The North Carolina Community Foundation partnered with the Raleigh Rescue Mission in 1990 to form the Raleigh Rescue Mission Endowment. The endowment provides ongoing support for the non-profit agency, which was founded in 1961 and whose purpose is to rebuild the lives of men, women and children by ministering to their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

The organization began when two businessmen invited some homeless men to a revival meeting at a local church, as there were few places for homeless people to go at the time. A group began to meet weekly for prayer, fellowship and food with homeless men of the area. Soon afterward, Raleigh Rescue Mission was born. Since its beginnings, the organization has helped more than 600,000 individuals change their lives for the better.

Raleigh Rescue Mission offers emergency overnight, recovery and rehabilitation, and medical respite services, an adult education center, a children’s development center and a medical clinic.

Emergency overnight services offer comfortable, safe refuge for single women and mothers with children. Recovery and rehabilitation services provide long-term and on-going recovery services for men and women wishing to overcome addiction and other life-controlling obstacles and to re-enter society as contributing members. Medically fragile homeless men and women not requiring hospitalization can receive consistent medical care from the medical respite services.

Raleigh Rescue Mission’s adult education center provides opportunities to grow academically, vocationally, emotionally and spiritually to build a foundation for a changed life. The center offers academic, vocational and character building classes. The W.E. Mangum Children’s Development Center is an on-site, four-star preschool for children ages 2 ½ to 5 that provides a safe environment for children to grow and learn. The children’s development center also educates parents on disciplining, teaching and building relationships with their children. The on-site, professionally staffed medical clinic offers free treatment for acute and chronic health problems, mental health assessments and referrals to Raleigh Rescue Mission’s clients and aftercare clients.

In addition to the services the Mission provides, it also offers many outreach opportunities. Some of these include Urban Mission Projects, Operation Restoration, the chance to host a drive, group and individual volunteer opportunities and the ability to invite a speaker from the Raleigh Rescue Mission to speak to your group.

In collaboration with other agencies to benefit the homeless population, the Mission is heavily involved in implementing Wake County’s 10-year End Homelessness solutions-based action plan. The Mission helps in chairing committees, working with others to influence advocacy, and helping Raleigh respond effectively to the challenges of poverty and homelessness.

With the support of the Wake County Community Foundation and the North Carolina Community Foundation, this organization will continue to help people in need and do important outreach in the Wake County community. Its endowment with the North Carolina Community Foundation gives donors a tax-deductible opportunity to support the work of the Mission, and ensures that the Mission will continue to open its doors to a segment of the population so often overlooked, yet growing in numbers.

To learn more about the Raleigh Rescue Mission’s work, visit www.raleighrescue.org or contact Lynn Daniell, Executive Director, at (919) 828-9014 x 105 or e-mail him at lynnd@raleighrescue.org.  To donate to the Raleigh Rescue Mission’s endowment fund, contact Jeanne Lawson at the NC Community Foundation at 256-6914 or e-mail her at jlawson@nccommunityfoundation.org.