Jimmmmyyyy!
January 28, 2010Posted in: 2 Comments
The greatest news, Jimmy came down to FFT Saturday. There were joyous hugs, and I noticed that I DIDN’T smell alcohol on his breath.
“Where the hell u been brother?” I asked.
He told me he had run out of meds and by the time his appointment was around he had gone off. Said he had been in and out of the “crazy joint” (motioning a circular finger around his temple to accent the crazy.)
But he said he had leveled off on meds and doing good and has been sober 5 weeks.
I quizzed him twice if he was telling the truth.
“I would never lie to you ken.” I reminded him about the library event.
“Ok I did lie then, but I’m not lying now.”
I started to believe him until he told me that he also had been reading the Bible. That was when I got the sneaking suspicion that he was just telling me the things that please me.
I pray it true, and hope you do too, but time will tell, eh?
I really do miss him and our Wednesday dinners and told him that, as well as our standing deal that we would continue our Wednesday dinners after he had come down to FFT three weeks in a row.
For any who don’t understand this, that is ok. As every “alchee-holic” and addict knows, and is Principal one in Dan Roger’s Rescue Class is “You can’t want for them what they don’t want for themselves.”
(Sidebar: That class is one of the most rewarding and powerful things I have ever done. I recommend it to anyone that truly wants to help anybody in pain, including family members, friends or the unhoused!)
So this week, despite the bigtime bullcrap from the TLC, (more about that later), I am thrilled for Jimmy.
Also, let’s all pray for our friend Curtis. Those who know him might want to visit him soon.
Thank You, Other Opportunites, and Thank You Again.
January 11, 2010Posted in: 0 Comments
First, thank you all for your help with Tent City 2009. So many lives were changed that weekend, not only for the guests, but some of the volunteers as well.
If you haven’t heard, we served nearly 1,000 people over the weekend, up from 350 people the year before. So thank you for being 1 who matters to those who matter! Tent City 2010 rises on October 29th to 31st, so save that date. We will start planning meetings in March, so stay tuned.
Other Opportunities
Many volunteers said they wanted to find ways to get engaged year round so we wanted to tell you about several opportunities as 1Matters supports several great organizations in their efforts to assist those we serve.
1) Food for Thought – This is an awesome weekly thing. Friday night at 6 pm we meet at New Harvest Church in Oregon and make several hundred lunches. Then every Saturday morning at 10 am we meet at the downtown library and distribute the lunches to people who are FRIENDS. We do this rain, shine, or even blizzard. Check this out, last Saturday we went down there with the negative wind chills. Not only were there still friends waiting for us, most of us hung out in chatting and loving in community until 11.30 am. Consistency.
2) Point in Time Survey – This is an annual count of the unhoused required by the government grants the city receives. This will be starting at midnight January 26th and run for 24 hours. We need a few volunteers to staff some daytime shifts at some of the kitchens and pantries. If you would like to volunteer let me know. Now, if you are seriously nuts, Dan, Richard, Don, Amanda, Steve and I are putting together teams of “hard core’s” who will do the count at some of the more off the path sites from midnight to 4 am. Hit me up for details if you are that ca-raze-ee…too.
3) Clothing Your Community – This is a big need and right now! CYC is centered through Cherry Street Mission and co-sponsored by many in the community. The 1Matters team has been asked to use the hearts of our experienced Tent City team to manage the customer-facing front-end registration and personal shoppers. There will be three days: Friday February 12th through Sunday February 14th. We need about 30 volunteers per shift as personal shoppers.
But right NOW, we need people to help fold and sort at the Lifebridge Center. Hours are Monday to Thursday 10 am – 2 pm and 6pm – 9 pm, or Saturday 9 am – 2 pm. Let me know if you can help there as well. Maybe you can get friends from your church, life group, office, or other group to join us and help there. If you want to get engaged in any of the above, just let me know.
Protection for the Unhoused
We often say we are overwhelmed by the support this community has for the unhoused. While other cities are “at war”, we instead try to find ways to work out the issues inherent in every city center in the nation.
We have learned along the way to watch and assess the actions, not the words. For example someone says he wants to get sober but takes no steps does not want to get sober.
This is how you can judge people, as well as our community.
As previously cited we know those who are claiming to serve those in need, yet their behavior actually neglects the needs of our friends and caters only to the needs of their self interests.
Conversely you can look at the actions of our political leadership.
In response to attacks on the unhoused here in Toledo which were posted on the internet, in November Toledo City Council and in December the Board of County Commisioners unanimously adopted resolutions supporting a growing statewide initiative to protect the weakest of our communities.
This is a bi-partisan effort too. On city council republican Tom Waniewski created the resolution which was co-sponsored by democrats Joe McNamara and Steve Steel.
Led by Tina Wozniak the resolution by the commissioners was nearly identical.
As stated in my remarks to both bodies:
“The purpose of this resolution is to send a very important message to three constituencies:
“To the state legislature it says: We, the leadership and residents of Toledo and Lucas County want to have Ohio matter to those who matter.
“To those who desire to harm the weakest among us, they will hear that in our community it will not stand, because in our community, everyone Matters!
“And to those, the unhoused citizens of our community who are our fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers, it says have faith and hope, because in Toledo, Ohio and in Lucas County you are the community, you really do matter. Thank you!”
Memorial Service – 12/21, Trinity, 7:00 pm.
December 14, 2009Posted in: 0 Comments
December 21st, 7 pm – 8 pm.
Trinity Episcopal Church
1 Trinity Plaza (316 Adams)
Each year members of our community die while on the streets and in the shelters. Many times these deaths pass without notice, without care.
“A homeless man died yesterday…”
Sometimes these unhoused friends had ties severed with friends or family and died or were buried alone.
We believe every 1 Matters!
National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day was started in 1990 by the National Coalition for the Homeless. It is held on each year on the first day of winter, the longest day of the year. Last year 120 cities held events to honor over 3200 who died unhoused last year.
We will also be honoring the life and work of Ruth Arden, who for 34 years led St. Paul’s Community Service Center.
Please take just 1 hour out of your year and join us in showing that every 1 does matter!
Friendship and fellowship will follow at My Brother’s Place next door.
TC 2009 Recap Meeting – December 2nd
November 6, 2009Posted in: 0 Comments
First, the TC 2009 Recap Meeting and Pot Luck is 6pm on Wednesday (not thursday) December 2nd @ the Red Cross. All who helped this year are welcomed to share their stories and experience.
Wow!
That is the best word to describe the weekend. Despite literally busting at the seams with more than double the guests, our incredible volunteers managed the flow and systems very well. It really was like loaves and fishes as NOT ONE person was turned away for a lack of services, none.
To give you an idea of the magnitude, we planned for 500 guests max. We had 726 REGISTERED guests by Saturday night, plus 200 for Id’s, (some were duplicates), plus an untold amount of unregistered guests for Sunday’s final distribution. Grand total? 1Matters, that’s all.
We had 426 registered volunteers. This does not include the volunteers that came down Sunday morning to serve breakfast, cover final distribution and tear down, such as the wonderful 15 member Maumee HS Wrestling Team. We call them the “Super Groups”. They come on like the cavalry just as our batteries are wearing down. (I had a total of 4.5 hours of sleep over the entire weekend. I think that might be a personal best. lol) Grand total on volunteers? You know the answer.
We all have our own wonderful stories and experiences from the weekend, don’t we? Here is just one shared in the Toledo Free Press from the Emmanuel Baptist Christian group. (Below this section I wrote my perceptions of their visit.)
Jenifer Christiaanse wrote a beautiful line to summarize those we serve: “The battlefield was littered with the bodies of wounded from the war on poverty.”
Wow!
There are about a dozen volunteer leaders there most if not all of the weekend. One reason: Each year someone comes into Tent City totally broken. Over the weekend we all fill him/her with love and hope and we literally watch him grow. Seriously, right before our eyes. By Sunday he/she is confident, often jumping in to volunteer, but ready to deal with whatever demon that broke him/her down. We then get them into one of the transitional shelters, such as Dan Hill’s ADAM’S House. (Alcohol & Drug Addicted Men’s Stabilization House)
Seeing this happen is only a benefit those who spend the weekend ever get to see and experience. We have a word for this, it’s called a “Miracle.”
One of our youngest volunteers describes it like this: “It was so touching this year that only tears between words can truly make a person understand.”
There are so many stories to share, so powerful. We are working hard to collect them as only through the eyes and soul of the group can one really, really feel why we do what we do. I ask all volunteers to write a quick paragraph or even a page about your experience. We particularly would like stories from all positions, registration, serving a meal, working the donation station, guides, guide trainers, medical services, etc.
We also want to know what we can improve. Seriously, nothing is perfect and those on the front lines are the ones that see the good and the bad. For example because of the feedback from last year we were very good this year with exception handling.
But this year we know of at least one volunteer who reported she came down to serve a meal and after being bounced around to different spots was unable to find a place to serve so she left. This is good feedback. We will have a solution for that exception by next year.
We ask all volunteers to write what they saw or felt and email them to us. We would like to compile those stories, along with the video we shot for the 20th year.
When the Levee Breaks…
“If it keeps on rainin’, levee’s goin’ to break, when the levee breaks I’ll have no place to stay.” – Led Zeppelin
Thank you Jenifer. It was a lesson well learned for all of us.
From my perspective the story goes like this: Friday night brings this pretty remarkable, cheery group of people from Emmanuel Baptist Christian Church down to Tent City to spend the night. How cool is that?
I cherished them immediately because the leaders clearly wanted the kids to do more than just serve a sandwich. As opposed to the lesson of getting jelly on their favorite hoody, these parents wanted the children to learn the harder life lessons only discomfort can teach. The kind of lessons that seep to the marrow and remain forever in our hearts and souls. Forever.
And as the leaders had to stay overnight as well, I recognized how powerful the parents themselves are as teachers, essentially saying ”Learn from what I DO.”
They provided great entertainment for all as they animatedly erected all of thier tents to protect themselves from the elements. We all knew a big storm was coming and battened down all the hatches. We, the TC volunteers then started a wagering pool on how many of the tents out back with kids and youth groups would remain standing after the storm. 
“Now, cryin’ won’t help you, prayin’ won’t do you no good,
When the levee breaks, mama, you got to move.” – LZ
Then it hit. The TC volunteer leadership realized the storms power when the big tent we were in lifted off the ground. We ran to the back to watch what mayhem may ensue to see kids scrambling out of tents left and right. It reminded us of the scatter of cockroaches when you turn on the light.
To the left were two valiant fathers struggling to hold their empty tent down. Perhaps it was only when they recognized the futility of wrestling with God they finally let go. 
I had fully expected the group to go home as had some from other youth groups, but this group decided to bed down in the entertainment tent. 
I remember one student starting to whine about the decision, but another said “Shut up, how would you like to live out here all the time?”
Message delivered, eh?
So to all at Emmanuel Baptist, your lessons taught us all. To Jenifer Christiaanse, thank you for putting your eyes into words so others might see.
“Don’t it make you feel bad
When you’re tryin’ to find your way home,
You don’t know which way to go?” – LZ
