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 The
Power of Giving -- With New Beginnings
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[December 05, 2007]
In June of
this year, New Beginnings Thrift Shop found a home at 201 S.
Sangamon St. (formerly Einstein's CoffeeHouse) in Lincoln. Since
that time, the store has grown to be a huge asset to the community
and those in need all over the world. The New Beginnings store is an
affiliate of Genesis Ministries, a ministry of reconciliation for
women. Like the Genesis Ministries, New Beginnings wants to provide
for those in need and for those who need help getting a fresh start
in life.
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 The proceeds from the shop help fund the Genesis
Ministries Project. The ministry takes in female residents who
receive professional training in life, job, relationships and
education so that they can be reintegrated into society with a
stronger knowledge of God and a better chance at independent life.
For the rest of the world, this is an outreach program that has
already helped countless. At the end of July, six to seven
truckloads of clothing and goods were given to the COPE project -- a
project that helps support the Pokot tribe, an indigenous tribe in
Kenya. Among the volunteers who help support the Pokot tribe is
Lincoln native Barb O'Donohue, co-owner of
O'Donohue's here in Lincoln. She takes the goods donated and
distributes them among the tribe members -- who want help integrating
themselves into the larger cities for a better life.
New Beginnings manager Dayle Eldridge
For the community, this is a store that offers quality "recycled"
goods. Dayle Eldridge, store manager, has a motto for the goods that
are brought in. "If I wouldn't put it on my grandchildren, I'm not
going to hang it on the racks," she says. The store will accept just
about anything, with the exception of big furniture such as beds and
mattresses, because they just don't have the room. Once items come
in, Eldridge and volunteers sort them with much care. Eldridge
states, "I want people to know that this is not a typical thrift
shop -- that this is a thrift shop with high standards of things
worthy enough to be sold to the community."
When there is a large amount of seasonal clothing still left at
the end of a season, New Beginnings packs it up to be donated to the
Crisis Pregnancy Center, Contact Ministries in Springfield and other
outreach organizations such as the COPE project. "We want to still
provide for those in need with the clothing, not just throw it
away," says Eldridge.
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The store also participates in helping people locally, as seen in a
recent "Fill the Window ” campaign. The
goal was to completely fill the storefront window with nonperishable
items for the Logan County Food Pantry.
The store is also in need of volunteers. People who are willing
to donate their time to help sort, hang, tag and straighten up are
more than welcome. "Even if it is just an hour here and there, we'll
take it,” Eldridge says. “We
need the help."
For more information about the store, call 737-9934.
[By JANELL WOOLARD]
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