GiveMN.org is making that possible with a giving stimulus plan called "Give to the Max Day," created to increase giving to non-profits across Minnesota. Donations made to the Twin Cities Salvation Army by giving online here will be elegible for a portion of $500,000 in matching funds for a 24 hour period, ending November 18th at 8 a.m.
What an incredible opportunity to increase the amount of support you can give to The Salvation Army, by taking part in this one-day plan.
Check out this press release for the details of how this has been made possible, and give to The Salvation Army during Give to the Max Day by making a credit card gift here.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Coats for Kids 2009: The delightful and the frustrating
Being in Wright County was a different experience for me. It is way out in the country. Many of the people at this coat distribution had come from quite a distance, whereas in the city, people don’t have to commute as far. All the families we served were very appreciative of the coats we gave them. The Buffalo Rotary Club was volunteering at our coat drive, and they donated 170 pairs of snow pants to our distribution site. Parents were super excited when they saw they could get snow pants. They were a very hot commodity at our distribution site – which makes sense. Who wants to play in the snow and get super cold? Not me!
One family I registered had 10 children. I cannot imagine trying to feed and clothe 10 children. It must cost a fortune. She was very happy that she was able to get coats, hats and mittens for all of her children. Another mom came in with her daughter to get a coat and told us a bit of her story. Her daughter had just received heart surgery, and the mom wasn’t working because she had stayed in the hospital with her daughter. Because of this, her budget was tight and she needed help from The Salvation Army. She cried when she was leaving because she was so relieved that she had a coat for her daughter.
Unfortunately, some metro area offices had to turn away families because of a shortage of donated coats. This year we had more usable coats donated than ever before, yet we have an opportunity to do even better. My hope for next year is that we have more donations of used coats so that this doesn’t happen again. Children should never go without the basic necessities of clothing, food and shelter.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Saying ‘yes’ to life saves a life
Yesterday afternoon I had a choice to make—stay home after spending three days in Rochester during a leadership conference with my fellow Salvation Army officers, or go back to my workplace at the West 7th Salvation Army in St. Paul and teach Cub Scouts classes in the evening.
I chose to say “yes” to life, just as we had been challenged to do at the conference by retired General John Larsson. To say “yes” to life is to choose not to miss out on the sacred tasks God has in store for us.
After teaching my first pack of Cub Scouts, I went to the dining hall for Family Supper Club. My wife stopped me and said, “There’s a young man in the foyer who said he was just released from a mental institution. I don’t know if he should be around the children. You should go talk to him.” I did as I was told.
The 21-year-old man’s name was Mitch. His first words were, “I think I’ve gone crazy.” I asked, “Why do you think that?” He said, “I just drove here from Duluth in about 90 minutes. I was going 120 mph all the way looking for an underpass to run into to end my life. But I didn’t have the guts to do it. Then my car ran out of gas on 7th Street and I walked 12 blocks to get here.” I asked him, “What made you come to The Salvation Army?” He said, “I don’t know. I just did.”
Then Mitch began to tell his story. He had not left a mental institution, but thought he needed to go to one. He has suffered from severe depression since age 12. Six weeks ago his doctors had prescribed him a new medication. For the past two weeks he was having suicidal thoughts and felt the time had finally come to end his life.
For the next 30 minutes or so, I talked to him about life and the Lord. His response was, “If there even is a God.” Then he asked, “Do you really believe there is a God?” I said, “Not only do I believe there is a God, but I believe that He sent you here. I believe God planned for you to run out of gas down the street and I believe that He directed you to The Salvation Army. Mitch, God does not want you to die. He wants you to live.”
I told him that we needed to call his parents, otherwise I would have to call the police (for he was also considering jumping off a building). I called his mother. She said that he had left Duluth early in the day with their car and had no idea what had happened to him. When I told her the story, she began to sob. I offered to stay with Mitch until they arrived from Duluth, but his father was so concerned that he might run again that he asked me to call the police. So I did.
Before he got into the squad car with the police officer, I asked him for his car keys so that I could help his parents find their car. His parents arrived three hours later, got their car and left for Regions Hospital.
Our front desk receptionist later told me that Mitch had walked into the corps hours earlier and was hanging around waiting for something.
I am so proud that the doors of The Salvation Army were open for Mitch to come in. I am so proud that our staff allowed him to hang around the building. And I am so humbled that the Spirit of God led me to say “yes” to life so that He could save a life.
I chose to say “yes” to life, just as we had been challenged to do at the conference by retired General John Larsson. To say “yes” to life is to choose not to miss out on the sacred tasks God has in store for us.
After teaching my first pack of Cub Scouts, I went to the dining hall for Family Supper Club. My wife stopped me and said, “There’s a young man in the foyer who said he was just released from a mental institution. I don’t know if he should be around the children. You should go talk to him.” I did as I was told.
The 21-year-old man’s name was Mitch. His first words were, “I think I’ve gone crazy.” I asked, “Why do you think that?” He said, “I just drove here from Duluth in about 90 minutes. I was going 120 mph all the way looking for an underpass to run into to end my life. But I didn’t have the guts to do it. Then my car ran out of gas on 7th Street and I walked 12 blocks to get here.” I asked him, “What made you come to The Salvation Army?” He said, “I don’t know. I just did.”
Then Mitch began to tell his story. He had not left a mental institution, but thought he needed to go to one. He has suffered from severe depression since age 12. Six weeks ago his doctors had prescribed him a new medication. For the past two weeks he was having suicidal thoughts and felt the time had finally come to end his life.
For the next 30 minutes or so, I talked to him about life and the Lord. His response was, “If there even is a God.” Then he asked, “Do you really believe there is a God?” I said, “Not only do I believe there is a God, but I believe that He sent you here. I believe God planned for you to run out of gas down the street and I believe that He directed you to The Salvation Army. Mitch, God does not want you to die. He wants you to live.”
I told him that we needed to call his parents, otherwise I would have to call the police (for he was also considering jumping off a building). I called his mother. She said that he had left Duluth early in the day with their car and had no idea what had happened to him. When I told her the story, she began to sob. I offered to stay with Mitch until they arrived from Duluth, but his father was so concerned that he might run again that he asked me to call the police. So I did.
Before he got into the squad car with the police officer, I asked him for his car keys so that I could help his parents find their car. His parents arrived three hours later, got their car and left for Regions Hospital.
Our front desk receptionist later told me that Mitch had walked into the corps hours earlier and was hanging around waiting for something.
I am so proud that the doors of The Salvation Army were open for Mitch to come in. I am so proud that our staff allowed him to hang around the building. And I am so humbled that the Spirit of God led me to say “yes” to life so that He could save a life.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Self worth…priceless
Driving down interstate I-94 each day during rush hour traffic can be very frustrating. I try to take my mind off of the traffic by checking out the billboards that line the interstate. They change the billboards often, and it doesn’t take me long to notice that there are new ads. A few weeks ago I came across a billboard that said “Recession 101: Self worth beats net worth”.
I stared at the billboard for several seconds and read the sentence over again. Self worth beats net worth. Of course it does! It is a perfect reminder to those who have taken pay cuts or changed jobs due to the economy. Right now, many people are taking the first job they are offered, just so they can keep a roof over their head and food on the table. There are people with a Master’s degree who are applying for Bachelor’s level jobs. There are even people who are switching professions and taking major pay cuts.
The Salvation Army territorial office in Chicago graciously distributed funds to the Salvation Army units in Minnesota and North Dakota to use to help people who had been laid off from their jobs due to the downturn of the economy. Our office got a large chunk of funding. With this program, we are able to assist individuals with rent, pay a utility bill, or give several bus cards for job search or interviews. We even have Target giftcards to issue if clients need basics, such as personal hygiene or toilet paper.
One person that I helped was laid off of his job after 12 years. He relocated to Minneapolis, and was staying at an overnight shelter. He heard about the program through an acquaintance staying at the same shelter, and visited our office. He explained that another organization was helping him with his damage deposit, and he needed help with the first month’s rent because he was short due to the relocating fees. We were able to assist him with the first month’s rent, so now he is no longer homeless. We have helped a handful of people escape eviction with this funding when many other agencies will not help them due to income guidelines.
We must remind each other that your job is not who you are. It is a part of your life, but there are so many more important parts of your life that make you who you are. Family heritage, values, traditions, memories and other parts are more important than how much money you make at your job. Someone who is an executive at a large company and makes hundreds of thousands of dollars and has no support system can be one of the most miserable people on earth, while an auto mechanic who has good relationships with all of his family members and uses them as a support system can be the happiest man on earth.
I stared at the billboard for several seconds and read the sentence over again. Self worth beats net worth. Of course it does! It is a perfect reminder to those who have taken pay cuts or changed jobs due to the economy. Right now, many people are taking the first job they are offered, just so they can keep a roof over their head and food on the table. There are people with a Master’s degree who are applying for Bachelor’s level jobs. There are even people who are switching professions and taking major pay cuts.
The Salvation Army territorial office in Chicago graciously distributed funds to the Salvation Army units in Minnesota and North Dakota to use to help people who had been laid off from their jobs due to the downturn of the economy. Our office got a large chunk of funding. With this program, we are able to assist individuals with rent, pay a utility bill, or give several bus cards for job search or interviews. We even have Target giftcards to issue if clients need basics, such as personal hygiene or toilet paper.
One person that I helped was laid off of his job after 12 years. He relocated to Minneapolis, and was staying at an overnight shelter. He heard about the program through an acquaintance staying at the same shelter, and visited our office. He explained that another organization was helping him with his damage deposit, and he needed help with the first month’s rent because he was short due to the relocating fees. We were able to assist him with the first month’s rent, so now he is no longer homeless. We have helped a handful of people escape eviction with this funding when many other agencies will not help them due to income guidelines.
We must remind each other that your job is not who you are. It is a part of your life, but there are so many more important parts of your life that make you who you are. Family heritage, values, traditions, memories and other parts are more important than how much money you make at your job. Someone who is an executive at a large company and makes hundreds of thousands of dollars and has no support system can be one of the most miserable people on earth, while an auto mechanic who has good relationships with all of his family members and uses them as a support system can be the happiest man on earth.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Nearly escaping death...optimism at it’s finest
One of my roles as a social worker at the Salvation Army is to help disabled individuals apply for SSI benefits through the Social Security Administration. I have worked with many individuals in the past year, but there is one client that stands out as one of my greatest successes. For this blog, we will call him Joe*. Joe used to be a very hard working person before his accident in 1983. He was walking down a street and was a victim of a bus accident. One tire on the bus exploded, and as a result, the hubcap flew off toward Joe’s head. He moved his head slightly and it barely missed him. The incident gave him four broken limbs to deal with and a life long memory of almost being decapitated. Joe recovered from the accident but still stuffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In 2006 Joe was crossing a street in downtown Minneapolis, and a delivery truck drove through a red light and hit him. He suffered fractures to both of his arms and both of his legs. In addition to this, Joe was homeless for a short period of time staying at The Salvation Army’s Harbor Light shelter. He then got into supportive housing and has been housed for almost 2 years successfully paying his rent on time each month.
We first applied for SSI benefits in August 2008. In December 2008, he was denied for two old warrants that he hadn’t known about. He turned himself into the jail and appeared in court and both were resolved. After visiting his parents in Arizona for several weeks, he came back to Minnesota and was ready for round two with Social Security. The second time we applied was in April 2009. The interview went fairly quickly since Joe had just applied several months prior. After the long wait, Joe was finally approved for SSI benefits in July 2009. He is still living in his apartment in downtown Minneapolis and loves to ride his bike and visit the local YMCA. He has been helping his daughter with school bills now that he has a little more money to live off of. He may have to have a complete knee replacement in the coming months, but he is optimistic about the outcome.
I joke with his case manager that Joe is the perfect picture of “Murphy’s Law” (anything that can go wrong will go wrong). Despite this, Joe still has a very optimistic outlook on life and attempts to live positively each day. Though his surgeries have now grown to double digits (I believe it’s up to around 13?) and he is on a handful of medications, he has made a success out of his life.
*This name has been chosen to protect anonymity. This is not the client’s real name.
In 2006 Joe was crossing a street in downtown Minneapolis, and a delivery truck drove through a red light and hit him. He suffered fractures to both of his arms and both of his legs. In addition to this, Joe was homeless for a short period of time staying at The Salvation Army’s Harbor Light shelter. He then got into supportive housing and has been housed for almost 2 years successfully paying his rent on time each month.
We first applied for SSI benefits in August 2008. In December 2008, he was denied for two old warrants that he hadn’t known about. He turned himself into the jail and appeared in court and both were resolved. After visiting his parents in Arizona for several weeks, he came back to Minnesota and was ready for round two with Social Security. The second time we applied was in April 2009. The interview went fairly quickly since Joe had just applied several months prior. After the long wait, Joe was finally approved for SSI benefits in July 2009. He is still living in his apartment in downtown Minneapolis and loves to ride his bike and visit the local YMCA. He has been helping his daughter with school bills now that he has a little more money to live off of. He may have to have a complete knee replacement in the coming months, but he is optimistic about the outcome.
I joke with his case manager that Joe is the perfect picture of “Murphy’s Law” (anything that can go wrong will go wrong). Despite this, Joe still has a very optimistic outlook on life and attempts to live positively each day. Though his surgeries have now grown to double digits (I believe it’s up to around 13?) and he is on a handful of medications, he has made a success out of his life.
*This name has been chosen to protect anonymity. This is not the client’s real name.
Friday, September 4, 2009
the little things do count
Enjoy another great post from Krystle, one of our social workers...
I have learned that one of the most important aspects of a successful relationship with a client is building rapport. Finding commonalities has been a lot easier than I thought it would be with the clients I serve. I am very different from the majority of my clients; I am a different race, age, gender and socioeconomic status than the bulk of my clients. The majority of clients we serve are African American (Approximately 60%), followed by Caucasian (29%). Around two-thirds of our clients are male, and 77% of our clientele fall between the ages of 23 and 54. I am in my early twenties, so many of my clients are almost double my age. I have book smarts, they have street smarts.
Despite our differences, I can usually find at least one similarity with my clients. I have been working with one person on and off since I’ve started at The Salvation Army in May 2008. He works at the Metrodome and is a baseball fan, just like me. I joke around with him quite often about switching jobs with me because he has friendships with some of the baseball players, and I always tell him to say hello to Denard Span for me. Now that the baseball season is winding down, he has intensified his job search, because his position ends when the Twins’ season does.
I’ve started emailing him job leads weekly and meeting with him more often to email resumes to potential employers. I met with him yesterday and gave him several job leads. He came into my office today and said that as soon as he left my office, he received a call from a company that was hiring, and they set up a time to meet with him to fill out the paperwork required to hire him! He said that I was a big help to him, and he is excited to find out what type of work he will be doing.
It feels good to work hard with a client to find them a job that they will like instead of something that they take because they are desperate. In this case, I feel that my rapport with the client helped him to become more comfortable with me and tell me about his past work history, and life experience. He did mention that it took him quite a while to ask for help with job search and other services such as food or clothing.
Clients also teach us many things. I have learned a lot about the warehouse industry and how items are created. The client that this blog is about is from New York, and I’m planning a trip to New York City in the fall. I asked him about sight-seeing tips, and he gave me some great tips (go to Niagara Falls!). There are always commonalities among each person, whether it is the love of baseball or special memories, nearly everyone is able to connect on some level. This is the part of my job that I like best…learning who I serve, and where they come from.
I have learned that one of the most important aspects of a successful relationship with a client is building rapport. Finding commonalities has been a lot easier than I thought it would be with the clients I serve. I am very different from the majority of my clients; I am a different race, age, gender and socioeconomic status than the bulk of my clients. The majority of clients we serve are African American (Approximately 60%), followed by Caucasian (29%). Around two-thirds of our clients are male, and 77% of our clientele fall between the ages of 23 and 54. I am in my early twenties, so many of my clients are almost double my age. I have book smarts, they have street smarts.
Despite our differences, I can usually find at least one similarity with my clients. I have been working with one person on and off since I’ve started at The Salvation Army in May 2008. He works at the Metrodome and is a baseball fan, just like me. I joke around with him quite often about switching jobs with me because he has friendships with some of the baseball players, and I always tell him to say hello to Denard Span for me. Now that the baseball season is winding down, he has intensified his job search, because his position ends when the Twins’ season does.
I’ve started emailing him job leads weekly and meeting with him more often to email resumes to potential employers. I met with him yesterday and gave him several job leads. He came into my office today and said that as soon as he left my office, he received a call from a company that was hiring, and they set up a time to meet with him to fill out the paperwork required to hire him! He said that I was a big help to him, and he is excited to find out what type of work he will be doing.
It feels good to work hard with a client to find them a job that they will like instead of something that they take because they are desperate. In this case, I feel that my rapport with the client helped him to become more comfortable with me and tell me about his past work history, and life experience. He did mention that it took him quite a while to ask for help with job search and other services such as food or clothing.
Clients also teach us many things. I have learned a lot about the warehouse industry and how items are created. The client that this blog is about is from New York, and I’m planning a trip to New York City in the fall. I asked him about sight-seeing tips, and he gave me some great tips (go to Niagara Falls!). There are always commonalities among each person, whether it is the love of baseball or special memories, nearly everyone is able to connect on some level. This is the part of my job that I like best…learning who I serve, and where they come from.
Monday, August 10, 2009
An introduction...
Occasionally we'll be sharing thoughts from Krystle, a Salvation Army social worker. Hope you enjoy her perspective.
My name is Krystle Englund, and I am a licensed social worker working for the Salvation Army Social Services in downtown Minneapolis. The office that I work in serves a very unique population – homeless singles adults. We serve people who are staying in downtown in housing, or in overnight shelters. One of our most requested needs is hygiene items, and unfortunately, it is one of the items that we have a hard time keeping on our shelves. I have attempted to contact hotels, dental offices, and even my college trying to collect hygiene items for our clients. After all of the hard work that it takes to collect donated hygiene items, it feels great to have a client get excited over a nice stick of men’s Speedstick, or Dove soap, or even conditioner for some of our women clients.
I think about how much I have taken for granted in my life when a client expresses thanks for the little things. Everyday I use my head and shoulders shampoo in the shower, and a majority of our clients aren’t able to bathe daily, or wash their clothing weekly, while I have access to a shower, washing machine, stove, and refrigerator without trouble.
Our office is also unique because we are the only food shelf in our area to serve homeless individuals. Most other food shelves require mail in order to use the food shelf, and most of the homeless are not able to have mail delivered to the shelter, instead it is delivered to general delivery at the postal office. I try to stock our food shelf with easy “grab and go” type items, and things that clients do not have to prepare. Most of our items are microwaveable, and there is a microwave at the Harbor Light, where most of our clients stay. The clients seem to get excited over little things, such as having “real” milk (a half gallon of milk), instead of powdered milk or condensed milk, or they enjoy it when we throw a few granola bars in their bag as a snack. Some of the clients we serve are on medications, and they need to take their medications with food, but don’t have anything late at night before bedtime, so a granola bar or a package of ramen noodles does the job for them. As I write this, I have designated a whole drawer for “snacks” which I really don’t appreciate.
I guess the main point of this blog is for everyone to not take material things for granted. Many of us are blessed with friends and families to help us out when we are in a pinch, but many of my clients do not have those support systems in place. Just remember that the little things really do count.
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