Beautiful Shades of Color

Steven Covey has a quote I love “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” I’m a quote person – well actually maybe more precisely, I am a person who loves to understand the experiences of others, and I feel like quotes provide a glimpse into a piece of the soul of another.  The word “sonder” is the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own – how profound and amazing.  My daughter and I frequently ponder that as we sit at a café or walk down the street.  People all around us have profound stories and experiences – just as poignant and meaningful, wonderful and difficult, as our own experiences.  The song “I Gave You All” by Mumford and Sons illustrates that point to me when they say “How can you say that your truth is greater than ours.” 

So simple. So poignant. And so very true.  Our truth is based on our experiences, the life we have lived, and what we have seen.  And somehow we make the leap that our truth is the same as those around us and when it is not we can negate the experiences of others because our own journey is different than theirs.  It seems to be part of the American Way to believe someone is right and someone is wrong – concretely right or wrong.  Frequently with no room for variations – we see shades of gray (or as I like to see it, shades of beautiful colors) as somehow wrong.  We discount things, and worse yet, people, because they don’t meet some arbitrary criteria we established.

I was recently walking the halls of a hospital with a loved one.  There was a young man on the floor who had been there for a number of weeks.  Ryan has some developmental disabilities, as well as, some mental health issues.  He was a delightful young man, with the kindest soul.  He made friends with everyone (including me) and talked about his dreams and aspirations.  During the course of my visit one night he made a really astute observation about his roommate and no one listened to him – including me.  About 20 minutes later an event occurred that showed how astute he was – he saw what we had all missed.  I was once again reminded of my own stereotypes and assumptions, reminded to not write someone off because they were different than me, but to listen more closely, to really hear from others. 

People all around us have profound gifts, the more we recognize that, the richer our lives can be.  The more we see that people all around us are having experiences that are just as profound as ours.  That though they may have lived life differently, their experiences are just as valid as ours.  Their truth is just as real, just as poignant even if it is different than our own.    Shades of color that, when we pay attention, can help us so much more clearly understand the wonders, issues, and complexities of life.  We can see more.  We can see further.

I work with families on a daily basis that are discounted or ignored.  Their truth, based on their very real and valid experiences, is different than many of ours.  Yet smart, profound and telling – a different shade of color that helps us more clearly see the issues, so we can more appropriately look for solutions.  Imagine what the world would be like if we embraced the idea of the word “sonder” – that we saw the benefit of those very real and different experiences of those walking around us – think of the problems we could solve if we could see it more completely.  Think of how much more rich the picture becomes when we add beautiful hues of color and design!    

Families Helping Families!

I was walking through our Franklin County office.  It had been an incredibly busy week and I was taking a moment to visit staff and programs – to reclaim why I do this work.  Becky, from our Work Ready program motioned me in to look at the beautiful canned tomatoes that the families in her program had made with the help of Virginia, a Circle Leader who is gifted in canning and making the most of what you have.  As we talked, Jennifer, one of the Work Ready participants, chimed in telling me how she was part of the glean that happened earlier in the week (the first glean in Franklin County!). 

Gleaning is such a brilliant concept.  It allows farmers and producers to contact SCCAP when they have excess produce that they don’t want to go to waste.  Our Gleaning Coordinators then bring a group of volunteers out to the farm to pick the produce which is then distributed to low income families in the community.  SCCAP has administered this program in Adams County for just over a year and has brought in more than 130,000 pounds of produce.  Last month, with help from a grant from the Summit Health Endowment, we were able to spread this successful program to Franklin County.  Jennifer and her two children, age 16 and 7, came out to volunteer to be part of the first glean.  The group brought in nearly two thousand pounds of fresh corn.  Jennifer was so excited.  She said that she and her children loved the experience and can’t wait to participate again. 

We make assumptions about families who are struggling in poverty.  We assume they are lazy, that they are waiting on someone else to help them out, or that they are taking advantage of the system.  My experiences are so different than the stereotypes.   Virginia, a family in our Circles initiative volunteered her time to come into Work Ready to teach families how to can and preserve produce.  Jennifer and her children volunteered to go pick corn so that other families could have access to fresh produce.  Both joyously giving back to their community.  We see this all the time! 

Families are not broken or deficient – they are just like you or I except they may have some additional barriers to overcome.  They may have had children early or be a single parent.  They may be dealing with mental health issues.  They may have not had the opportunity to go to college so they are trapped in a low wage job structure.  And frequently their parents were living in poverty as well, reducing the opportunities that existed for the family.  But they are not broken or deficient.  Many families can budget better than I can.  And when provided some time and space, they create amazing plans to build resources to help them move toward stability.  They are committed and driven but need guidance and opportunity.  And amidst all of the hard work, they give back frequently in ways the general public frequently does not see.

Cara, who works 60 – 70 hours per week to meet her financial needs, takes time weekly to volunteer at Circles serving as a mentor to other families or assisting with child care.  Roberta and Bobby are working to become facilitators of Money Skills the program they feel helped them learn how to change their values and thinking about managing their money.  Marci, Nereida and Adrienne are serving as allies for families in Circles, giving back to other families in a program that helped them.  Virginia will assist The Gleaning Project (www.thegleaningproject.org ) by teaching others how to can.  Camille teaches couponing and how to save money on things families need.  Jennifer and her children are examples of the many families who volunteer to help provide resources to help others.  Families helping other families!  Families, who while fighting against the odds themselves, are incredibly vested in being part of the solution to help build  an effective path out of poverty!  Please join us in this important work - www.sccap.org

 

What Makes This Work So Difficult.

This work can be so difficult.  One might assume it is the clients that make it tough.  And it is incredibly difficult and guilt provoking to work with so many, who have so little, and are working so hard to build a better life.  But what really makes this work so daunting is when you watch someone run into barrier after barrier, many of which are the very systems that are established to help them – that is what truly makes this work so difficult.

I just came back from speaking with a young woman who is diligently working to get back on her feet.  She thanked me for the help she had received here at SCCAP and we talked about the issues she is now having trying to find housing.  She finally received her Section 8 voucher which would enable her to find housing she could afford – she thought the tough part was over -  but actually the tough part had just begun.  It is tough to find housing to meet Section 8 criteria and not all landlords will work with this program.  But she was working with a landlord who our shelter staff  had built a good relationship with.  He wants to help families get back on their feet – he sees it as a way he can give back.  They found an apartment that met the guidelines and cost restrictions, and the landlord agreed to make the few corrections required.  Everything seemed good to go - only to find out later in the process that the fence, which belongs to and resides on the neighbor’s property, is not up to code and that precludes her  from using the Section 8 voucher for that property.  The landlord was willing to rent to her and was willing to make any of the corrections to the house and property he owns that were needed, but he could not repair his neighbors fence, and the suggestion that he put up a fence along side of the neighbors was simply too cost prohibitive.  Such a frustrating situation for this young woman who now needs to start over!  And imagine the frustration of this landlord who now thinks the government regulations associated with housing are ludicrous.  A step in the wrong direction!

Another family we are working with has a disabled adult child.  The only income they are currently receiving is the $721, her son is eligible for under disability.  Mom wants to work, but there is no available adult day care for her developmentally disabled son.  Programs that provide those services have multiple year waiting lists.  How can someone find housing and pay for living expenses for just over  $700.00 per month?  Imagine the stress of having a disabled adult child, and then add on being homeless.  How very daunting!

We think people are stuck in poverty just because of the decisions they make.  It is rarely that easy!  Like situations in all of our lives, there is always more to the story, complexities that make things much more difficult.  It is overcoming those barriers that allow families to stabilize and then move on to self-sufficiency.  Overcoming those barriers requires effective partnerships.  And sometimes it takes exposing crazy regulations, systems, and policies to the light of day so they can be corrected – so that we can push for smarter regulations and policies that really support families in moving forward! 

Building a Bright Future!

There were two exciting events that took place in May and they are both a culmination of work by SCCAP's Board and Staff.  In a time when the focus of many non-profit agencies is to pull in, to try and insulate yourself from the difficult times, we have chosen a different path.

In May, we turned in our application for the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Organizations(PANO) Standard of Excellence Certification and received our preliminary feedback.  This was the culmination of nearly two year's work of looking at the administrative, governance and programmatic infrastructure of our organization.  It has been a labor intensive and learning process that is allowing us to stretch, think further and become a much better and stronger organization.  While incredibly time consuming, it has been a wonderfully invigorating process.  It helped us take a fresh look at things and see through different eyes.  The first round of feedback was quite good - kudos to our staff and board.  And while the certification, when it is received, will be fantastic.  What is really, really valuable is the work, insight and improvement that took place through the process!

Secondly, in May, SCCAP’s Opportunity Fund for South Central Community Action Programs, an endowment fund through the Adams County Community Foundation was recognized as a new endowment fund.  This is also such an important step for us.  This is a fund designed to help us meet our mission of empowering families and engaging the community to pursue innovative solutions to break the cycle of poverty, well into the future.  It is a stance of hope and faith, it is investing in our future and this important work that helps support the social infrastructure of Adams and Franklin Counties.  We are committed, for the long term, in helping families in our local communities reach their potential. 

As I write this, the faces of families and individuals like Cara, Becky, Bill, Camille, and Andrew come to mind.  Brilliant individuals who wanted a better life and were willing to work hard to get it, but were stuck in a cycle and system that holds people in poverty.  They have, or are in the process of, working their way out of poverty and are giving back along the way.  Their contributions are immense and some of their work and experiences have made it into the State GOP's policy committee’s plans to work on poverty, led by Rep. Dave Reed. An amazing accomplishment!

Our work, over the last few years, is an investment in SCCAP's future, but more importantly it is a renewed commitment to do more, to do it better, and to help more local families reach their potential.  That work builds thriving families for a vibrant community.  Please join us! 

What If?

I love music.  All genres of music.  I love the stories that come through in music. I love the songs that create that personal experience and drive me to think or feel more deeply. Five for Fighting just came out with that type of song.  It’s called “What If”. 

There is a line in the song that goes What if I had your heart, what if you wore my scars.  What if you were me?  What if I were you?  What if your life was my life? What if I was you? It resonates with me personally and with our mission here at SCCAP – we believe that everyone has a story, a profound story and a path that led them to the place where they are.  But what really struck me in this song was the concept of seeing ourselves in someone else’s life.  

I did nothing to be born to a middle class stable family of Irish and Scottish decent.  I did nothing to be born with brown curly hair and blue eyes. I didn’t do anything that allowed me to have the genetic disposition of a high metabolism.  I didn’t do anything to have a calm, fairly steady emotional demeanor or the brain to understand systems, be artistic, but not get chemistry.  Those were the genetic products of my parents and their parents.  In fact, it was fascinating when I developed Grave’s Disease and took a pill to reduce the thyroid hormone in my system, purposely slowing my metabolism, suddenly I had to work really hard to keep my weight the same. Something I was proud of was suddenly, very clearly, shown to be the interactions of a chemical in my body, much more genetic than due to my efforts.

 Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we don’t impact our outcomes – of course we do.  And taking charge of our own life, in whatever capacity we can, in every moment, is critical to our future success.  But I don’t want to kid myself.  Who I am and that I was born middle class in America is no credit to me.  I could have been born poor, or rich, with mental illness or disabilities or with the genetics that would have made me so much smarter or beautiful - all again with no work or slacking on my part – a product of genetics. 

 I was facilitating a class with low income, really hard working families.  We were talking about economics and the tax base and the discussion turned to jobs.  A woman who worked nights at a factory stacking boxes for 40 – 60 hours per weeks said.  “If I could only work harder, like you do, I could get to where you are.”  It haunted me – I work hard and I’m salaried so I work a lot of hours - but so does she, for far less wages than I receive.  And the work she is doing will kill her body over time.  Conversely I was doing a training for Medical Residents who would be working with low income families and one young woman was sharing her story and strongly wanted me to understand that her family, though affluent, had worked hard to get where they were.  Of course they had!  I think working hard is the norm for most of us.  I work hard in my very middle class position, the woman stacking boxes works hard, and the woman training to be a doctor works hard.  Our outcomes, however, are different.  Our starting places, however, were different.  What if I had your heart, what if you wore my scars?  Would we see things differently?  Would those differences be valid?  How much of who we are is a gift of birth and how much due to our hard work?  If we realize that perhaps a part of our success was due to things we didn’t earn but were gifted, our outlooks about others who might not have had the same gifts or opportunities might shift a little.  What if I was you and you were me?