Harrisonburg, VA - Thanks to a grant award from the Learning by Giving Foundation, in partnership with James Madison University, Gemeinschaft Home hosted an open house on September 21, 2018,  to give local area college students the opportunity to learn about our nonprofit mission and the people we serve.

Throughout the afternoon, nearly 100 students from JMU and Eastern Mennonite University were on grounds, talking with residents and staff, touring the main house and program facility, and taking part in various activities and light refreshments. As more students become familiar with Gemeinschaft Home, they are increasingly seeking out opportunities to volunteer, to become interns, and to find other ways to be involved with the organization.

For more information about student involvement at Gemeinschaft Home, visit our website and ask to join our mailing list. Look for the next College Day Open House happening in Fall 2019!

Harrisonburg, Va - The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Drug Court was notified last month that it had been awarded federal grant funds ($2 million in total over 5 years) through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to increase the level of support services and the number of participants in the drug court program. Gemeinschaft Home will provide recovery housing to eligible participants referred through the program, as part of the five-year collaboration and we seek to expand our capacity to serve women as well as men in a residential setting.

Harrisonburg, VA - One of the hallmarks of the Gemeinschaft Home residential program is the cognitive behavioral component, a curriculum of life recovery topics covered in group and one-on-one counseling settings. During the 90-day program, residents participate in sessions that are designed to help them manage issues ranging from anger control to addiction.

In October, Gemeinschaft Home launched another type of cognitive behavioral curriculum called Decision Points, an established program used both in re-entry and incarceration facilities around the country. The Virginia Department of Corrections uses the program in some institutions as well, and some residents arrive with experience already in the program.

The approach asks residents to use critical thinking to avoid a “trouble cycle,” using the following questions as a framework: What am I thinking and feeling right now? Who else cares what I do right now? What could I do right now? What are some motivating thoughts?

Residents are given an opportunity to think about the choices surrounding any given decision and the people affected in the process, as a means to establish new, healthy patterns of thinking and living.

Starting in the Fall of 2017, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), faculty and students from the School of Music and Department of Social Work at James Madison University created a music-making/storytelling project that was entirely based on contributions from residents in the program, including a community-based performance with local musicians at the end of the project year.

The purpose of the project is to provide a forum for formerly incarcerated individuals to be heard in society, to share those experiences with people who would otherwise be unaware of the barriers they face.

While the NEA grant concluded, faculty and students have continued working on the project this fall, meeting once each week on Monday evenings, under the guidance of Robby McCoubrey.

The project will continue after the new year, and there will be opportunities for community members to hear some of the music and stories created by Gemeinschaft Home residents at local venues in the near future.

Watch out for updates on our website and Facebook page!

Harrisonburg, VA - Gemeinschaft Home board members serving on the fundraising and public relations committee launched two new fundraising efforts for Gemeinschaft Home this fall.  On the morning of October 20, they hosted the first-ever yard sale, created entirely from donated items, with the help of residents, staff, and a crew of JMU student volunteers.

Strite’s made a generous donation of ten dozen donuts that were sold during the event along with hotdogs and drinks to raise additional funds. Part of the day’s activities included a raffle drawing for a beautiful, handmade quilt that was won by Jane Gray. Attendance among local area folks was steady through the morning, and the event was successful overall.

The second event, a week-long drive to raise donations (November 18 – 24), recently concluded, with money raised both online and via mailed contributions. Look for more fundraising events in the near future and other ways that you can provide financial support for the Gemeinschaft Home community.