2ROOFS is Whatcom County's own social real estate team. Every sale helps house a person in need at no additional cost to you. See how it works HERE.
Thank you Chandler & Christine Stone! The sale of your home in Bellingham has provided housing internationally for 38 people through African Road & locally for Skookum Kids. Because of friends like you over 100 people in need were helped in 2roofs' first year of business.
An incredible and timely gift:
New Hope for Girls, African Road partners in Tanzania, is a special family home where 34 girls who were victims of modern slavery, child marriage or who had been left to the streets, find love, healing, education and a new life. The New Hope for Girls family faced a house move in early August when their landlord sold the home they had been renting. To find an affordable house for 38 people (the girls, ‘Mom’-Consoler, and ‘Dad’- Eliya, along with their 5 and 7 year old children) is no easy task. The house that they were able to rent was in poor condition. Your 2roofs donation was used to get the new house ready for this amazing family to move in. The great news is that the new landlord has agreed that any funds used to improve the property can be deducted from their rent. This means your gift was doubled for greatly needed home improvements and, free rent for two months!
This home sale also helped provide emergency housing for 17 young refugees this summer. Tens of thousands of Burundians are living as refugees in East Africa because of extreme poverty and an oppressive government. Your support stabilized these young people as they put down roots in a new country.
Skookum Kids Paying it Forward
Recently, we had a really busy weekend at Skookum House - multiple sibling groups, each with different needs.
And, just coincidentally, 3 of our 6 guests had birthdays while they were with us. So, we had 3 birthday parties in a row.
This happens sometimes, ya know, birthdays celebrated at Skookum, so we're ready for it. We have decorations, candles, supplies for making cupcakes, and presents for different ages and genders all ready to go. These kids really got into it. They put a lot of effort into celebrating each other. It was, I think, as much fun for the staff and volunteers to witness as for the kids to experience.
And then, when the weekend came to an end one of the sibling groups moved on to their next placement, so the house was half-empty. But we got a call that a single child was on their way to us.
And the remaining children, who'd been with us all weekend, when they heard this, they decided it was their job to welcome this new arrival and teach them what Skookum House was about. They picked out a blanket to put on his bed. They got some paper and markers and made a welcome sign for him, and then they rolled out some pizza dough and baked him a pizza.
While they were making the house ready for his arrival, the conversation was just adorable. These kids: foster kids, mind you, children just days removed from their own traumatic removal from the only home they've ever known, decided it was their job to pay it forward and make this new child feel welcomed and safe. They talked about: "Remember how we felt on our first day? We should make sure he knows all the fun things he's about to go do. We'll have to take him to that park, and to this place. Oh, and don't forget we have to show him all the backyard so he knows where the bikes are."
It was really something special. Thank you for supporting these beautiful children that are facing such difficulty.