The Transition House Auxiliary has turned one of the worst years into one of the best.
The group’s 2021 Mad Hatter fundraiser, which included an online auction with more than 80 items, along with three raffle prizes, earned a record-breaking total of $244,000, all to benefit programs designed to lift homeless children at Transition House out of the cycle of generational poverty.
The auxiliary normally holds its popular Mad Hatter luncheon every spring. But the event in 2020 was cancelled due to COVID-19, and this year’s event could not take place either. Yet when an anonymous benefactor offered a $100,000 match, the auxiliary moved forward with a virtual event and raised more than enough money to secure the $100,000 matching funds — and much more.
More than 150 children are housed at Transition House each year. Families and children are offered free childcare through the Infant Care Center, technology and literacy programs, as well as tutoring and homework help.
The resources, tools, and materials provided are focused on enriching the children academically, physically and mentally. The goal at Transition house is to support the children during their stay and provide care while parents go to work, earning money to return to housing.
For more information, contact Kathleen Baushke, executive director, at 805-966-9668 or visit www.transitionhouse.com.
— Marilyn McMahon
