Article published June 25, 2007
Aurora House becomes Sylvania church group's mission
Nyisha Noble, right, knows she's safe as her son JaVantay Noble, left, 3, tries to sock her with an oversized boxing glove during the carnival at the homeless center. Members of the Toledo First Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Sylvania have adopted the homeless shelter as their mission and are turning a vacant lot into a pocket park.
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By LAREN WEBER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Ivy Shores began using drugs at 16 and didn't stop until a little more than a year ago. The 35-year-old never learned how to cook or clean.
After Maria Brock started using drugs and alcohol, she didn't think she would ever stay sober. She lost custody of her two young children and became homeless about six months ago.
But with the help of the Aurora Project, a nonprofit agency that offers transitional housing and life-skills programs for homeless women and their children, both have gained control of their lives.
"I was at my dead-end," Ms. Brock said yesterday. "This became my sobriety."
Felicia Johnson, center, dances to live music during a carnival at the Aurora House, part of a four-day celebration.
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She's been drug and alcohol-free for six weeks. The Aurora Project is her source of hope.
More than 100 community members and volunteers gath-ered in front of the Aurora House on North Superior Street yesterday for the start of a four-day series of events sponsored by Toledo First Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Sylvania.North Superior Street between Lagrange and Elm streets was closed for about five hours yesterday for a street carnival that included inflatable games, face painting, and live music.
Mike Fortune, senior pastor at the church, said the four-day party is aimed at "showing people God loves them like crazy."
Abigail Jones. 5, showing that the carnival is the cat’s meow, checks out her kitty face in her mother’s compact.
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Mission trips are often done overseas, forgetting there is a need in the Toledo area, Mr. Fortune said.
Ms. Shores, who graduated from the program in May and now lives with her son, Ta-Quan, in West Toledo, called yesterday's outpouring of support for the organization "beautiful."
"I needed a reason not to do drugs again," she said. Ms. Shores has been sober for 14 months.
The remaining three days of events include yoga and art classes, spa treatments, and a trip to the Toledo Museum of Art for residents of the Aurora House.
The event culminates Wednesday with a block party in front of the Aurora House, which is open to the public. The party will include an art show displaying works created by the residents, live music, and unveiling of the pocket park next to the house.
Members of Toledo First Seventh-day Adventist Church are turning the vacant lot next to the Aurora House into a safe place for children to play.
Crews dumped about 20 truckloads of top soil on the lot yesterday, and Mr. Fortune said volunteers are expected to lay what is referred to as the "God-sod" sometime today and tomorrow.
"Now [the children will] have a green place to play," Mr. Fortune said.
Yesterday's carnival was a boost for Toledo's Vistula neighborhood and brought focus to an agency unknown to many, said Denise Fox, executive director of the Aurora Project.
"It accomplishes so much," she said. "It really gives us Toledo pride."
Other than the small yard in front of the house, there isn't much space for children like Paige Marshall to run around.
"If they want to go outside and play catch, they can," Ms. Fox said. "It's safe."
The 7-year-old's mother, Carrie, came to the Aurora House about 10 months ago and said it was one of the best choices she's made.
Ms. Marshall is no longer using drugs and has control of her life. "These people have taught me so much," she said. "I know how to be a mom again."
Contact Laren Weber at: lweber@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.
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