Circle of Light Homeless Ministry, Milford, Delaware
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To learn more about Circle of Light and how you can support their efforts, contact Deacon Dottie Vuono at Christ Church, Milford.
Call 302 422-8466 or click here to send an email.
PHOTO: Dorothy Vuono (right), Deacon at Christ Church, Milford, and Program Director for Circle of Light, Inc., prepares to open the organization's emergency shelter with Kevin Bowers, Pastor at Milford First Presbyterian and Associate Director of Circle of Light, Inc.
Life-changing ideas can be born in the most innocent-seeming ways.
Dorothy (Dottie) Vuono was sitting in a Clinical Pastoral Education class, one of the many steps that she was tracing to become a vocational deacon in the Diocese of Delaware. As she listened to some of the ministers in the room discuss the problem of homelessness in Milford, Dottie had one of those "I could do that" moments and began to organize a group of community leaders to explore the existing homeless needs and resources in their community.
"I felt like the Holy Spirit had planted a seed," she said. The leaders' first idea was to develop a shelter for homeless women. But as they continued their research over a couple of years, visiting other shelters across Delmarva, she and her colleagues decided to heed the advice of experienced advocates like Bill Perkins of Friendship House. Bill suggested that they start out slow in order to gain knowledge of the system and to build up their volunteer corps before turning their attention to their long-range goal of a permanent shelter.
One of the many benefits of their multi-year planning was the broad community support that they were able to garner. Their small group of community leaders, representing both religious and civic organizations, worked with town officials along the way. Other groups also began getting excited about the project and how their collective efforts could really have an impact on this community issue.
Today, six faith communities, as well as several civic organizations and community leaders, are part of what is now Circle of Light, Inc. in Milford.
And the organization is now producing good fruit. In April 2010, they opened a Resource Center for homeless women, helping families obtain important documents, such as birth certificates, and providing assistance in navigating the complex world of social services. The center has helped 34 homeless women and children as of April, 2011.
"It's the little things that we can assist with that can help them sustain themselves," said Vuono. "We also formed a 'Caring and Sharing' group with the women, allowing a handful of them come together in support each other."
Building on this success and using Dover's Interfaith Mission and Jeanie Kleimo as a mentor, Circle of Light opened an emergency shelter in the winter of 2011 for homeless women and men in Milford. Circle of Light did the client intake, one church offered its facilities, and seven churches, multiple community organizations, and several town restaurants pitched in to run the shelter. "They all displayed enthusiasm the likes of which I have witnessed from afar but now am seeing first hand. Donations of sweat pants, socks, toiletries and the like kept rolling in," remarked Vuono. "If people could have seen one man's face on his way to a hot meal after having a shower and receiving clean clothes – truly, it was a humbling moment just to know we'd been a part of that."
Dottie serves as Circle of Light's program director, partnering with the assistant director, the Rev. Kevin Bowers of Milford's First Presbyterian. Now that the organization's first year is behind them with these great experiences under their belts, they are turning their attention to what's next. "We are looking at creating a community center – a place for transition," said Vuono, "This will allow us to offer all sorts of services as a way to pool resources and energy to accomplish more for people."
And, of course, their long-range goal of a permanent shelter is always at the center of their efforts. "It really has been amazing to see, even in my own parish of Christ Church, just how impactful this project has been," she said. "It's really changed people's mindset – they're networking for the organization and picking up things that we need whenever they find them in their travels. One 80-year-old parishioner was visiting a thrift store in another town and was able to get a great collection of sweat pants donated to us!"
"I do think that God has a sense of humor," said Vuono, "since I have no background to do this type of work, other than my organizational skills. I trust that God will continue to give me the energy to keep up the pace, and I am humbled doing his work."