Friday, March 28, 2014

Purpose, part 3

In the final installment of looking at our Purpose Statement, we look at what kinds of things we hope to do and what we want to see as the end result.

"WRM's purpose is to experience God's radical, extravagant love
           And then express it in meaningful ways
                     By creating a community 
                               Where marginalized youth
                                          Can experience the love and healing presence of God."


The part of this statement that tends to generate the most discussion is the "marginalized youth" aspect.  Who are they?  What makes them marginalized?  Why not just say all youth?

First and foremost, Joel's Place is open for all teenagers, everyone between the ages of 10-20.  We don't turn anyone away or reject someone because their home life is too good.  Most of the time we don't even know who is from turbulent homes and who is from a solid family.  However, we want to be most welcoming and most attuned towards youth who have limited resources.  That is why we offer free food every day.  That is why we try to keep our prices as low as possible.  That is why we run a skate board park instead of something more lucrative.  That is why we have taken strides into the special needs community.  Having "marginalized" in this statement reminds us that there are kids who are on their own and could really benefit from just a little additional help.

"Marginalized Youth."  Marginalized youth are young people who are pushed towards the edges of society.  They are told that their opinion does not matter, their life is of little value and that they do not fit with everyone else.  Most teenagers will live in this reality for at least a little while as they are maturing.  There are some who experience it more strongly than any of their peers.  They are the 600 homeless teens that hop from couch to couch, hoping to stay off the streets.  They are the young people from abusive homes, probably double to triple that previous number.  There are the youth who are struggling with developmental delays and disabilities.  There are the artists and musicians who are trying to find their voice.  There are teens who just have not been able to connect anywhere and are weighed down by isolation and loneliness.  All these, and more, come to Joel's Place, looking for community and fun and a safe place to be valued for who they are.  Our hope is that we would create that environment and that God would give them what they are searching for.  If we have a teen who enters Joel's Place simply looking to work up a sweat while biking for two hours, may that be what he finds.  If we have a teen who enters Joel's Place looking for something more, for hope and direction and food and purpose...may that be what he finds.

This is a great place, filled with great people.  My hope, my job as Executive Director, is that we would be equipped to provide teens with the resources they are looking for, whether physical, emotional, mental or spiritual.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Purpose, part 2

     Before I dive into unpacking out Purpose Statement, allow me to extend an invitation to all of you.  I am having a Book Launch Party tomorrow, Saturday the 22nd of March from noon to 2pm at Joel's Place.  Come join me in celebrating the release of "The Seer!"  Stop by to grab some free food, see Joel's Place, buy a book, get your book signed or simply to laugh with me that I am now an author.  The park will be closed which means the ramps are free for the kids to run on.  Thanks to everyone who supported me along this endeavor.  I hope to see you tomorrow!


                         _________________________________________________________

     We vote with our feet.  This is one of my favorite sayings.  It still confuses my kids who think I'm talking about doing handstands in voting booths in November.  What it really means is that our actions reveal our beliefs much better than our words do.  People say all sorts of crazy things (hello, internet) but you can discern what they believe simply by observing their actions. 

     For example, I have said that I want to get into shape in order to go with the kids on the epic biking/hiking trips that their schools host every spring.  However when my alarm goes off at 6:30 every morning I decide that I value an extra half hour of sleep than getting up and exercising.  Voting with your feet...or in my case, voting with my snooze alarm.

     Similarly, our Purpose statement says that our first goal is to experience God's love and then "Express it in meaningful ways."  If we claim to be followers of Jesus, then we must do what He did.  Care for the poor.  Love the outcast.  Defend the oppressed.  Live a life filled with laughter, tears and miracles.  Give generously and rely on God for provision.  Listen to God and do what He says.  Putting the needs of others above our own.  If we do these things our lives, and our organization, are bound to look radically different from the cultural norm.  And then no matter what we say, or what others say about us, it will be clear what we believe because people will see us voting with our feet...and our skate park...and our cafe...and our staff...and our money.  We are loved and blessed and so we will love and bless every young man and woman who comes through our doors in the hopes that they will be transformed by their time at Joel's Place.


Friday, March 14, 2014

Purpose part 1

     Every successful organization, whether for profit or nonprofit, as a reason that it exists.  Ideally, that purpose is articulated in a clear statement that allows everyone in the organization and everyone interested in the organization to know just what kind of group this is.  It does not need to go into the operational details, but it should allow the decision makers to use it as a lens...a focus from which they can make decisions about direction, partnerships and staffing.  The Board of Directors has hammered out an updated purpose statement for WRM:

WRM's purpose is to experience God's radical, extravagant love 
           And then express it in meaningful ways
                        By creating a community
                                      Where marginalized youth
                                                  Can experience the love and healing presence of God.


  This is actually a modification of some of the earliest ideas about why Joel's Place exists from the archives.  As the Board and I looked over our history, we were struck by these words and wanted to position them at the center of our endeavors.  I'm going to break this down over the next several weeks and get into more depth about who we are and why.  The first part is about experiencing God's radical and extravagant love.   As a faith-based organization, our paradigm revolves around God's goodness and His work in the world.  We also realize that we can only give away what we have received.  If we have not been infused with joy and hope and generosity then how will we share those with the youth who come through our doors?

Pat Riley, the famous NBA player/coach/executive, would ask his players, "What do you get when you squeeze an orange?"  They would try to figure out what kind of off the wall answer he was looking for until he responded, "Orange Juice."  When you are put under pressure, whatever is buried inside you will come gushing out for the world to see...whether that be good or bad, ugly or beautiful, it will be shown to everyone around you.

This can be a stressful job when the kids are breaking things and fighting each other, when money is not coming in and staff are not being paid, when rifts and rivalries form.  When the stress comes, whether in a day or in a year, it is vital that what is squeezed out of us reflects God's powerful and transformational work within us.  That doesn't mean that we have to be happy and put on a false face all the time.  It does mean that we as a people need to embrace mercy and grace and hope in the face of despair.  That can only happen if we are already experiencing God's radical, extravagant love in our daily lives.  If we are not then nothing else that we strive to accomplish will amount to anything.  Youth know pretenders.  They can smell fake.  If we say we believe something and live a different way, we destroy any trust that we have with them and lose our ability to speak into their lives.

For our integrity, for our mission, for a joyful life...that's why this is the first part of our revised Purpose Statement.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Double your Dividend?

    


     Pick.Click.Give. is a program through the State of Alaska that allows recipients of the PFD to easily donate part of their dividend to nonprofit organizations throughout the state.  Joel's Place has received around $6,000 each year for the past three years.  This allows us to pay for our taxes and annual audit to be performed, which in turn allows us to qualify for several grants and government awards.  So far this year we have $3,500 pledged in Pick.Click.Give. which meant that we were going to have to pull funds from some other part of the organization to do the taxes and audit.  I was about to start doing some lobbying when I received a call.

     It turns out that Pick.Click.Give donations are down around the state, probably due to a few factors:
  • Rising energy costs
  • Relatively low PFD payouts the past few years
  • A system glitch that made signing up in January challenging
What I have from here on out is just good news on top of good news.  First, the initial estimate of this year's dividend is $1,800...nearly double last year's check.  Second, the system is working flawlessly so signing up is super simple.  Third, to give incentive to participate in the program, Pick.Click.Give is offering 10 Alaskans the chance to double their dividend.  Simply:
  1. Follow this link to the website.  
  2. Sign up to make a donation from your PFD to some deserving nonprofit...like...oh...I don't know...maybe Joel's Place
  3. After selecting the who and the how much, make sure that you choose the Not Anonymous option.  They can't give an award if they don't know who you are.
  4. 10 Alaskans will be chosen to receive an extra dividend in the fall.
That's the entire process.  Thank you to everyone who participates and gives some of their dividend to Joel's Place.  I know the money has a lot of places it can go and I feel very honored when I see donations come out of those checks.  I will give an update in a couple of months when I hear our final numbers.  Thank you again for your support and encouragement.

James