Dear Friends,
Sometimes in life you just have to make do. That’s been our attitude for a little more than 30 years – as we slowly watched the community room chairs in our largest Marist Brothers’ retirement facility wear down to threadbare fabric and flat cushions. We even tried to get by with the old recliners, but we created a terribly dangerous hazard instead!
Traditional recliners are too low, making it impossible for less agile Brothers to get out of a chair without assistance. So we raised the recliners up onto wooden boxes. The idea backfired!
When a Brother braces himself against the chair to stand, the recliner sometimes teeters off its box. I can’t bear to describe the bone-chilling calamities we’ve narrowly escaped. I will say…
These chairs are a serious accident waiting to happen.
We decided that the Brothers’ Christmas gift this year should be sturdy, comfortable, and safe chairs.
However, I urgently need your support just as soon as possible to make this dream come true.
And it’s a BIG dream! To do this right, we need to raise $13,900. That may sound like a huge sum of money but remember…22 Brothers will share this gift, so we need quite a few chairs.
Plus, most of these are not your average living room chair! They’re heavy-duty, power lift and recline chairs that allow our less agile Brothers to rise out of a chair without any assistance at all! The reclining position is critical, also, since it helps the Brothers elevate their legs, alleviate weight pressure, and improve blood circulation.
Finally, we’re looking for quality here. These new chairs must serve many more Brothers for at least another 30 years!
After pricing out the chairs, here’s how the $13,900 grand total breaks down.
- 11 heavy-duty, reclining power lift chairs, at $1,100 each. Six of these chairs will go in the community room and five will go in bedrooms.
- 3 heavy-duty, high-back chairs, at $500 each. These chairs, for Brothers who do not need assistance standing up, will also go in the community room.
- 2 solid wood oak end tables, at only $150 each, for the community room. This means we’re getting the tables at cost – but only if we can afford all 14 chairs.
?I believe in my heart that you will help us this coming Christmas season with a gift – and to show my appreciation for your generosity, I’m sending you a special Christmas prayer card. I pray that the words inspire you to remember the season’s true spirit of hope and giving.
Please know that whatever amount you can afford to donate counts. It’s like the nickel tucked in with my letter. Don’t think of it as 5¢. Imagine how little by little, bit by bit, nickels add up – just as every donation adds up. If everyone in our Marist Family sends what they can this Christmas season, soon enough we’ll have the #13,900.
Just as you are here for our elderly and disabled Brothers, they are here for you. Please take a moment to write your prayer intentions on the enclosed response slip and send it back to me along with your donation. If you send everything right away, the Brothers and I will be able to include your intentions in our special Christmas Novena. This is something we look forward to doing for you.
In closing, I want to thank you for your kind generosity. I can’t wait to hear from you! Until then, I pray that you are looking forward to a joyous Christmas season this year. May God bless you for caring so deeply about our Marist Brothers.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Br. Hugh P. Turley, F.M.S.
Director of Development
