New Board Member Announcement

Alicia Suguitan & Jeff Friday 

We are proud to add Alicia Suguitan and Jeff Friday who will strengthen and further diversify the Welcome Home Collaborative board.  

Alicia Suguitan

Alicia Suguitan

Alicia Suguitan's experience and success in nonprofit management make her a natural fit to the board of Welcome Home Collaborative. As the co-founder and manager of Edith Institute, Alicia has demonstrated exceptional skills in grant-writing, organizational operations, and partnership development. Her expertise extends to developing evidence-based education curriculum and managing educational staff, aligning perfectly with our mission to foster transformational change within our program participants. Alicia's ability to measure program outcomes against organizational mission and vision will identify and improve our participant's transformation to independent living.

"I am honored to join the board of Welcome Home Collaborative, where I look forward to leveraging my experience in innovative programming, sustainable organizational operations, and effective grantmaking to create meaningful impact and foster transformational change in the lives of our program participants."

Jeff Friday

Coach Jeff Friday

Coach Friday was the keynote speaker at the Fall 2023 Welcome Home Collaborative fundraising event and he spoke about leadership and success citing his experience as a strength and fitness coach for the National Football League (NFL), Athletes in Action, XFL and his own company experiences. 

“As a coach in the collegiate and professional sports setting, I have been involved with players, coaches management and ownership. I hope to bring those collective experiences to help WHC achieve its mission. I respect the empowering process that each participant must go through, i.e. a monthly program fee, 18 rules and regulations, working on a SMART goal, and meeting with a Life coach. Being a lifelong coach, I look forward to helping the organization move from point A to Point B."

"WHC is honored and excited to add both to the board. Alicia's past experience and expertise will strengthen and help direct future goals of the organization," said Todd Kuramoto, Board Director.  "Likewise, Jeff's leadership will help motivate our participants and Life Coaches to enable more participant graduations."

WHC provides a transitional housing program with Life Coaching Services for participants looking to advance from homelessness to independent living.  

Being a Life Coach at Welcome Home Collaborative

Here at Welcome Home Collaborative, we strive to help our program participants in a multifaceted way. Through offering transitional housing, we are able to offer very low costs for a clean, comfortable living space for people who may not have had that option in a long while. But that’s not the main focus of our program.

WHC is committed to helping participants change their lives. There are many reasons why people find themselves homeless, and we aim to help them acknowledge those issues, create LIFE plans including SMART goals (Specific, Measurable & Meaningful, Action Oriented, Realistic & Resource-driven & Time-Bound) to address those issues, and coach and support them in a way that can help them overcome previous barriers in order to move forward in their lives.

At the heart of this support are our LIFE Coaches. LIFE Coaches are WHC trained volunteers who meet with our program participants once a week. The coaches are trained in aspects such as motivational interviewing, focusing on asking open-ended questions to allow participants to look at alternatives they have in their lives. ​

Many participants come into our program in a contemplative state, but don’t know exactly how or aren’t ready to change. This is where LIFE Coaches can come in to provide insight, guidance, and advice. Coaches help participants create LIFE plans with SMART goals based on a self-sufficiency matrix. This matrix varies by subject, but can take on a spiritual, physical, or financial goal that takes a participant from being in a vulnerable state (scoring 1) to an empowered state (scoring 5).

Many goals can be as simple as getting a driver’s license, or reconnecting with an estranged family member. Whatever area of life the participant wants to focus on, our LIFE Coaches make it their duty to help make that goal happen. Many of our LIFE Coaches have been known to attend AA meetings with participants, or drive participants to various appointments. These coaches are inspired through their own life experiences to help change the lives of WHC participants. One of our LIFE Coaches, John, states, “I am a retired social worker and the idea of volunteering to help people move from being homeless to independence appealed to me.” His assigned participant came into the WHC program homeless, and within six months transitioned to living independently and working as a forklift operator. These types of stories continue to inspire us here at Welcome Home Collaborative. Because “home” for us isn’t just a safe place to rest your head, it’s a support system and a place of hope for our participants to change their lives for the better.

Victoria's House of Hope

A Story of Hope and Inspiration

Victoria volunteering at PoP

Victoria at a Young Age

Painting a Mural for Victoria

In 2014, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati was blessed by the service of a special, wonderful young woman. Her name was Victoria Stoltz. She loved to serve on Thursdays, at The Bridge Ministry, which is a Prince of Peace ministry to serve the homeless. Kathy McGill, another volunteer at The Bridge Ministry, first brought Victoria to us wishing to simply serve others. Victoria would faithfully come to Prince of Peace and volunteer every Thursday cooking and serving food. But, Victoria was much more than a volunteer. Victoria had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Unfortunately, the doctors that diagnosed the tumor were unable to remove it. What made Victoria so special was what made her happy, and that was to serve others. Even in the midst of her own troubles, she thought of others. She was a witness of unselfish servanthood. She gave of herself so unselfishly. She was and still is, a joy and an inspiration.

Victoria was a wonderful reflection of God's love. Her final desire was to serve others. How many people would choose to serve others if in the same situation as Victoria? Not many. The Make-a-Wish Foundation came to Victoria and her parents asking what wish that they may grant. Victoria and her parents responded that there was no other wish that they had not already received. However, after discussions with Pastor John from Prince of Peace, Victoria and her parents told the Make-a-Wish Foundation that there was a wish they could grant. Victoria’s Wish was to continue to serve the homeless and working poor in Cincinnati. In particular, Victoria’s Wish was to remodel a newly acquired apartment building in the West End that is part of The Welcome Home Collaborative program. It is a 2-unit apartment building that will house the working poor and/or homeless in Cincinnati. Welcome Home is transitional housing program for the homeless and working poor. Victoria's Wish was an incredible blessing us by allowing us to very rapidly remodel this apartment building in the West End. This building houses two families headed up by single women. It is a program of transformation. Further, this program provides housing by empowering people and not just enabling them. There are several requirements to participate in the program. It is a place of transformation. It is a place of hope. And Victoria's wish allowed this hope to be a reality. That is why the building is remained to, "Victoria's House of Hope." There is a large (+20 foot) mosaic on the side of Victoria's House of Hope that serves to honor Victoria and her wish. This mosaic is a beautiful. It is a testimony to the hope that lasts eternal through Jesus Christ our savior. Above (center) is a photo of the mosaic. Below is a segment of the mosaic that contains a rendering of what Victoria looked like. The mosaic was created by the artist Rachel Ziegler from Omaha, NE. She did a wonderful job of putting together this mosaic. But the beautiful aspect of a mosaic is that it is a conglomeration of various segments that are put together by different individuals. Rachel is the artist, and she orchestrated or put together the final, finished whole piece of art. It is the nature of a mosaic to gather in many people in the creation of the total peace. In the case of this mosaic, there were portions of the mosaic put together by Victoria's school mates, members of her church, members of Prince of Peace, homeless that attend The Bridge Ministry, and more. Please come to Victoria's House of Hope in the West End of Cincinnati, and see this beautiful piece of artwork in person! ​ Victoria passed away just before Christmas, in December of 2015. We continue to be humbled and honored by Victoria and her wish. And through Victoria’s Wish, her witness of Love, Courage, Gratitude, and Joy will continue on serving the homeless and working poor in Cincinnati.

Victoria's House of Hope Artwork

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TV NEWS STORY ON VICTORIA'S HOUSE OF HOPE

TV NEWS STORY ON MOSAIC DONE TO HONOR VICTORIA