Ivy Members Open their Hearts for Emmaus homes

The  annual Open Your Heart dinner-auction benefits residents of Emmaus, a faith-based organization serving more than 250 men and women with developmental disabilities in the St. Louis metropolitan area.  As in the past, this year’s event, held February 4, netted thousands of dollars to help supplement governmental funding for Emmaus.  For every $1 needed to cover program and operating expenses, there’s a 15 cent shortfall in state support.  The Emmaus Foundation is charged with raising funds to close the gap between government payments and actual costs.  The 2012 OYH gala raised just over $50,000.  Attending from Ivy Chapel UCC were Ronn and Dottie Foster; Rod and Judy Hertenstein; Carl and Marsha Ramey; Annie and Shyam Sampath; Nancy Litzinger; and Nancy Hawkins.

The first Emmaus homes were established in 1893 by members of the German Evangelical Church in Marthasville, Mo., to care for individuals with epilepsy and developmental disabilities.  Currently Emmaus operates nearly 50 homes throughout local communities and on its two campuses in St. Charles and Marthasville.  In 2011, Ivy Chapel UCC ‘adopted’ Ross House, a community home in Creve Coeur where six Emmaus residents live.  Ivy members and Ross residents are developing new relationships through this pilot partnership.

Thank you to Brandi Brown Photography for capturing the event in pictures, and for sharing the photos with us.