Joel's Place 2013 in Review

     Time is a funny thing.  The seconds and minutes pass by at constant rates, never stopping or pausing before the next moment arrives...however our experience feels like time fluctuates rapidly.  Sometimes the day flies by and other times the minutes drag on endlessly.  I sit here at my desk feeling both shocked at how quickly the year has passed and also completely spent by everything that we crammed into 365 days.  I thought that before we opened up 2014 I would take a few moments to reflect on what has happened here this year and where it leaves us moving forward.

     This year has been about transition and change.  I thought about trying to make lists of the camps that we hosted or the grants that we were awarded or the money that we have raised or the staff/Board turnover that we have had.  None of that really illustrated what 2013 was for us.  Here are a few points that I view as very significant:

• Our Founders stepped away.  I wrote about this in the fall, but Mike and Linda both left their active roles with Joel's Place this year.  Their dedication to the youth in this community has been amazing.  Senator Begich even stopped by this year to honor them with inclusion into the Congressional Record.  I have heard horror stories of founders leaving and am so grateful that there has been nothing but blessings and goodwill that have come from the Setterbergs.  They listened to God's call when they started Joel's Place and have been willing to hand over their baby to others.  I hope and pray that we are worthy of that honor.
• Building Upgrades.  This year saw us finish fencing in the property, upgrade the sound system, upgrade our wireless network and weatherize the building.  We received a weatherization grant that provided 2" of foam insulation in the walls, new siding and an exterior electrical overhaul.  The building is warm and beautiful while being increasingly functional for both the youth and the staff.
• .Outstanding training by Ron and Linda Ruthruff and Rod Devore.  We as staff have a lot to chew on as we move forward.
• I received my Certificate of NonProfit Management this fall...meaning that I can no longer plead ignorance about what I am supposed to be doing in my job.  I know stuff now...sort of.
• Money has been tight this year, but I am pleased to announce that we made it through a full year without Grant support of the Financial Manager or Program Director positions for the 1st time ever.  Our capacity and sustainability is steadily growing to where we can begin to stand on our own.  I just paid our last bill of 2013 and we still have some money in the bank.
• Ramp It Up was a huge success.  The event was high quality, everyone did a great job in their presentations and those attending were extremely generous.  Thanks to everyone who helped!

     I was talking with Kelli at our Christmas Party.  She said that she came across her wish list from 2012 and was able to cross everything off it.  It has been a really good year and I am eager to move forward.

     What do we have coming up in 2014?  Mostly we will continue to roll with whatever comes along, but I know that there are some things that I have on my to-do list.

• I am wanting to create and fund a Fund Development Coordinator position.  This will be someone who helps me write grants and helps me in fundraising.
• Resolution to our Balloon Payment.  It is due in September and we will either have the building payed off or a long term solution in place this year.
• I want to upgrade our security system and do a few internal remodeling pieces to make our space more efficient and safe.
• I want to see increased building usage: concerts, field trips, meetings, rentals, etc.  This place is just better when there are people, especially young people, in it.
• Focus.  It is time to reevaluate our place within the community.  Where are we uniquely situated to serve the youth of the Interior?  What programs should we expand or cut or create?  I am excited to see what we discover.

Joel's Place has been through a wild ride in 2013.  As I look at the big picture, it seems that most of 2013 has been preparation work to equip us to move forward.  We are entering a new season and we need new tools to fulfill our mission in that new season.  I am so grateful for our partners.  You make it possible to pour resources into the youth.  Thank you for your support, your encouragement and everything that you do to propel Joel's Place along.  I am eager to see where 2014 takes us and I encourage you to come along.  The only thing I know for certain is this:

     It will be an amazing ride.

Christmas Card

     What a fine looking bunch!  This is our staff team at Ramp It Up.  We all looked so nice, I thought I would take advantage of the moment and take our Christmas Card picture (a strategy I also employed for my family picture that evening).  In case you don't know them, allow my to introduce my amazing staff:
From the left:

• Arlys, our Financial Manager.  Kind, caring and detail oriented, Arlys keeps our books clean and our paper trail running smoothly.  She hides in our upper office and is deeply cherished by the rest of the staff.
• Orion, Skate Park Manager.  Orion is still in High School but still has the energy and the maturity to do a fabulous job of connecting with the younger kids while keeping our skaters safe.
• Kelli, Joel's Place Program Manager.  Simply put, I would be lost here without Kelli.  She brings a level of fun and creativity to the center that I do not possess.  She is outstanding at developing the staff and connecting with the youth.
• At the center of the back row is Mark, our Youth Development Coordinator.  Mark is quick to listen to what the kids need and eager to help them achieve their goals....I also destroyed him in a badminton match, which boosts my confidence when I see him.
• Keturah, Cafe Manager.  Keturah is feisty, perfectly willing to go toe-to-toe with the youth who forget their manners at dinner.  I have learned that you cannot be timid if you want teenage boys to eat well.  Keturah is no mean lunch lady, however, as she is quick to laugh and lavishly generous of her time and resources.
• Jay, Staff.  He wants a better title but he hasn't earned it yet.  Jay is the newest member of our team but has wasted no time in diving into making friends with the kids, starting up epic dodgeball games and learning how to skate.
• Me.  You already know lots about me.  I like to write.  I like to plan.  I was the only one who wore a tie that night...Yup.  That's about it.
• Leah, Front Desk.  You know what is said about the importance of first impressions.  Leah is our first impression at Joel's Place.  She welcomes people in with a smile and sincere greeting.  She knows everyone's name.  She goes out of her way to help people feel welcomed.

   On behalf of the myself, the staff here at Joel's Place, the dozens of volunteers, hundreds of donors and over 900 youth who have used our facility this year

                  Have a Merry Christmas and 
                  a Joy-filled Holiday Season!

The Christmas Post

     I was looking back over my previous posts to see what I had written about Christmas last year.  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  It made sense as Lucy was born at the very end of November and life was a little crazy, but I still neglected to write about my favorite time of the year.  This will soon be rectified.

     Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and usually it is not even close.  I love Christmas specials.  I love Christmas baking.  I listen to Christmas songs throughout the year.  Maybe my enjoyment of the holiday comes from my mom's kitchen and her history of making amazing things to eat during this time of year.  Maybe it comes from school age and having a break from school.  Maybe it comes from memories of opening presents with my brothers.
                          (Side note:  One year Christmas festivities just stopped for a half hour as all three of us simultaneously opened gifts that contained Nerf guns.  It was a maelstrom of darts and wrapping paper and body parts and tinsel.  I would like to say that I was a young boy...but I was probably 20.)

     Perhaps I cherish this season because it is the one time of the year when everyone enjoys winter instead of complaining about it.  Being from Alaska and choosing to call this state and this climate my home means that I not only tolerate winter, I enjoy the snow and the dark sky and the chilly temperatures.  On Christmas, everyone else sees winter the way that I see it year round.

     Maybe I simply love Christmas because it falls about a month after my birthday.  Close enough to check off the rest of my wish list but far enough away that most relatives could not get away with sending me a joint Christmas/birthday present.

     While all these are definitely elements of why I enjoy this season, the most significant piece lies deeper.  It is not something that I often think about or reflect on.  Reflection requires slowing down and listening and we live in a world that urges us to move faster and take on more and more.  When I do slow down, I am overcome by a simple word that I ascribe to this season and this season alone.  It is not "Joy" or "Peace" or "Noel" or anything else that I have seen on a Christmas card.  It is "Wonder."

     My favorite definition of Wonder is "amazed admiration."  It is children staring at wrapped presents under the tree, imagining the possibilities of what could be in those packages.  It is my 1 year old daughter gazing, mouth open, at Christmas lights.  It is a parent looking at their sons and daughters, stunned that they were part of creating something so amazing.  Wonder is what happens when we gaze on something that is beautiful and complete yet is full of unrealized potential...it will only get better and our imaginations are released into dreaming of what they could become.  Wonder is delight at what we have and excitement at what will come later.  When I think of Wonder, I think of a parent beholding their newborn and my mind turns toward the first Christmas.

     I imagine the baby Jesus, Lord of the Universe and helpless infant.  I imagine the wonder in Mary and Joseph's eyes being matched only by the wonder of the heavens.  I imagine the constant chorus of praises being temporarily paused in heaven as the angels looked on at wonder at the newly revealed Divine Plan.  Immortal and Eternal wrapped in quivering and frail flesh.  A perfect baby, a perfect gift with limitless potential yet to be revealed.  I imagine the Father with a small smile whispering "Watch and see what I will do."  The silence of Wonder...the implications of this gift...minds and hearts racing as the Divine entered creation.

     Sometimes when the house is quiet...and I am quiet...I catch a glimpse of God pouring out unexpected gifts onto unsuspecting mortality.  I feel the amazed admiration as I ponder what could come next.  I hear a faint whisper to "Watch and see what I will do."  And I sit in Wonder at the amazing God we serve.

Merry Christmas and may this season be filled with Wonder for us all.