Paychecks for homeless helping revitalize downtown Vero Beach park
This is a good way to give back what’s been given to me,’ Ronald Rupchis says.
Combatting Homelessness: Partnership between city, local nonprofit helping community
VERO BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Growing numbers of people in multiple south Florida cities are experiencing homelessness, creating problems for the communities. One of those cities was Vero Beach.
INTERESTED IN BOOKING THE DIGNITY FOOD TRUCK OR A CATERING EVENT?
WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! CONTACT ANTHONY ZORBAUGH AT 772-564-0202!
Important Notice: The Source is open seven days a week from 5 pm to 9 pm for individuals who will be spending the night on Dignity Bus and returning at 7 a.m. the following day
Staff and Board Members of The Source join hearts and hands to support “Chloe’s Courageously Conquering Cardio”. Chloe is an amazing 9 year old young lady who has undergone a heart transplant. We are super excited to see what God has in store for Chloe and for you!
Our member Tim was recently reunited with his family in Ohio. Tim came back to Vero Beach to bury his mother 6 weeks ago. Due to the trauma and unforeseen circumstances he was left alone and homeless. We were able to get him stable and reconnect him with his loving family back in Ohio. At The Source we reunite families whenever possible!
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Our Dental Partners
Member Heather Ferguson is our newest Dignity Hospitality student at The Source. Pictured above is Heather answering phones and standing on Business with enforcing the rules! Please congratulate her and continue to give her encouraging words, when you see her at Commerce. She has done well her first 2 weeks in training.
Mr Weaver completed his 6-week training and has successfully graduated from our new Dignity Hospitality Program. He earned his Alliance Hospitality certificate and gained employment immediately. Let’s congratulate him on his new journey in the Hospitality field.
Tommylee finally got to test out his new smile. Thanks to Dr. Napoles and the Nuva Dental team, next month he will be receiving the real thing. He has been without teeth since 2020 and looking forward to being able to smile again and eat crispy fried chicken. We are so happy for Tommylee and blessed to be a part of this process with him. Stay tuned, New Dignity Smile coming soon!
This is a picture of member Jerry Wetmore. He drew and wrote this based on the Serenity Prayer. The serenity prayer has been very significant in his life because God’s Word and Love keeps him going and keeps forgiveness in front of him. He shared a sad part of his life, in that his younger brother murdered their father and was sentenced to 45 years in prison for this atrocity. His mother apparently was involved but because she testified against his brother she was not prosecuted. Not only did he lose his Dad but his family as he knew it was torn apart never to be the same again. So, the Serenity Prayer helps him to process the pain and trauma and accept the things he can’t change.
We have had the pleasure of witnessing Olguy grow over the last 5 years. We have been dedicated to supporting him on his journey to a life of stability and self-sufficiency. Olguy has stayed committed, trusted the process, and graduated from the Dining with Dignity Culinary Training Program and moved into the Dignity Jobs Program. He now serves diligently, as our Laundry Attendant and we could not be prouder. The Olguy who showed up on our doorsteps 7 years ago, who was scared, alone, and didn’t speak a word is not the same person who is now running our Laundry Facilities. Being a part of our programs has boosted his self-confidence, his communication skills, and gave him a family to belong to.
We are very proud of our former member Denae who was with us for a short while during the winter of 2022. Click on her video (below) and hear in her own voice how The Source helped her get back on her feet.
Members of The Source do varied jobs for building and ground maintenance, and in turn earn them “Source Bucks”. Once accumulated, the “Source Bucks” can be handed in towards the purchase of a variety of needs. Recently, many of the members have been purchasing new bicycles for their transportation by earning enough of the “Source Bucks” to pay for them.
Dignity Smiles provides free dental restoration to eligible Dining with Dignity graduates. Proper dentistry makes a difference with their confidence and employability. The Source partners with Dr. Sadesh Kumar, founder of Wickham Dental Care in Melbourne, FL, along with other dental partners across Florida.
Meet Chriss Hunter, he recently joined the Dining with Dignity Culinary Training Program to pursue employment and other resources to get his life back on track. As a student here, he received case management assistance that helped him research and obtain the required documents to get his Florida ID like his birth certificate. We provided Chris transportation to the DMV, walked in with him, and supported him throughout the process from start to finish. This is one barrier removed that brings Chriss closer to his goals. We are happy to be able to celebrate Chriss’s accomplishments in the program so far, like getting his ID today and looking forward to him graduating and moving into employment soon. Congratulations Chriss!
In Memory of Karen
Meet Antonio
Antonio went from a happy childhood to a rocky period in his life when he fathered a child with a girlfriend, dropped out of school to support them, getting involved with the wrong crowd that led him to using drugs and becoming homeless. Once he discovered The Source, he began training as a student in the Dignity Foods program, cooking on the Dignity Food Truck and obtaining skills necessary for finding a job. He has now reunited with his Alabama family and has obtained a job as a manager at a local food chain!Meet Krystal
With her mother on drugs and her dad deceased, Krystal grew up in foster care and after high school, Krystal gave birth to a daughter, now seven. She never stopped dreaming of becoming educated and bettering herself, thus moved to Orlando to attend college and obtain a job to support them both. When COVID forced her to lose it all and became homeless, she found The Source. Following her tenure in the Dining with Dignity program and working on the food truck, The Source guided her to a qualified job that has enabled her to work full time, find a home and enjoy her new car gifted from a Source benefactor!Meet Olguy
Olguy hails from Haiti and speaks limited English. Like many other homeless, unfortunate circumstances and the inability to live with family, drove Olguy to the streets until he discovered The Source. He enrolled in the Dining with Dignity program and worked on the Food Truck obtaining the skills to cook, bake and operate a kitchen. As a recent graduate of the program, The Source was able to assist him in finding a job at a local restaurant right here in Vero Beach. The Source has made him not only feel at home with support from everyone around him, he has learned skills that will take him far in the food industry!Meet Chriss Hunter
Chriss Hunter recently joined the Dining with Dignity Culinary Training Program to pursue employment and other resources to get his life back on track. As a student here, he received case management assistance that helped him research and obtain the required documents to get his Florida ID like his birth certificate. We provided Chriss transportation to the DMV, walked in with him, and supported him throughout the process from start to finish. This is one barrier removed that brings Chriss closer to his goals. We are happy to be able to celebrate Chriss’s accomplishments in the program so far, like getting his ID and we look forward to him graduating and moving into employment soon. Congratulations Chriss!
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Thanksgiving Day Lunch for our members
in NewsVero Beach Museum of Art
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