Church of the Redeemer recognized by City of Sarasota for outreach to homeless, at-risk children

Oct. 24, 2013 / Sarasota, Fla. — The City Commission of Sarasota officially recognized the Church of the Redeemer during its Oct. 21 regular meeting, praising the church for serving the community’s homeless and at-risk children through its participation in the third annual Day of Hope held Aug. 3. More than 200 Redeemer and community volunteers donated their time to this year’s Day of Hope. The event provided 179 homeless and at-risk schoolchildren with meals; haircuts; dental, optical and doctor checkups; family portraits; backpacks full of school supplies and $50 gift cards for new clothes.
 
“A community is measured in the size of its heart by how it treats the homeless, and especially homeless children, and I think Day of Hope shows that Sarasota has a big heart,” The Very Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson said upon receiving the proclamation on behalf of Redeemer from Sarasota Mayor Shannon Snyder. “And yet," Rev. Robinson continued, "it’s just a small piece of how we deal in our community with the tremendous problem of homelessness. So we pray at Church of the Redeemer for the wisdom and the resources in our community to alleviate homelessness.”
 
Mayor Snyder singled out Redeemer volunteer leaders Laura and Jay Crouse and Alice and Garland Pollard for their work on behalf of Day of Hope. “The City Commission of the City of Sarasota, on behalf of the citizens of our community, takes great pride in recognizing the Church of the Redeemer for their community spirit and their commitment to making Day of Hope a great success, with the devotion of many volunteers who make a difference,” Snyder said.
 
Pam Hawn, founder of the Bradenton nonprofit Hope Kids Community and the creator of Day of Hope, which started in 2009 and spread to Redeemer in 2011, attended the commission meeting as well. As Crouse thanked the commissioners for their recognition of Redeemer's role in Day of Hope, he also praised Hawn's original vision for the program:  “It just captured our imagination as a way for us to serve the City of Sarasota and homeless, at-risk kids."
 
At the conclusion of recognizing the Church of the Redeemer, Snyder asked the dozens of Redeemer and community volunteers who attended Monday’s meeting to stand, and the commission applauded all of them for their efforts on behalf of the community.

The Church of the Redeemer is a traditional Episcopal church located at 222 S. Palm Ave., in the heart of downtown Sarasota. For more information about Day of Hope, or about the church in general, call 941-955-4263 or visit redeemersarasota.org.