Thursday, June 19, 2008

Mosaic House Receives $30,000 Grant from the King Foundation

Mosaic Family Services has received a $30,000 grant for Mosaic House from the Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation. This gift will support the program and operating costs of Mosaic House. Our shelter has shown significant growth in recent years, with the number of clients served increasing by 35% between 2005 and 2007. The King Foundation's support will help us serve more families at the shelter and meet the higher demand for our services.

The King Foundation, founded by Carl B. and Florence E. King, supports programs that provide education, services for youth, seniors and the indigent, cultural and historical organizations, and medical research. The foundation has been serving Texas and Arkansas since 1966, and is “committed to the highest standards of philanthropy."

Below is a story from one of the former residents of Mosaic House. Funding from The King Foundation will help many more women like Asmara who are escaping abuse.

“Asmara” is a 27 year-old Female from India who came to the United States 5 years ago to join her husband. Asmara was abused physically and emotionally by him on daily basis. She was not allowed to go out or have friends, and had very little contact with the outside world.

Asmara was referred to Mosaic House by the police department, who responded to a domestic violence call. She came to the shelter with bruises and was very depressed. She had been isolated for so many years that it took days for this client to come out of her apartment at the shelter. When she came up to the office, she found out that the computers were for clients to use. Asmara was able to communicate with her family back in her home country for the first time since coming to the United States five years ago. Since that day, Asmara used the computer everyday to send emails to her family, to submit resumes to potential employers, and to search for a job. Within a week, she was able to go to her first job interview and renew her driver’s license online. Asmara was finally able to connect with the outside world and her community, get a job, and live in a safe environment at the Mosaic House shelter.

For more information on the King Foundation, please visit their website at http://www.kingfoundation.com.

Thank you to the King Foundation for supporting Mosaic!

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