web1_118752608-dc287aedbcc44ef2bd81c8bd044a515f.jpg

UPDATE 4: Gunman kills self after fatally shooting 59, wounding 527 on Las Vegas Strip

web1_118750855-2138f351e0e240fcbe75a4c920b5f4ef.jpg

IS claims fatal stabbings of 2 women at French train station

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Ten years ago, the fate of Ruth&#8217;s Place wasn&#8217;t nearly as certain as it is today.</p><p>Volunteers at the shelter weren&#8217;t sure if it would make it for more than a few weeks when the first &#8220;Walk for Hope&#8221; was held on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>It was truly a walk for hope in that, without the funds it brought in, the shelter may have had to close its doors without a permanent facility when the First United Methodist Church closed.</p><p>On Sunday, however, Ruth&#8217;s Place held its 10th annual walk with a drastically different mood &#8212; the endurance of an essential community resource instead of the desperate fight to stay afloat.</p><p>Dr. Bill Bolan, chair of the Ruth&#8217;s Place advisory board, was one of the volunteers who fought to keep Ruth&#8217;s Place open a decade ago. Bolan looked on at the of several hundred walkers before they embarked on a march across Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>&#8220;At that point, Ruth&#8217;s Place literally had no permanent home,&#8221; Bolan said, echoing the stories of the women Ruth&#8217;s Place serves. &#8220;The First United Methodist Church was closing. We had only the smallest trickle of government funding, and a lot of people thought that we might close within weeks. The first walk was to demonstrate to people how hard it was to be homeless, and at that point, we had people walk around the streets of Wilkes-Barre. There was an estimate at that time that women were walking upwards of seven miles a day to get to all the social services they needed to access.</p><p>&#8220;Not only were we doing the right thing in terms of being decent human beings, we would drastically improve the prospects of these women.&#8221;</p><p>Bolan added that luck played a role in the shelter&#8217;s survival.</p><p>&#8220;We were very lucky that were had the backing of the county, the city, and the people of Wilkes-Barre,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We got a permanent shelter in the North End. We got it open 24 hours a day, and we had the services. The employment counseling services, the help with getting government benefits, finding apartments and housing, getting substance abuse counseling, and help for women who has been exploited or abused.&#8221;</p><p>Since then, Ruth&#8217;s Place has served countless women and has paired nearly all of their clients with jobs and housing to help end the cycle of poverty and homelessness. The shelter merged with Volunteers of America in 2013.</p><p>Though Ruth&#8217;s Place has made incredible strides, the shelter still needs help for its day-to-day operations.</p><p>&#8220;The walk helps us meet the basic needs of our residents,&#8221; said Crystal Williams, program coordinator of the shelter. &#8220;The money that we raise goes directly to them. We say that anything you would need in your house, we need in ours. It can get a little pricey when you have over 20 residents in your house.&#8221;</p><p>The shelter is always in need of basic household products, bath towels and toiletries, and especially feminine hygiene products, which people can often forget about, according to Williams. Contact Ruth&#8217;s Place on Facebook for details on how to make donations.</p><p>&#8220;It helps get people to notice the organization and the dire need for help out there, and for other people to even come to this organization for help if they need it,&#8221; Giuliana LaPiana, a volunteer at Ruth&#8217;s Place and AmeriCore VISTA, said. &#8220;It gets the support of the community together.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Maya Follett, 8 of Ardmore dances to the music during the &quot;10th Annual Walk of Hope&quot; benefiting Ruth's Place Sunday afternoon.
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-5-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Maya Follett, 8 of Ardmore dances to the music during the &quot;10th Annual Walk of Hope&quot; benefiting Ruth's Place Sunday afternoon.
Amanda Hrycyna|For Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George talks about Ruth&#8217;s Place. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-4-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George talks about Ruth&#8217;s Place. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">King&#8217;s College students hold signs while listening to speakers before the start of the 10th annual Ruth&#8217;s Place &#8216;Walk of Hope&#8217; on Sunday on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>King&#8217;s College students hold signs while listening to speakers before the start of the 10th annual Ruth&#8217;s Place &#8216;Walk of Hope&#8217; on Sunday on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Elizabeth Lester, a Wilkes Nursing student, shows her support during Ruth&#8217;s Place. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-2-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Elizabeth Lester, a Wilkes Nursing student, shows her support during Ruth&#8217;s Place. </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nichole Wenrich fits a shirt on Tristen Somers, 6, both of Kingston, before the start of the Ruth&#8217;s Place walk on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre Sunday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-1-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Nichole Wenrich fits a shirt on Tristen Somers, 6, both of Kingston, before the start of the Ruth&#8217;s Place walk on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre Sunday afternoon. </caption4><photoCredit4>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>A decade later, walk exhibits resilience of Ruth&#8217;s Place</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Katie Pugh</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLNews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-1.jpg

web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-5.jpg

web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-4.jpg

web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-3.jpg

web1_ttl100117ruthsplace-2.jpg

Still standing strong: A decade later, walk exhibits resilience of Ruth’s Place