Monday, July 30, 2012

The Power of 41 Cents

     I made my staff cry last week.  I didn't mean to, but I did.  I wasn't yelling at them.  I wasn't showing a sad video or breaking bad news.  I simply brought in a gift; just a few pennies, actually.  Well, a few pennies and a dime or two.  Maybe a nickel.  They could probably tell you better than I could.
     It started one night after work.  I was at home, eating dinner with the family and my wife asked me about the day at Joel's Place.  I was talking through our budget crunch and different donors who were giving generously when my seven year old daughter's head snapped up.
     "Daddy, why do people give money to Joel's Place?" she asked with her head tilted to the side, her braids hanging past her waist.
     "Well, sweetie, they give so that we can stay open and pay our staff salaries," I didn't feel like getting into tax write-offs and government-funded matching grants and mortgage payments. 
     I assumed the conversation was over as I turned back to my dinner, but I recognized a look on my daughter's face.  There is a look of deep concentration that little kids get when they are trying to figure something out.  Their eyes glaze over and their lips purse shut as they try to interpret a new piece of information.  They cannot think this hard and do anything else, so I watched as she sat motionless, her fork frozen in her hand above her plate.
     Finally she snapped back to reality.  A sly smile spread across her face as she slowly got up from the table.
     "Hey kiddo, where are you going?"
     "Nowhere," she replied innocently as she continued backing away from dinner.  She paused, "Wait right here." And then she was gone down the hall, flopping feet echoing through the house.
     It is not a large house that we live in so I could hear her enter her room and mutter to herself as she looked for something.  "Aha!" she exclaimed as she forgot to be stealthy.  Then more muttering as she vainly tried opening whatever it was.
     My wife and I simply ate and shook our heads as the sounds of a Herculean struggle resonated through the halls.  Finally my daughter was victorious, there was never any doubt, and the sound of flopping feet came up the hall behind me.  "Daddy..." she sweetly sang.
     "Mmmm?" I said, stuffing in another bite of dinner.  If you have children, you know that one of their greatest joys in life is keeping their parents from eating.  Ever.  I knew that once I answered my girl, whatever it was that she wanted to talk about would take a while and the food on my plate would continue to sit and mock me.
     "Here daddy," she extended her little hand out to me, "This is for you."  She poured a handful of coins into my hand.  "It's for Joel's Place.  To pay the salary."  She then returned to her seat, humming to herself and grinning at her good deed.
     "Oh sweetie," I replied, "You don't have to do this."  I had a moment of parenting panic where I feared that I had just guilted my daughter into giving away something that would make her very sad later.  And it wasn't going to make any difference to our $20,000 deficit.  "Why don't you take it back and..."
     "No."  She said simply, putting some food into her mouth while answering me.  "It's important that Joel's place gets its salary.  And besides," she gave a little matter-of-fact shrug, "there are people who need that more than me."
     I asked her if she was sure a couple of more times and she did not budge.  Stubborn that one...must get it from her mother.
     I brought in my daughter's Forty One Cents the next morning and hesitantly gave it to the finance manager.  I was concerned that the gift would just create more paperwork for her and would end up being more of a hindrance than anything.  I explained that my daughter wanted to give a donation but I could just keep it in a change jar on my desk if that would be more helpful.  I had not even finished my thought when the money was forcibly removed from my hands and lovingly placed into a donation envelope.
     "Put her name on there," she said, "and we will send her a statement and a thank you note."  News of the gift circulated around the office and every staff member that works here came up to me to tell me how sweet my daughter is.
     But really...what is 41 cents?  It barely covers postage these days and is not going to solve our problems.

     Let me tell you what 41 cents is here at Joel's Place.  41 Cents is the precious gift of someone offering everything they have to help those less fortunate.  41 Cents is encouragement and hope and affirmation for a staff who have only had bad news recently.  41 Cents is a tiny mustard seed that will soon erupt into an enormous blessing.  Did you know that if everyone in Fairbanks gave us 41 Cents, our $20,000 deficit would be completely wiped out?

     My daughter and my staff taught me a valuable lesson.  Value the small things.  Honor the giver, no matter the size of the gift.  This thing that we do, this mission that we call Joel's Place, it is too big and too important to be operated by any one person or supported by any one check.  It is only through the generosity of an entire community, giving what they can, that this will thrive.  That is the power of 41 Cents.

Monday, July 23, 2012

My First Month

     One of the most popular summer activities around Fairbanks is floating down the Chena River.  The Lower Chena is basically a nap on the water: the river is slow and wide with easy turns and the safe landings for miles.  The Upper Chena, while not incredibly difficult, has portions that require some attention and skill.  There are shallows that will high-center your craft and sweepers that will knock you out of the boat.  Different parts of the river run at different speeds and, if not navigated properly, will turn you around and leave you unprepared for the next challenge.  It is a fun float but if you are in a craft with young, inexperienced partners it is easy to miss the fun of the river because you are absorbed with the next challenge.
     I just completed my first month on the job here at Joel's Place.  That was the fastest month in my life.  Seriously...I blinked and all of the sudden I was transported from the end of June to the end of July.  I am not sure if that is a good sign or not, but I am in shock that I have already been here for over 30 days.  I am struck by how much I have learned and how much I still do not know.  I am assured that this feeling will fade...eventually.
     I wanted to share my initial impressions of my time here...a 30-day assessment, if you will.  I wanted to pull the boat to the shore for a moment to look at where we have been before jumping back into the raging current.  So allow me to share some observations:
  • First and foremost:  The staff here are incredible.  Every single one of them.  They are excellent at their jobs.  They love the kids who come through here.  They are each quick to laugh and eager to listen.  We were a month late in paying their salaries and there was not one complaint, not one angry word, not one passive-aggressive comment to express disgust.  They continued to pour themselves out for the young people who showed up here this summer and trusted that God would provide for their needs.  They have answered my questions and heeded my input.  They are quite simply the best team I have ever been a part of and I am deeply honored to be included in their ranks.
  • The kids and the noise.  They are really interchangeable.  This building is filled with the sounds of kids being kids.  Video Games, skateboarding, movies and laughter echo continuously.  The youth love this place.  We have to kick them out every night.  They love playing and eating and simply having someplace to belong.  Right now there is an older teen who is skateboarding with a twisted ankle, pulled muscles and a broken rib...and loving every minute of it.
  • We have great favor in the community.  Everyone, literally everyone I have met has told me how great Joel's Place is and how much they appreciate our presence in the community.
  • It is busy around here:  BMX sessions, lessons, arts and crafts, gaming, concerts, meals, parties, skateboard sessions, AmeriCorps activities, work crews and community service, grant writing, gardening.  There is a constant stream of youth and adults that flows through our doors.
  • We are a community resource that needs to grow its community support.  Joel's Place has been in financial crisis all summer.  Some was expected.  Some was not.  Once we get through summer, our budget will be almost balanced but we will still be behind on our mortgage payments and some other bills.  We have been able to increase our programs through utilizing grants and government programs, but it is time to increase our stability and sustainability through local partnerships.  I envision working with local schools to build after-school programs; hosting church youth group outings; developing our Interior donor network; and growing community ownership in the work of loving our youth.
     As I dive back in, just allow me to say that I am so grateful for where I am and what I get to spend my days doing.  I have the deepest respect for Mike and Linda Setterberg who poured out their lives to see this dream come to life.  I have size 13 feet, but they have left me large shoes to fill.  Thank you all for your prayers and support.  Together we will see the youth of Fairbanks transformed.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Faith-Based

     Joel's Place is a "Faith-Based" organization.  I have been reminded of this fact several times in my first month of service.  This has been a conscious, and at times costly, decision that was made from the beginning and consistently reaffirmed throughout our twelve-year history.  This little title shouts to the world that we are more than just a social service agency or a fun park.  We have an agenda, and anyone who has an agenda tends to make others nervous.  So allow me to be clear about what our agenda is.

     We want to love the young people who come through our doors as much as Jesus loves them.




     I sat at my computer for another ten minutes trying to come up with more than that, but that simple phrase is everything that drives our programs and services.  Jesus loves absolutely, without reservation. He looks at the dirty, uncoordinated, snot-nosed tween who self-consciously stumbles into our building and sees a masterpiece of creation filled with wonder and potential.  He sees gifts and abilities, ideas and adventures, joy and laughter and compassion woven into every fiber of their being.  He sees them moving into adulthood and longs for the fullness of who they are to be revealed to the world.

      We strive to translate this love into action and hope that our actions trumpet that these young people are valuable and cherished.  We provide food to grow the body; opportunities for service to grow the heart; activities to develop both body and mind; community to support and encourage; and fun to promote joy and laughter.  That is our strategy.  That is our agenda.  That is what "Faith-Based" means here at Joel's Place.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Joel's Place is like an Ogre

     Or an onion.  Or a parfait.  For those of you who haven't seen the cultural phenomenon that is "Shrek," allow me to put this another way.  Joel's Place has layers.  There is a lot going on here, and there is even more going on behind the scenes...and even more behind that.  An explanation is in order.

     Joel's Place is fun, a lot of fun.  Skateboarders are flying up and down ramps.  When they are taking a break from the skating, kids are eating snacks, watching movies, playing video games, pool, or dodgeball.  This summer we are adding an outdoor skating area, a basketball court and an area for volleyball.  There are crafts to make, camps to attend, instruments to learn and a garden to grow.  The fun and activities are what draw kids in at first.  But there is more.

     Joel's Place is service.  We have dozens of Americorps members volunteering with nonprofits in the community.  They are farming, cleaning, building, feeding, filing paperwork, working with kids, doing more cleaning and providing technical assistance.  We sponsor and supervise two summer food service sites to provide free meals for kids.  There is a constant stream of people coming in and going out to give of themselves to others.  But there is more.

     Joel's Place is mentoring.  While the kids are here playing, they are also learning.  They are watching the staff and Americorps members, absorbing how older people interact.  They are learning how to win and lose well.  They are learning how to try new things with joy.  They are learning to treat others with respect. They are learning how to serve and look out for those who have less.  There is a small train of boys who tromp out to work in our garden every day just to spend time with a young Americorps guy.  But there is more.

     Joel's Place is assets.  Helping Kids Succeed- Alaskan Style is a resource released by the State of Alaska, based off of a study conducted by the Search Institute of Minnesota.  It lays out 40 resources that support and encourage a child's development.  These assets range from Family Support to Homework to Social Justice to Positive Peer Influence.  The study found that there is a direct correlation between assets and healthy lifestyle in kids.  Kids with less than 10 assets are at great risk for drug and alcohol abuse, depression, school problems and a life of violence.  Children with 11-20 assets reduce that risk by 50%.  Children with 21-30 assets reduce that risk by another 50%.  Our goal at Joel's Place is to provide every child and teenager who comes through our doors with at least 10 assets through short-term programs and long-term relationships.  10 assets would bump everyone up to the next level of success, no matter where they are when they come in.

     Kids come to Joel's Place to play and hang out.  But while they are doing that, the direction of their life is changing.  There is a lot going on here.  Some of it you can even see...if you know what to look for.