Another layer of treatment at Impact that I've never spoken about includes special events and some "perks" that we are able to give clients because of the kindness of our donors.
I'll start by talking about the Jill Taylor Fund. It was founded by the family of Jill Taylor, an accomplished and beautiful young woman whom we came to know when she came through Impact as a client. She remained in the Pasadena community after her treatment. She was a beloved sister, daughter and friend to many men and women, and she was an attorney. Her heart's dream was to shake off this disease and live a life in recovery. Sadly, it didn't work out this way. Her family believed that it would have pleased Jill to help women new to recovery who were in less fortunate circumstances than she with their basic needs.
This year alone her fund has done phenomenal work. Imagine going out and looking for work without teeth. As an old sponsor once said, "My sponor told me to go get a job, and I told him I look horrible. He told me 'Then go get a horrible job!'" Well, The Fund provided for two of our women to get new teeth! Both of these women are now employed and clean for more than one year.
We have gotten new glasses for two women. Optical care is another health care issue that is nearly impossible (like dental) to have taken care of unless you have cash money. It is not covered for the poor or indigent.
We have provided our women with clothing that we can't provide through the usual channels: a properly fitting bra, the right size shoes, new socks; XXL sizes; work clothes for women who get jobs requiring specific uniform clothes.
The Jill Taylor Fund has afforded us the luxury of helping women in ways we never could before. It's a wonderful thing. In total, just this year we have spent $9,377.95 from this fund and we want to acknowledge the Taylor family and friends who have provided for this amazing gift to our women.
In August, we took all of the women to the Huntington Museum in San Marino. Have you ever been there? The last Thursday of the month is free to the public, look it up on the website and go. It is breathtaking.
Treatment is not just meetings and writing and counseling. It is a whole mind, body and soul kind of thing. Everyone needs a lot of beauty, serenity, spirituality. At least that's how I see it. And those are things you will find at the Huntington.
So we loaded up the vans, poured through the gates and told everyone where to meet at 4 p.m. I simply suggested that they don't miss the art museum, the Japanese Gardens or the lily ponds. But that they were free to explore on their own. Gale and I spent a great deal of time inside the museums because it was much cooler than the 100 plus degrees outside, and the Frank Lloyd Wright furniture exibit is irresistable to me, then we spent ages "meditating" on the scene above the Japanese Gardens. Throughout, we passed the Impact women and they were enjoying everything about it.
I always remember the day we took the House to the Van Gough Exibit at the LA Art Museum and a 40 plus woman from the House told a curator that it was her first visit ever in her life to a museum! That's why we do it.
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