WATTS 3rd Annual Fundraiser - An Evening of Caring & Sharing

Dinner
Live Music by The Fogg Band
Cash Bar
Raffles
Dancing
Guest Speakers
Awards
Selfie Station
Casual Attire

Our annual fundraiser is a fun evening with dinner, live music, dancing, raffles, awards, and more, where we recognize all the volunteers, churches, community organizations, and businesses who make WATTS a success each and every season. The event is also the major means through which we secure necessary funding for our organization and the upcoming shelter season.

If you are not familiar with WATTS, our mission began with providing safe, temporary, overnight, cold-weather shelter for homeless individuals. Our overnight shelter operates from November through March each year with our guests receiving the hospitality of churches and other community organizations who provide their buildings for shelter and also make sure guests have a nice dinner as well as breakfast the next morning. Primarily, WATTS serves individuals from Winchester, Frederick, and Clarke counties, but our doors are open to ANY homeless adult needing help, with many of our guests coming from neighboring Shenandoah, Warren, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, WATTS continued to operate without any lapse in our regularly offered services. In the past two years, WATTS has actually expanded the services we offer and our mission continues to grow. Expanded services require more funding. Donations from generous individuals, churches, community organizations, businesses, and foundations, in combination with successful fundraising efforts are the lifeblood that allows us to continue our mission and keep expanding our services. Some of these new, needed services include:

We no longer just shelter the homeless - we are working to be a force in the movement to end homelessness with our Transition out of Homelessness program. We now employ three year-round staff members who help our guests overcome the barriers and challenges that keep them in a cycle of homelessness. Something as seemingly simple as obtaining identification or your birth certificate is near impossible when you do not have a fixed address. Our Transition Support Staff help guests with this and so much more: job applications, obtaining federal and state benefits, applying for housing and help with the fees, entrance into drug or alcohol detox/rehabilitation facilities, and patient advocacy, just to name a few.

Our daytime Warming and Cooling Centers have allowed us to reach and help so many more people - last season, 24% of those who utilized the Warming Center never entered our overnight shelter. This is indicative of the great number of 'hidden' homeless in our community - those living in cars, motels, storage units, or couch-surfing. Having the Centers as a place to refer folks on a more year-round basis allows us greater opportunities to connect them with our Transition Support Staff who can help. Additionally, the Centers offer a safe place to warm-up/cool off, get snacks, drinks, and often lunch, use a restroom, and are a safe place to just sit without the worry of being cited with trespassing. WATTS is currently in the process of working with Sinclair Health Clinic to have a free clinic at least once weekly at the Warming Center this winter, where guests would be able to receive preventative treatment to help ward off long hospital stays associated with a medical issue that has gone too far or been diagnosed too late.

An alarming statistic is that many people today are just one or two catastrophic events away from becoming homeless and once you're homeless, getting out is extremely difficult. WATTS would not exist or be able to help so many people without the generous support of our community - we earnestly appreciate your support, partnership, and heart for our homeless. Ways you can help us in this community effort to fight homelessness:
-Buy tickets and come to our event
-Become a sponsor for the event
-Help us spread the word
-Like/Follow us on social media and like/comment/share our posts

#WATTSWinchesterVA

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Date and Time

Saturday Oct 1, 2022
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM EDT

(Cocktail Hour 5-6 pm | Dinner 6 pm)

Location

Bowling Green Country Club North
838 Bowling Green Road
Front Royal, VA 22630

Fees/Admission

Tickets $50
Click here to purchase tickets

Become a Sponsor!
Advertise your business or organization and help our great cause! We have many different sponsorship levels/benefits available to choose from. Reach out to us today for more information #(540) 514-7218.

Website

https://watts-homelessshelter.org/

Contact Information

Robyn Miller, Executive Director
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