Letter from a former House of Ruth client:

Dear House of Ruth,
I can’t begin to tell you what a wonderful time I had at the House of Ruth birthday celebration.  I went alone that evening but left with several new acquaintances.  The purple ribbon I wore on my suit is now displayed on a silk flower arrangement in my dining room.  For me that purple ribbon symbolizes more than just an awareness but the fact that I survived and am alive to tell other women they are not alone and that there is hope and help out there.  

My story is like a hundred others you have heard.  Escape, being taken away in an ambulance, a blood transfusion, days and nights in a hospital, several stitches in my head, a blow-out fracture on my left orbital, a knife thrown at my face, a loaded gun cocked and held to my head, doors punched down to get to me, police taking pictures of my face, reports…  

The last time I lay in a hospital bed, I called House of Ruth.  That was almost nine years ago….  

My grandmother died earlier this year.  I was given a small amount of money from her estate and requested to buy something for my home.  I purchased a new living room set.  Thinking back nine years ago, and remembering how little I had in the way of material possessions, I thought how nice it would be to give my ‘old’ living room set to someone who really needed it.  I called House of Ruth. They came and picked up my small donation.  With tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, I can only hope there is a woman cuddled up with her children on that sofa reading a story or maybe just asleep in each others’ arms, warm and safe.

Letter that accompanied a Christmas donation;

Dear House of Ruth,
The deep gratitude that I hold in my heart for all that you did for my daughter and precious grandchildren last Christmas is something that will be with me always.  You made their lives, and ours, happier during one of the most difficult times of our lives.  The love and support that you gave to all of them is something that is truly hard to find.  To this day, in fact, we have not been able to find the high quality care that you provide for children.  This gift can’t repay what you have done for us but I hope it will help you carry on your valuable work.

Letter to House of Ruth Staff Members:

Dear House of Ruth Staff Members,
I wish to take this time to thank each and every person for helping me and my children have a fulfilled and blessed Christmas.  

I want you to know my children were very excited and overjoyed, because they were able to actually come to the House of Ruth facility and shop for Christmas.  They are also very thankful for the gifts they received. This occasion touched my oldest son’s heart deep within.

He came to me and said, “they really care, Mom, they really care.”  Your warm and devoted services to battered women such as myself characterizes a great sense of love and support.  The kindness and support that has been given will always have a memorable place in my heart that prompts me to keep climbing those high mountains, and when I fall, to stand up and try again and again until I succeed.  “If there is anyone who cares to know, ‘House of Ruth cares.’  It is a caring place for hurting women and their children.  

God bless each and every one,

Carolyn