Photo Credit: John McGuire, photographer
You may be familiar with Laurel House in Tustin, our program for runaway and at-risk teen girls. Laurel House has made an incredible impact on the lives of teenage girls for over 20 years, and that is largely due to the love and care of the House Mother, Donna Giddings. Donna is a vibrant, compassionate and faithful woman that has cared for the girls of Laurel House for years as a live-in House Parent.
She has dedicated her life to serving and caring for the Least, the Last, and the Lost, and it is for this reason that she occurred to me as the perfect candidate for this year’s Tustin Woman of the Year Award.
I would love to share a bit about what makes Donna, and her family, so special and vital to this work:
Donna and her husband Steve are our Laurel House house parents, and have lived in the Laurel House home for 20 years. Their love, patience, compassion, and guidance is a support to the many girls that arrive at their doorstep lost, hurt, and afraid. For many of these girls, they have never had a healthy family environment, or seen a happy marriage. Donna and Steve play an instrumental role as models of a healthy family. She and Steve have one son, Ryan, who also grew up in the Laurel House. Can you imagine growing up with that many “sisters”? But this family had a call on their lives from God, and knew that this was an opportunity to care for His children. This a duty they do not take lightly, and they carry it out joyfully.
A typical from a normal staff member or volunteer, Donna’s entire life is oriented towards living out her calling by caring for these girls around the clock, every day. While most employees clock out after their shift, and most volunteers complete their service projects and head home, Donna’s home is her service. She has opened up her life in a way that many others would not dare to do, and the effects of it are incredible. Donna’s bright personality, radiant joy, and abundant compassion for others brings light and happiness everywhere she goes. She has made an indescribable impact on the Laurel House program and the Rescue Mission family. Girls’ lives are being changed everyday, thanks in part to Donna’s radical service, her generous heart, and her consistent dedication to seeing at-risk, hurting, and homeless teen girls restored. Over 100 teen girls are now living renewed and restored lives.
I am so proud to call Donna a member of the Rescue Mission family and so grateful for her heart to serve and care for the broken! Thank you Donna, for all that you do!
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