Orchard Community

Hello Friends,
It’s not all work and business around here. We do have fun from time to time. Whether it’sgetting out on a hike, an outing to the city, or a meal together, spending relational time outside ofthe house, away from the dining table/meeting space, helps us bond, laugh about silly things, orhave deep conversations. Pictured above:
•Hike at Arroyo Pescadero
•Hike at Schabaraum Trail extension, getting a tiny bit lost along the way
•Trip to downtown LA visiting MOCA Grand and the Disney Concert Hall
•Lunch at Rodeo 72
Thank you for building into each of these young adult men’s lives.

Thank you! and God bless you,
Michael Liaw.

Hello Friends,

The Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the world’s longest studies of adult life following the lives of participants and their offspring for over 80 years, has concluded that the quality and frequency of social connection is a determinant of a long, healthy life, more than any other variable.

“Loneliness kills,” says Robert Waldinger, director of the study, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health,” (Waldinger, 2015).

Community heals. Here at Orchard Community, we seek to provide meaningful connections, both formally and informally:

•Monthly, 1-on-1 hang outs with me.

•Monthly, group hang out for skills and relationships building.

•Invitations to activities and events with my personal communities (church, family dinners).

•Invitations to activities and events my professional communities (networking, job fairs).

•Impromptu dinners and cooking together at home where we live.

•Celebrations of milestones like birthdays, completing school semesters, moving into a new home.

•Connecting to donors and supporters.

•Staying in touch after the residents leave our program.

Your support to us matters, too. Your prayers, your giving, your interest, and your advocacy serve to bring healing to the young adult men who come through Orchard Community.

Thank you! and God bless you,
Michael Liaw.

Hello Friends,
Just a quick update on our former residents:
•Wilson and Aya headed out to Michigan to start a new life together! Wilson will beworking at Target and Aya at McDonald’s, and they will be near family.
•Mark is in a nearby transitional housing continuing to grow in his money managementskills and in his job as a chef at a local eatery.
•Simeon is a beloved member of a team at a popular local restaurant where he’s beenworking for over 6 months now.
•Matthew has had his senior living job for over 3 years and is looking to advance in theworkforce by considering work at local hospitals.

Remember to visit us on Saturday, 4/18, 2-5pm for our Spring Open House fundraiser, and come meet our guys!

God bless you,
Michael Liaw