Mary’s House of Hope will be a star on April 14.
The transitional housing complex for victims of domestic abuse and their families will be featured during the Home Shopping Network’s “$1,000 A Day Giveaway” promotion that runs on the cable channel each year in April.
Longtime real estate agent Kay Kite of De Soto came up with the idea to apply for Mary’s House of Hope to be part of the HSN promotion.
“My mom is a big fan of the (shopping) channel,” said Kim Elbl, vice president of Comtrea, which runs Mary’s House of Hope and the A Safe Place domestic violence shelter.
“She was watching it one day and they were talking about their “$1,000 A Day Giveaway” and asking for nonprofit agencies to apply to participate,” she said.
“My mom’s also a great supporter of Mary’s House of Hope,” Elbl said of Kite, who is semi-retired. “She’s donated a lot of money through the years. She called me and said that we should get involved. I looked into it, submitted an application and was notified we were one of the 30 nominees to be featured, one each day. She and I were so excited when we got the word.”
Elbl said the Mary’s House of Hope story will be featured four times on the channel on April 14 – at 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. and at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do or how long it’s going to be,” Elbl said. “They asked me to send in a picture and information. I’m curious to see how it will play out. I’m planning to work from home so I can watch it that day.”
As part of the promotion, the channel donates $1,000 to the featured charity that day – but that’s not all.
The channel will match donations to each featured group made through its website at partnersingiving.benevity.org/community/cause/840-362800788/donate, up to a $5,000 total. Donations may be made anytime during April.
Information about all the featured organizations may be found by going to hsn.com. and searching for HSN Cares.
Those wishing to donate should look for the page labeled Mary’s House of Hope.
“Wouldn’t it be exciting if we can get $5,000 in donations and get the full $5,000 match?” Elbl said.
All proceeds will be used for Circle of Hope, a fund that finances the day-to-day operations of Mary’s House of Hope.
The housing complex is named for Mary Daniels, who was killed by her estranged husband in 2010. Daniels’ mother, Sylvia Daniels, and Mary’s best friend, Kristy Neuman, got the campaign off the ground.
Mary’s House of Hope is for women who need long-term assistance moving from the A Safe Place shelter, a short-term shelter for victims of domestic abuse, into a different life. Some of the women need help with education or job skills, and Mary’s House of Hope provides a place for them to live in the meantime.
The first of three buildings for Mary’s House of Hope opened in early November. A capital campaign is ongoing to build the other two units in the complex.
For information about A Safe Place or Mary’s House of Hope, call 636-232-2339.
Comtrea officials advise those who experience domestic violence to call the agency’s A Safe Place hotline at 636-232-2301 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for help. Both lines are open around the clock. Calls are confidential.