Nishauna Ball joined the Sojourner House board in June 2019 and joined the Sojourner House MOMS board in November 2019; however, her relationship with Sojourner House is a lifelong one and one that has played a pivotal role in the course she has taken in life. Nishauna is Program Development Manager at Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery (POWER). In addition, the Penn Hills resident earned her Master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh with a focus on Social Work, and in January 2020 she passed the Social Work Boards examination earning her licensure in social work. How did you first learn about Sojourner House? I am a former employee. I'm a former volunteer. And I am a former child that lived there. I've been a part of Sojourner House my entire … [Read more...] about Meet Nishauna
Volunteers
Sarah Shotland was in her first year of her MFA program at Chatham University, when her program director, Sheryl St. Germain, mentioned that she taught creative writing at a women's prison when she was in grad school. St. Germain mentioned that she would love to start something similar at Chatham, if any of the students would be interested. Soon thereafter, the two started a program at the Allegheny County Jail, in 2010. After three years, they expanded their work to include the women of Sojourner House. The creative writing courses are taught in 8-15 week semesters, with two teachers from Chatham coming into Sojourner House for weekly 90-minute classes. The teachers are a Chatham faculty member and a graduate student or two graduate students. Shotland explains why creative writing … [Read more...] about Words Without Walls Receives 2020 Pearl of Hope Award
In the time of year when so many think about giving and giving back, Sojourner House is blessed with a great deal of love and support during the holiday season. One of the annual holiday traditions the residents and families enjoy is a Christmas dinner prepared and served by Mitzvah Day volunteers. Mitzvah Day is a holiday tradition where Pittsburgh’s Jewish community volunteers on Christmas Day. “We have Mitzvah Day on Christmas because we recognize that this is not our holiday and we want to make other people’s holiday better,” explains David Chudnow, the Volunteer Center Manager of Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. “Sometimes that is in the form of a friendly face at a fun event like the dinner at Sojourner House or by helping out so that the staff at an organization can take … [Read more...] about Christmas Day Mitzvah is Holiday Tradition
Leah Lizarondo is the CEO and co-founder of Food Rescue Hero and 412 Food Rescue, social enterprises with a technology, logistics and civic engagement model that aims to fight hunger and promote sustainability by preventing perfectly good food from entering the waste stream and directly distributing to organizations that benefit those who are food insecure. Founded in 2015, 412 Food Rescue is one of the fastest-growing food recovery organizations in the U.S. Creating the infrastructure for national retailers. The technology platform, Food Rescue Hero, has prevented over 8 million pounds of food from going to waste via mobilizing over 8,000 drivers in 5 cities --food rescue heroes--the largest volunteer food transport network. 412 Food Rescue's innovative distribution … [Read more...] about 16th Annual Victorian Tea Honorary Chair, Leah Lizarondo
Oct. 25, 2019 New Sojourner House board member Ron Szwarc has wasted no time introducing himself to the Sojourner House community. This fall, Ron has spoken with the staff and Sojourner House mothers, not about his board work, but about his years in recovery. In 1981, Ron’s drinking led him to his first stint in rehab while in the Air Force. “I did everything on my own. Ego led me to believe you can do this on your own,” he said. He was dry for 15 years, but the stress of an international deployment in Malaysia found him back in rehab. After 20 years trying to do it on his own, Ron gave up and made a commitment, “I’m going to do everything AA says.” With decades of experience, Ron now dedicates his time sharing his experiences with others in recovery. As one of two keynote … [Read more...] about New Board Member’s Work is A Family Affair
At the beginning of each academic year, Point Park University’s prestigious Honors Student Organization chooses a local nonprofit organization as its Donation Drive recipient. Much to our delight, this year's recipient was Sojourner House. Approximately 120 students brought their donations to the organization's Aug. 19 Welcome Dinner. The huge amount of donations included cleaning supplies, toiletries, hygiene products, paper towels, and other household supplies. "We started the tradition of a carry-in donation drive some years back with our new honors students, to not only continue the tradition of service that many of them started in high school, but also to get them to move up to service learning," said Helen Fallon, Professor of Journalism, Director of the University Honors … [Read more...] about Point Park University’s Honors Student Organization supporting Sojourner House