Summer 2010 President s Notes - Mark Lambooy Needless to say, this past year has been a real challenge for everyone in this slower economy. But with these challenges, 3 Way Thrift has seen increased traffic in both store locations. Sales have continued to be at all time highs, and store efficiency continues to improve with product reaching the sales floor as quickly as ever. We are always in need of as many donations as possible and ask that you continue to save your items for the thrift store. The marketing committee has been working on ways to improve contributions, and one of those ideas has been to distribute plastic bags to local residences. Several months ago, volunteers distributed over 3000 bags and that has helped to bring in merchandise. Another improvement has been the installation of metal bins to receive clothing. These bins are located at both campuses of the Ontario Christian Schools. The elementary/middle school bin is located on the north end of the parking lot off of Euclid, and the high school bin is east of the parking lot off of Philadelphia. We hope these drop-off points will make it easier and more convenient, and encourage you to take advantage of these new additions. In May, Salem Christian Homes provided an appreciation brunch for the staff and volunteers of 3 Way Thrift, held in the fellowship room of CrossPoint Church. It was a nice morning and Salem presented 3 Way with a plaque recognizing 15 years of support. A highlight this year was the celebration and open house recognizing 15 years of business and service for 3 Way Thrift Stores. In attendance were many supporting community members, local pastors, city officials, and representatives from Ontario Christian Schools, Inland Christian Home and Salem Christian Homes. Lunch was served for staff and volunteers at both store locations, free hotdogs, balloons, popcorn, and raffle tickets were available to the public, and local church Cadet clubs served drinks and snacks along with the hotdogs. All this made for a very blessed day. A final thought goes to Cal Bensema, 3 Way Thrift board member emeritus who went to be with the Lord this past March. Cal was a wonderful mentor who, after listening to board discussion, would smile and give words of wisdom, sometimes with a story of past experiences to help illustrate his point. Cal was one of the original visionaries and board members who continued to serve until his final days. God has blessed the thrift store in so many ways and it will be exciting to see how the next fifteen years fit into His plan. Please remember us when you clean out your garage and closets. We need your items. Come into the stores and see what we have to offer. You may be surprised at how far your money will go. You never know what treasures you will find. Mark Lambooy President General Manager s Notes - John Reyenga But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not fain. Isaiah 40:31. During the first half of 2010 the Lord took home a founding father, first Board President, President Emeritus, and to many the voice of 3 Way Thrift, Mr. Cal Bensema. Cal under the guidance and influence of the Holy Spirit, lived a life of faith in Christ, and abounded in Christian graces. We are all apt to tire in duty, particularly in doing good. We should carefully watch and guard against this. Only to those who persevere in well-doing is a reward promised. Cal took care to do good in his life-time, and made this the business of his life. Cal s love for 3 Way Thrift and its success in providing goods for those with less, and growing Christian leaders, was a passion friends of Cal will never forget. Praise be to the Lord for the life and testimony of Cal! During the first quarter of 2010 sales continued to be strong and enhanced our ability to raise funds for Inland Christian Home, Ontario Christian School, and Salem Homes. The original founders had the idea of a thrift store to help raise funds for our three recipients. After 15 years their vision has given our 3 recipients $3,112,005, and additionally reached out to the corporate community with another 3 million dollars, for a total of over 6 million dollars and employment for a large number of people. Many volunteers from the beginning have made a significant contribution to our success. Today many volunteers still make a big difference not only to our success, but also represent Christ s love to many employees, customers, and fellow volunteers of our stores. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13. Thank-you volunteers for your labor and love. The magic formula that successful businesses have discovered is to treat customers like guests and employees like worthy people. We are currently blessed with a workforce that continues to work very hard in getting product out on our retail floor in both Chino and Montclair, and our retail people do a fantastic job of treating our customers as guests. Thanks to our entire staff for their attitude and commitment to expand our mission. John Reyenga General Manager
Thank you to our past President Brent Westra We would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Brent Westra for a great job while serving on the board the last six years. Most of those years Brent served as President, and he did an awesome job! Brent has a real love for 3 Way, and we all appreciated his unbiased views, his ability to work with our general manager, and his consistency and control in running our board meetings during his tenure. During Brent s tenure we added a store, changed genral managers, and had the most successful years that we have ever had. (And as a side note, he and his wife Candy had three children during this time!) Once again thank you for a wonderful job as president, it was great working with you! Carol Haringsma Salem Splashes Into Summer Summer Greetings from the 112 residents, 160+ staff, and Board of Directors of Salem Christian Homes! Thank you for continuous support through the first half of 2010. Salem has had wonderful memories with 3 Way Thrift already this year! 1) Salem Day at 3 Way on January 31. Salem homes came to the Chino store along with several Board members and staff to pass out homemade thank you cards from the Salem guys and gals to every person who brought in a donation. We had fun letting the donors know that with their giving, they are helping support the ministry of Salem! 2) Run, Walk & Roll on May 1. Several 3 Way Thrift volunteers and staff came out to run, walk or roll at Salem s 2nd Annul 5K event. 3 Way volunteers and staff raised a combined effort of over $2,200 for Salem Christian Homes! We appreciate your hard work of raising money and finishing the 5K all for your friends at Salem! By the Lord s grace, the 2nd Annual Run, Walk & Roll raised over $53,000 for Salem! 3) Salem s Appreciation Brunch for 3 Way Thrift Volunteers & Staff on May 18. We showed our heart-felt thanks to over 80 staff and volunteers who give endless hours of their time to make 3 Way Thrift the successful store it is. We enjoyed a delicious brunch, devotions, scripture and a poem read by Salem residents, Ken Stryker and Peggy Mackey! 4) 3-Way s 15th Anniversary Celebration on May 22. With 15 years of service, 3 Way Thrift has generously given over $1,000,000 to Salem, OC, and Inland! It was fun to celebrate 3 Way s anniversary with food, fun, and thanksgiving as CEO, Dan Copeland, handed over a plaque in appreciation of unwavering service and dedication. As we dive into the 2nd wave of 2010, we hope to see the many familiar faces who shop, donate and volunteer at 3 Way at one or more of Salem s events. We have a lot of fun planned for the summer of 2010, including: July 24 - Concert Under the Stars: Top 40 s/oldies @ 5:00 p.m. Aug. 7 - Concert Under the Stars: R&B and Top 40 @ 5:00 p.m. At the beautiful Hafif estate, with a delicious catered dinner, and entertainment under the stars, tickets are only $55 and Salem gets to keep the entire profit of every ticket sold! July 16 - Girls Night Out @ 7:00 p.m. This night is for GIRLS ONLY (21 and over). Join us for a girly night of wine tasting, shopping, and appetizers, desserts, at the beautiful Belanger backyard. Call today to get your tickets for only $20! July 26-30 - Salem Camp Salem residents will vacation in Big Bear for a week of fun as they study FROG Fully Rely On God! This is a new camp location for Salem, so the residents can hardly wait to try out all the new amenities and of course, cafeteria. If interested in sponsoring a resident to attend, contact Bethany Scheuers at (909)614-0581. August 27 -Movie Night @ 7:00 p.m. Salem will be hosting their first ever Movie Night on the lawn of CrossPoint Church. All families who need a night out, having clean fun and fresh air before school begins again are encouraged to attend. Snacks will be available for purchase and no RSVP is required. 2nd Salen Day at 3 Way: TBA For all event questions or to purchase tickets, call Cindy at (909)614-0585 Cindy Behnke Manager of Promotions & Fundraising
Inland Christian Home Inland Christian Home would like to recognize and congratulate the 3 Way Thrift Store on their 15th anniversary of operations. The 3 Way Thrift Store is vital part of the community as it provides valuable goods and services to its patrons, provides jobs for its employees, provides community service and volunteer opportunities, and provides much needed funds to the institutions that it supports. The Board of Directors of Inland Christian Home and everyone involved with our operations would like to thank all those past and present who have worked so hard and had a part in making the 3 Way Thrift Store successful including the Board Members, volunteers, employees, and customers. The 3 Way Thrift Store has been an invaluable source of funds for Inland Christian Home since its inception 15 years ago. To date the store has provided over $3 million in combined income to our organization and the other organizations it supports, Ontario Christian School and Salem Christian Homes. These funds have allowed us to complete projects and provide services to our residents that would not have been possible without the store s support. Most recently Inland installed a new phone system with 3 Way contributions. This phone system allows Inland to provide phone and internet services to its residents and provides the staff a much improved communications system. The phone system includes a fiber optic backbone which when fully completed will stretch across our campus and provide the foundation for many other types of technological upgrades. The Board of Directors has committed to using future 3 Way contributions towards continued technological upgrades. David Stienstra Executive Director Newest Board Member We welcome our new board member Rick Jasper. He lives with his wife, Arlys and their 2 boys, Kyle and Brett. They live in Ontario and attend CrossPoint Church. We thank you for your willingness To serve. Cal Bensema It was 1993 when the first meeting was held to bring a vision into reality. 3 Way Thrift Store was a reality in the minds of those who the founding Directors. Cal Bensema was the visionary that made this a reality. It was his home that served as the first address when the Corporation were signed on October 18, 1993. Cal served as President and saw the Store through it s infant stage with volunteers to hiring the first manager. Seeing the Store grow was Cal s vision. He became President Emeritus. He attended every meeting. He came prepared to guide and counsel the Board. He brought the history and the future dreams of how the store could grow. He researched books, the internet and periodicals for ideas on to motivate sales, grow the customer base and new management concepts. He led devotions, keeping the Biblical principals in how decisions were made and how the Store operated. He was focused on the future, looking for ways to improve the ministry. He was committed to serving the three institutions, Ontario Christian Schools, Inland Christian Home and Salem Christian Homes. But he saw beyond that to serving the community and creating a place of Christian employment and influence. His name was at the top of the Roster of the Directors and Officers. This was not done because he wanted to be first, he was content to be last. The Board honored him with this because we treasured his expertise and vision. He served on the Long Range Planning Committee for the last twelve years. His keen eye for opportunity was the asset the Board needed. Now Cal Bensema has gone home to be with the Lord he served with gladness and zeal. I did not think his work with 3 Way was completed and it is not. His place at the table may be empty but his zeal and vision has inspired us and will guide us into the future. I miss you my friend. See you later Cal! Al vande Steeg
Thank You to all who have volunteered and worked for 3 Way Thrift. With God s help your work has truly blessed us the past 15 years.
LeAnn s Lines Summer is here, which means we are nearly halfway through the year. With time flying by, the holidays will be here before you know it. Speaking of time flying, Saturday May 22, 3 Way Thrift celebrated our 15th anniversary. We had coffee and donuts for the morning crowd, and hot dogs and popcorn for the later crowd. We gave away raffle prizes and 3 Way Thrift gift cards every half hour, and had a wonderful lunch provided by the Board. It was a crazy busy day, but we had a good time. A special thank you to all of my volunteers who showed up, we couldn t have done it without you. Your help is always greatly appreciated. I would also like to say thank you to Mark Lambooy, Leonard Stob, John Voortman, Dan Copeland and Dave Stienstra for taking time out of their day to come celebrate with our employees and volunteers. It was nice to hear from all of you a little about your organizations and how thankful you are for the work we do. It s always good to know that our hard work is appreciated. Thanks to the many people who had a hand in the 15 year celebration, it was a VERY successful day! I can t wait to see what we come up with for our 20th! Our store has been staying busy, and we have been able to surpass our sales goal each month. We wouldn t be able to do that without your donations. So when the kids are home this summer, have them clean out their closets and go through their toys and drop them off at 3 Way. With one donation you are helping 3 wonderful organizations. Your donations are appreciated by all of us. If you re looking for something fun to do this summer, think about volunteering for a few hours. And for all you high school students who need service hours, summer is the perfect time to get them done. Please pray that God will continue to bless our organization and the organizations we support. Have a safe summer! LeAnn DeHoog Montclair Manager On Behalf of the Ontario Christian School Community Congratulation 3 Way Thrift Stores We recognize and give thanks to God for the volunteers and employees who share and serve out of love. Ontario Christian School expresses its deep appreciation for over $1 million in contributions that support the ministry of Growing Christian Leaders. We are blessed to be able to partner with 3 Way Thrift in serving our community. We are grateful that we have been able to install clothing drop off containers on both campuses. We hope to promote this on a regular basis through our weekly emails to families. The continuing growth of 3 Way Thrift Store will only continue to benefit all of the families of Ontario Christian. Please know you have our continued prayers, our continued support, and our continued encouragement to be all that you have been called to be. Once again we express to you our most heartfelt thanks. Your ministry has made an impact on thousands of students and families. Your ministry has made an impact on Kingdom. He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 John Voortman Montclair Location: 10174 Central Ave. Montclair, CA 91763 909.625.9900 fax: 909.625.6980 Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 8:45 pm Saturday 9:00 am - 8 pm Donations gladly accepted at our Chino Store Mon.-Sat. 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Chino Location: 13390 Central Ave. Chino, CA 91710 909.902.0025 fax: 909.902.0065 Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 8:45 pm Saturday 9:00 am - 8 pm Donations gladly accepted Mon.-Sat 9:00 am - 5:30 pm Board of Directors Mark Lambooy Greta Boschma Chris DeJong John De Vries Carol Haringsma Rick Jasper Betty Mulder Gloria Myers Sandy Nanninga Al Vande Steeg