Warm Campaign
WARM CAMPAIGN
Ann Arbor bikes, runs to help homeless women
NEWS PHOTO • ROBERT CHASE
Kathleen Gina is attempting to raise $1,000 for Felch House, a shelter for homeless women.
Ann Arborite
■ Kathleen Gina has undertaken an effort to raise $1,000 for the Felch House shelter.
By MARJORIE KAUTH-KARIALA
NEWS SPECIAL WRITER
As we wrap ourselves in our toasty blankets and sit in our heated homes, Ann Arbor resident Kathleen Gina knows that for the homeless, staying warm in winter is far more of a challenge.
Gina, 48, hopes to help the homeless meet that challenge by raising money for Felch House homeless shelter. She is collecting donations for the home, which lost Washtenaw County funding in April.
To raise the funds, Gina pledged to log 1,000 miles on her bicycle and to compete in the New York City marathon Sunday. So far, since Sept. 6, she’s hiked about 910 miles, most of that through Ann Arbor. She plans to finish the last 90 miles after returning from New York.
A registered nurse with IHS Homecare in Ann Arbor, Gina hopes to finish the marathon in three hours and 55 minutes. This would qualify her for the Boston Marathon in April.
“I’m a person who hates to be cold, so I hope (the fund-raising) helps people not be cold,” Gina said. She decided to try to raise the funds after Princess Diana died in a car accident Labor Day weekend. “I was inspired by what she did for her country and I wanted to do something for my community,” Gina said.
Gina researched what charities she could help and chose Felch House. Located on the comer of Felch and Main streets, the women’s shelter opened in January with county funding. But funding for the shelter was eliminated in April.
“Private contributions have kept it open, but just barely,” said Tina Lloyd, administrator specialist for the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County. The association also operates Huron House, a men’s shelter, and Ashley Place, the day shelter.
Felch House provides shelter for women only. This is important because many women are wary about going to a coed shelter, Lloyd said.
“There’s a growing number of homeless women. ... (But at coed shelters) they feared for their personal safety,” Lloyd said. The shelter has room for up to 30 women and children.
Felch House also provides on-site counseling and support services to help women get their lives back together, Lloyd said.
It costs about $120,000 annually to fund the shelter. With the elimination of funding, the shelter is about $46,000 in the red, Lloyd said.
So far, Gina’s raised $300 but hopes to raise $1,000 for the shelter. Gina said she’s been so busy biking and also training for the marathon, that she didn’t have time to go door-to-door. But Gina’s hoping people in her Eberwhite neighborhood Remember seeing her bike through the streets, because she may be stopping at their door soon, asking for support.
To support Felch House, donors can call Gina at work, 973-2333 or at home, 668-4760. For information: on Felch House, call Lloyd at 662-2829. Donations should be made payable to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County with a note that the donation is for Felch House. Also, non-monetary donations of personal hygiene items for women and winter clothes are needed.