What kind of driver are you?

If you read my last post, you’ll see that I address the misconception that all poor people are alike and cheat the system.  A friend read the post, and with great humor, she emailed me a parallel quote that Houston’s drivers are also not all alike:  some cut you off in traffic, some are angry, some are gracious, some are slow, etc…  You’ll have to read my last blog to catch the humor in her writing – I think she had a bad experience on Highway 59 near the construction on Weslayan. 

Also on the heels of posting that last blog, one of our volunteers shared this story of a client we recently helped.

It’s a two-parent family with a four-year old and a seven-month old.  Dad is a dental hygienist, certified in the State of California.  They lived in California, but the cost of living was too high, so they made the big decision to move to Houston.  Our cost of living is considerably less, plus Houston is a city of opportunity.

Unfortunately, they made a mistake that has cost them dearly.  They didn’t realize that his professional certification does not transfer over in Texas, so instead of earning a decent wage in his field of work, he is earning just above minimum wage, working in a restaurant.  The mother cares for the children full-time, so until the youngest begins kindergarten, she cannot contribute much to the household’s income.

The volunteer told me this family is stressed, and Dad works a lot, just to pay the bills.  Becoming recertified will cost him time and money, and they are trying to address those barriers.  In the meantime, CCSC provided food and clothing to the family and connected them to other resources to help their situation.

They are not cheating the system, but are doing their best in a difficult situation.  It is the mission of CCSC to be a safety net for families such as these.  We represent the church in saying, “this family is suffering and is worthy of help – let’s do what we can to soften the hard circumstances of their life.“  And we do it with kindness. 

Questions on poverty

A few months ago, I spoke to a group of people giving a CCSC talk, outlining our mission and programs.  Near the end, I opened it up for questions.  Several people asked variations of the same question:  how do we qualify people for help?

I receive this question often, and it’s usually about wanting to ensure we are good stewards of the resources donated to us.  In other words, do we have a system in place to ensure the people we help are truly in need, and do we apply those policies fairly and consistently?  These are good, fair questions that I’m comfortable answering. 

However, it was clear that this group came from a perspective of assuming people in need disproportionately cheat the system.  The questions became more and more targeted and negative. 

My point in writing about this incident is not to discuss how I handled this situation.  Instead it's to clarify that low income people are just like other groups of people:  not identical clones, but unique individuals with their own personalities, stories and history.

Some are Type A, some are laid back, some are angry, some are humble, some are depressed, some take short-cuts, some are workaholics, etc…  Because all systems are comprised of people, you will always have some who follow the system and some who try to get around it.  In this regard, the poor are no different than any other group of people.

At CCSC, we do our very best to ensure the people we help are in need and match our goals and objectives. When we’re not sure, we err on the side of grace.  When we say “no”, we say it with kindness.  In all matters, we work hard to be fair.

No thank you

Recently, some colleagues and I discussed how our offices process donations. We began the conversation because one of us had received a mailing from another nonprofit.  In small print, at the bottom of the solicitation, it said that donations under $25 would not receive a thank you note because the cost of stationary, postage and processing would exceed the donation amount.

While I'm all for being a good steward of donors' resources, I found this statement unsettling and fairly offensive. What if someone's $20 donation represented a healthy percentage of their income that week?  What if it was a true sacrifice?  CCSC has donors who fall into this category.

So do we only thank donors who write big checks?  From a Christian perspective, I can't imagine Jesus would endorse this practice.  Upon seeing a poor widow put two coins into the offering, he noted that she gave out of her poverty while others in the temple had given out of their abundance.  When I read that passage of scripture (Luke 21:1-4), I am reminded that true giving comes from a generous, humble heart. 

True giving should be acknowledged.  When people make a gift to a nonprofit, they should be thanked, no matter what the amount. The cost of sending a thank you note is worth the good will.    

I wonder if this nonprofit's practice is related to the overall decline in good manners in our society.  We're no longer great about responding to invitations (RSVPs) or sending thank you notes out in general - it's almost a lost art. 

One of my mentors has a practice of sending at least one handwritten note out weekly to someone in his professional world.  Sometimes the notes acknowledge good work, and sometimes they are just a note, letting the other person know that he is thinking about them. But the notes are always personal and heartfelt.

So let me close with a thought: I wonder what would happen if each of us adopted this practice and sent out one personal note a week.  I'll bet the impact would be significant.

Do you know our mission?

 

The mission of the Christian Community Service Center (CCSC) is to serve the poor, hungry, disabled, and otherwise needy while respecting their religious, ethnic or cultural differences.
CCSC was created out of faith, and founded in the belief that we are called to help all God's children heart to heart and hand in hand.

I really love CCSC's mission statement because it succinctly describes our purpose and culture.  I also love it because I've seen it in action over the years, and not just in the programs.  It is a reference point for strategic planning, managing change, and considering new ideas.

This statement was developed by a CCSC committee many years ago.  I like to share that because it debunks the myth that committee work is tiresome.  Good committees produce good work!

For those of us who have seen the mission statement a million times, look at the graphic below to see the statement more creatively.   

Recently I was asked to participate in a radio show on religious organizations and their missions.  Click here if you'd like to hear the broadcast: http://www.ccschouston.org/CCSC_Video.html.

Sometimes it's okay to talk to a stranger

This morning, staff member Stephanie Hodge was at a local grocery store picking up some of the "Red Barrel" bags.  You know those barrels:  they are in most grocery stores and the contents are donated to food pantries.

As Stephanie was loading her car with the food bags, a stranger approached.  He asked if she worked for the agency that would be distributing the food to the hungry, and when she said "yes", he handed her $100 as a cash donation.  And then he walked away.

When she shared this story, it made all of us smile:  not because of the $100 donation, but because of the generosity of a stranger, who asked for nothing in return for his gift, not even a tax receipt.

I love anonymous goodness and have the privilege of seeing it often at CCSC.  We clearly see it with donors and volunteers, but also with clients.  One cold winter day, a homeless man came in looking for a coat, and we were out of warm clothing.  Another client overheard the conversation between the man and a volunteer.  He stepped forward to give the man his own coat, saying that he had an apartment and couldn't imagine sleeping on the streets without warmth.  This was someone who had come to us needing food and clothing, yet he freely gave away his only coat.

Because I work in a faith-based organization, I am surrounded by spiritually focused people, seeking to live their faith and values in the world.  Most of the people I know want to do great things with their lives.  Yet I wonder if greatness is in the little moments that comprise our daily lives.  Mother Teresa said it best:  "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." 

With apologies to mathematicians, numbers aren't everything

We are working hard to finalize our 2013 numbers to report the year's results. This involves our financials as well as our program statistics and outcomes.  Essentially, CCSC had a good year, and we'll be reporting the information formally next week.

Numbers matter because we can measure accomplishments and make comparisons to prior years as well as to our goals.  But numbers cannot be the sole mechanism in measuring success.  An organization's mission also needs to be assessed:  Did we live our core values (these are mentioned in a prior post)?  Can someone walk into our programs, office, or resale shop and see a match between our values and our daily interactions?  Do we "walk the talk" with our organizational culture?

I share this not to give an assessment on CCSC's culture (although I think our staff and volunteers do an outstanding job).  I share this to show that when we measure success, we also have to consider how well we relate to others, especially those we serve.

So I'm always grateful to receive feedback on how we can improve in this area.  And of course, I love to hear directly from our clients. 

Earlier this week, I ran into a former JobNet client.  He wanted me to know how much the people at JobNet meant to him:  he said they changed his life, and he rattled off all their names.  He's been employed for three years now.  In the year he was a client, he represented one person out of 50,000+ who our organization helped.  His statistic was not meaningful, if you look at just the numbers.  But his story was meaningful to those who worked with him.  He believed they genuinely cared for him, and this helped propel him forward.

So as we publish and report our numbers, remember that each program statistic represents a human being, with his or her own story.  CCSC aims to meet our targeted programmatic and financial goals while seeing each person coming through as a child of God, worthy of our best effort.



If you would like to become a CCSC volunteer and join our community, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Kate Gallup, at volunteer@ccschouston.org.

Christmas Isn't Over

There is a poem I read this time of year that I find inspiring.  It's called "The Work of Christmas" by Henry Thurman:

When the star in the sky is gone,
When the Kings and Princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoner
To teach the nations
To bring Christ to all
To make music in the heart.
— Howard Thurman

 

 

Like many of you, I revel in the majesty of Christmas.  I enjoy all the activity at CCSC and seeing so many volunteers come through our doors this time of year, eager to serve and help us fulfill our mission.  I also love the quiet time I have with my family, the music and decorations, and the inspiring worship services at my church. 

 

So when it's over, and I find myself in January, it can be a bit of a letdown.  I read this poem as a reminder that while the pageantry and magic of Christmas has its time, the work of Christmas is timeless and ongoing. 

 

This week, as in most weeks throughout the year, CCSC works its mission.  We help job seekers to find a job (or a better job).  We feed families and individuals, and we put eyeglasses on the faces of at-risk students. We train women to become entrepreneurs, help older persons with their medication, and working families to avoid homelessness.  We do this in a culture that says all people are to be treated with dignity and respect.  We do this in a culture that strives to balance accountability and solid business practices with the ethos of our mission:  to be the hands and feet of Christ in a hurting world.

 

Thanks to all who support and believe in our work.