Sojourner House celebrates milestone with a tea party
Sojourner House has been holding a Victorian tea event for two decades in an effort to support women with children recovering from substance abuse. On Sunday, a milestone was celebrated at the Omni William Penn, Downtown.
For the 20th anniversary, this quaint benefit, tackling an insidious problem, has raised approximately $1.1 million to support women who want out of the substance abuse spiral.
“When the tea party was started 20 years ago, it was a way for mothers and daughters to get together and it was always held on Mother’s Day, but we had to do a pivot because of the pandemic,” Executive Director De’Netta Benjamin-Miller said of the new spring date.
Sojourner House was formed 30 years ago because of the crack cocaine epidemic.
“It was a critical need in the community and we had over 26 organizations come together to help mothers experiencing crack cocaine addiction, but who wanted to stay with their children,” Ms. Benjamin-Miller said.
Today, it is for women with a variety of substanceabuse issues.
It was also 20 years ago that the Sojourner House MOMS (Motivation, Opportunities, Mentoring and Spirituality) project was started to provide permanent housing for homeless mothers and their children. It is based on the idea that stable housing is a key factor in recovery success.
Heather Spencer was a heroin addict with two children and pregnant when she decided to reach out to Sojourner House and turn her life around. She was eight months pregnant and still using drugs when she hit rock bottom.
“My second child was in foster care, and I would say that was my biggest motivator because he was with complete strangers and my mom had just passed away,” she said.
“That was August 2017 and I went into detox and the inpatient program and from there I was homeless with children so I went into the supportive housing program, Sojourner MOMS,” she explained. “It really was a blessing.”
It is not an overnight change, Ms. Spencer said.
“It took about seven months for me to get comfortable and surrender to the process,” she said.
Ms. Spencer is seven years sober and is working for another nonprofit. She says she broke a cycle in her family.
“It was a family disease and they have all passed away because of heroin,” she said.
Ms. Spencer spent about 2½ years at Sojourner House MOMS.
She was volunteering at the Victorian tea on Sunday and brought her oldest child, 17-year-old Madison Uplinger.
“I am proud of her and I love how she has grown,” Madison said of her mother.
Madison attends high school and plans to attend Community College of Allegheny County after she graduates. An animal lover, she wants to work with veterinarians.
Currently more than 30 families are taking advantage of Sojourner House Moms. Sojourner House is working with 12 mothers on the path to recovery.
“We serve close to 100 mothers yearly,” Ms. Benjamin-Miller said.
More than 400 women came Sunday to celebrate the past and future successes of Sojourner House.
“We are hoping to raise $8,000 to $10,000 this afternoon,” Committee member Sarah Mayer said.
During the event, Dr. Robert Breit was honored with the 2024 Pearl of Hope Award for providing two decades of parenting classes to the mothers and children of Sojourner House. The Murrysville Bible Study Group received the 2024 Pearls of Hope Award for bringing bible lessons, kindness, music and fellowship and for helping Sojourner House families with needed personal items.
“They feel like my family,” Ms. Spencer said of the organization and its supporters.