the shelter, families’ basic needs are met, including three meals a day, personal hygiene supplies, laundry facilities and an indoor play area. While at the shelter, residents agree to complete household chores and follow established guidelines. The length of stay is determined on a case-by-case basis, ranging from a few nights to thirty days.

To support the St. Anthony Family Shelter:

• Click here to make a monetary donation
• Click here for needed donation items
• Click here for information on volunteering

To learn more about the work of St. Anthony Family Shelter of Wichita, click here.

Father in heaven, we lift the work of St. Anthony Family Shelter to you. Please bless the labors of these generous servants who toil to give dignity and shelter to those most in need. We pray for the families who will sleep without shelter tonight, who will go without meals and who are searching for jobs and the basic necessities of life. Open our eyes Lord to see you in the face of those most in need. Open our hearts to serve you in loving them.

Click here to order The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living and tune in tomorrow to meet our next “Friends of Fiat”.