The Hundred Story Home leads you on an inspirational journey that begins with a question, "Where are the beds?" and ends with over one hundred formerly homeless people living in homes of their own.
Author, Kathy Izard, was enjoying a comfortable existence when she came face to face with the reality that while her dedicated service at the community soup kitchen might be feeding her soul, it would never solve the bigger needs of the homeless population. Confronting the question of where are the beds? Kathy realized that she had been called to take on what seemed like an insurmountable task﹘to build housing for Charlotte's homeless.
Woven together with this uplifting story of a call to social action is Kathy's personal struggle with faith, forgiveness and fulfillment. In telling her story, Kathy invites you to consider rewriting your own. What's calling you? And as crazy at it seems, it may be crazier not to try.
"Compelling and convicting, The Hundred Story Home is a powerful testament to the way one person can affect transformation at the deepest levels. Kathy’s beautiful storytelling propelled me outside of my comfort zones. . . It’s impossible to read The Hundred Story Home and walk away unchanged."
"Kathy has written one of the most inspirational books I’ve ever read. She weaves her incredible storytelling with authenticity and humility to the page unlike any other. Kathy is one of those rare people who see a need in their communities and do something about it. This book might just cause you to step out and do something that you’ve never done before for the benefit of someone else."
"I LOVE The Hundred Story Home. Kathy Izard is a beautiful writer who has woven her personal life story into an account of her heroic effort to help the homeless. In her book of midlife discovery, she writes not only about creating a community for one hundred homeless adults but also inspires others to do so much more than what they ever thought possible."
"This is a powerful story, skillfully told, and one that will hold you. As you read about a remarkable woman who gave up a promising career to do what for her was totally unexpected—to build a home for the homeless—you may find it is also a bridge to faith for you. As it has been for her."
"In The Hundred Story Home, Kathy Izard so beautifully and eloquently manages what we all wish we could—capturing her life story in a transparent and authentic way. Through the narrative of her life, we see Kathy’s triumphs, struggles, and ultimate commitment to something bigger than herself: the call to help those less fortunate. Kathy is a storyteller, philanthropist, and courageous writer throughout these pages and in her life."
"From the beginning of time, I believe it was ordained that Kathy would have a life changing encounter with Denver Moore. He believed that as well. These unexpected encounters with spiritual beings like Denver told in The Hundred Story Home thrill believers and encourage doubters to search. Prepare yourself to be thrilled or to begin searching for your Denver."
"The Hundred Story Home is a captivating, beautifully-written account of one woman's search for purpose and how a combination of doubt, faith and doing the right thing a thousand times over led to the building of something important and extraordinary. Kathy Izard writes as one of us, with all of our human failures, foibles and hopes. Her story makes belief real. The Hundred Story Home is a compelling tale and an inspirational guide in the search for a higher calling in our lives."
"Kathy Izard tells two compelling stories in one: About her journey toward fulfilling her life's purpose and about Charlotte's journey to finally treating its chronically homeless with compassion and dignity. Each has twists and turns, each has a happy ending, and Izard tells each with a style that will captivate readers far beyond her most natural audience. "
"Kathy Izard, the remarkable and unlikely champion of housing for the homeless in Charlotte, gives us another gift – her honest, humble and unforgettable story of the chance encounters and enduring comments that conceived and sustained Moore Place despite repeated setbacks."
"Kathy Izard’s is a deeply personal story, movingly told. She reminds us that one person can truly make a difference, especially when challenged to Do Good. What a gift she has given us."
"Compelling, inspiring, funny and poignant. . .This is a book about finding your purpose in a meaningful life; it’s about faith and family and friendship. But mostly, it’s a love story: a father’s love, a mother’s love, a daughter’s love and a beautiful, beautiful couple’s love."
"An extremely powerful testament of courage, determination, and generosity. Kathy invites and challenges us to ‘trust the whisper’ of God and to take our own leap of faith. As her story reveals, when we do our lives are mysteriously transformed by God's love."
"In the book, Kathy describes how her father used to say to her ‘You can do anything, Kathy, really anything. ’ When you reach the last page of the Hundred Story Home, you completely agree with Kathy's dad-but equally powerfully, through Kathy's example, you believe you can do anything too. The Hundred Story Home leaves the reader inspired, as Gandhi said, to be the change we want to see in the world."
"From homeless to home seems an impossible journey until you read this compelling true story. The author began serving soup and ended finding her soul while creating an 85-unit apartment building for some of America’s ‘invisible’ people. Amazingly, Kathy Izard will teach you to see—and ask, ‘Why not do this in my community?’"
"Izard's candor and bravery in recounting her midlife crisis and her subsequent passion for her work is striking and inspirational. The Hundred Story Home is a road map to advocacy, and a touching story of faith, serendipity, and perseverance paying off in a big way."