Drumming with the Staff at Alpha House
Sometimes I am not aware of the group I will be drumming with until I get to the location. In the case of Alpha House of Tampa, I really had no idea. I was hired by a participant in a Downtown Tampa Rotary drumming demonstration I did a few months ago. I do these free demonstrations often and I really never know what will come from them. My summer is filled with so many diverse groups that sometimes I do not have the time to research the group before I get there. All I knew is that it was called Alpha House of Tampa.
Well, what a pleasant surprise. After an amazing team-building experience with the staff of Alpha House, I immediately went to their website to find out who they are. The drumming was so connected and so cohesive, I knew that these woman had spent some significant and meaningful time together. So, I looked it up and here is what I found:
The Vision:
To provide opportunities for pregnant and parenting women in crisis to create promising lives for themselves and their babies.
The Mission:
To empower pregnant and parenting women in crisis to realize their ability to break the cycles of poverty and abuse and create promising lives for themselves and their babies.In 1978, this question provoked volunteers to start a modest outreach program that offered baby clothes, toys and food to pregnant moms in crisis. This program quickly evolved into a licensed 7 bed residential shelter by 1981. Today, Alpha House offers a 20 bedroom maternity home and transitional housing for 16 mothers with babies who don’t have a safe place to go after the birth of their child. We are the only licensed maternity home in Hillsborough County.
Alpha House seeks to empower pregnant and parenting women in crisis to realize their ability to break the cycles of poverty and abuse and create promising lives. We do this by providing safe housing, education and counseling, parenting and life skills training, vocational assistance and spiritual support.
If you are interested in learning more about this incredible group of people in Tampa and want to know more, check out their website at http://www.alphahouseoftampa.org/ . There are many opportunities for you to support and/or volunteer for this organization.
I can not wait to return to this group and drum with them again. It was a true highlight in my week. Just another reason why I love my job!