Remembering her first experience with HoG’s programs in 1998, one mother explained, “It was something beautiful. I never expected that someone could treat you as special in a shelter. I cried when the Easter Bunny gave us gifts.” Later, HoG helped her search for a new home, paid the security deposit, bought her furniture from thrift stores and shopped for clothing when she got a new job as a day-care teacher. She still calls HoG when she’s feeling low to help her get a new perspective on things. “Hearts of Gold is like family, not like a stranger giving you things,” she said, thankful that HoG’s generosity came into her life and the lives of her two wonderful children.

Moms were awed at how HoG shelter improvements gave such a facelift to their rooms and the public spaces. Bonnie Bean, Director of the Women in Need shelter, says it is remarkable how HoG made a difference in the lives of her clients. She appreciated how HoG enhanced their living skills and helped model the behavior her shelter staff were working to instill in moms - teaching them to care for themselves, their children and their future homes

One Mom of the Month, a nursing student whose son has attention deficit disorder, was teary-eyed throughout the Origins “Pampering Extravaganza,” which made it hard to keep her newly applied mascara from running. She commented "no one has ever done anything like this for me before in my life.” She is succeeding in her nursing career and still remembers to pamper herself every so often.

One little boy with a learning disability wasn’t the least bit excited about his first day in a new school in a new neighborhood. However, on seeing HoG’s “Spiderman” backpack, his eyes lit up. He loved Spiderman. After a long discussion about why school is important and why he was getting this Spiderman backpack filled with supplies, he promised to “listen and behave.” Last time we checked, he was behaving and doing a pretty good job of listening, too.