companions on the journey - hesed house · members of your parish or congregation can reserve a...
TRANSCRIPT
aware that your service is invaluable.
More importantly, the hundreds of
individuals your team serves on any
given day experience the love of
God through your service! You and
your service embody the true mean-
ing of Hesed, “He has shown you, O
man, what is good; And what does the
LORD require of you, but to do justly, to
love mercy (Hesed), and to walk hum-
bly with your God?” Micah 8:6. This is
what you and Hesed are all about.
This is a Proven Way, this is the
Agape Way, this is the Hesed Way.
Blessings,
Michael Cobb, Executive Director
Dear Friends,
As I look out
my window, I
am breathing a
sigh of relief as
the frigid
weather seems
to be behind us.
The last two
winters have come with some unu-
sual challenges, yet from an opera-
tional standpoint, our guests did
not suffer any quality of service.
I know that this fact is due, in part,
to the many volunteers who have
become masters in dealing with the
unusual at Hesed House. How do
you, as Coordinators, actually man-
age these unusual circumstances?
How do you keep your volunteer
team as motivated as I see them
day in and day out? How do you
come out on some of the coldest
nights of the year when frostbite
warnings are issued? I believe that
at the core, you truly have the
guests’ best interests at heart and
feel a call in your spirit that says: if
not me, then who?
April is National Volunteer
month, and that is good. Yet, eve-
ry day of the year you have my
deepest appreciation and gratitude
for your commitment to serve
our less fortunate neighbors, and
those thanks cannot be expressed
through mere words. Please know
that as a Ministry, we are quite
Happy Spring!
Companions on the Journey
V O L U N T E E R N E W S L E T T E R , A P R I L 2 0 1 5 S A V E T H E D A T E S !
2015
CHA MPIONS
OF HOPE
BREAKFAS T
Wednesday, April 8
7 to 8:30 a.m.
Update! We sent Champions
of Hope Breakfast invitations
to your pastor(s). It is our
hope that you and fellow
members of your parish or
congregation can reserve a
table at this event. To make
reservations please contact
Carolyn at
at 630-897-2156 ext. 514.
Our development team at Hesed is working around the clock with the community to raise
awareness and funds to continue addressing homelessness in our community-one person, one
family at a time! Here are the new events coming up! Thanks to Faith Lutheran Church and our
local motorcycle communities for making these events possible!
Two New Hesed Events on the Horizon!
4 t h ANNUAL
KENTU CKY
D ERBY
GALA!
Saturday, May 2
Chicago Marriott
Naperville Hotel
An afternoon of
Southern Hospitality &
Derby Excitement! For more information,
please contact Mary Koehler at
630-914-6428 or at [email protected]
Faith Lutheran Church
in Aurora
presents:
Join us for an all-night walk and
camp-out with fun activities for
the entire family! Proceeds will be
used to help move one family out
of homelessness. For more
information, please go to
www.relayforhope2015.org
Hesed House Dignity Ride
Join fellow motorcyclists on a scenic
trip through the Fox Valley in sup-
port of Hesed House! Please contact
Mary Koehler at 630-914-6428 or at
[email protected] if you are
interested in participating and/or
serving on a planning committee!
P A G E 2
The picture above was taken at a special moment recently, as children from Hesed celebrated with the team after an Aurora University men’s lacrosse victory.
Actually, it capped a special day for the children involved in our YMCA After School program. Three student groups from AU provide consistent help for our Y program held at Hesed House, and in working with some other students at AU, helped set up the special event on AU’s cam-pus.
During the first half of the men’s lacrosse game, the women’s
lacrosse team taught the children lacrosse basics in the gym, how to
“cradle” the ball, and how to pass and shoot. At halftime, the children were treated to some great food and then were taken on a tour of AU’s athletic facili-ties. The children then watched the second half of the men’s game, and excitedly met the players on the field after the game!
In the meantime, AU’s commu-nication majors sold AU lacrosse shirts, as an ongoing fundraiser in part for Hesed House!
Thank you, AU volunteers!
If someone approached you and said in order to ac-complish our goal, we need to assemble a large
group of people that will work for free, every single night, of every single week, of every single month, of
every single year, how would you respond? Most people would reply with a "what, are you nuts?" Or maybe a more polite
"thanks, but no thanks, buddy."
Fortunately, for the roughly 1,000 guests that stay at Hesed
House each year, you are not like most people. For 365 nights a year, including Christmas and New Year's Eve when most peo-
ple are relaxing and enjoying time off with their friends and fam-ily, people just like yourselves are joyfully serving the guests of Hesed.
This task is by no means a small one. Making dinner for up to and sometimes more than 200 people can be a daunting endeavor. One that requires a considerable amount of logis-tical coordination, but that's just for starters. PADS volunteers provide so much more
than a meal for the night. What that meal represents to our guests is affirmation. Affirma-tion that there are people out there, many of them perfect strangers, who still care about
them and their well-being. It is an acknowledgement that many people realize that we are all in this together, and they are not going through this difficult time in their lives alone.
In addition to providing our guests with meals that, in many cases, rival those that can be found in many reputable eating establishments, volunteers make many valuable connec-
tions as they serve, sometimes unbeknownst to them. Oftentimes I will see a guest's eyes light up when they see a returning volunteer. They mention a conversation from weeks or
even months ago that, however brief it may have been, ended up resonating with them. Maybe just a few encouraging words or a listening ear can make all the difference to
someone. In fact, these connections tend to work both ways. I often get similar reports from volunteers. They look forward to seeing a particular guest that they have enjoyed
conversations with, or maybe just enjoy playing a simple game of cards.
As much as the volunteers and I enjoy being able to experience these meaningful interac-
tions and relationships, there's one thing that I enjoy more; the day when a volunteer walks in and asks where a particular guest is today, and my answer is that they have se-cured stable housing and no longer reside at Hesed House. That is the ultimate goal, and
one that could not be achieved without countless individuals like you, who are definitely not like most people. And for that, we are truly grateful. On behalf of Hesed House staff
and guests alike, thanks to all of you!
Extraordinary People A Lacrosse Story! By Stephen Madison, Associate Program Director (PADS)
Immediate Needs: Also see our website for the needs list! Prayer, prayer, prayer!
Reading Glasses
Men’s and women’s sneakers
Jeans/workpants (especially waist sizes 32, 34, 36)
Men’s & women’s white socks
Men’s and women’s underwear (new, please!)
XL, 2XL and 3XL T-shirts
Duffel Bags/cloth grocery bags
Disposable diapers (sizes 3, 4, 5 and 6)
Pull-Ups (larger sizes)
Baby wipes
Cold Medicine (without acetaminophen)
Cough Drops
Tampons
Shower Gel
Washcloths
Men’s multi-vitamins
B-12 vitamins
Aspirin
Twin-Sized Sheets (fitted and flat)
Thermometers (child and adult)
Flash drives
Fabric softener/dryer sheets
Shampoo (travel-size bottles)
Rakes/Gardening Tools
P A G E 3
Hello Hesed Volunteers!
I am half-way through my AmeriCorps VISTA term of service, and I cannot help but wonder where the time has gone. I have seen a lot of amazing work at Hesed House these past six months that have made my time here absolutely heartwarm-ing. I have seen volunteers graciously do-
nate their time. Our case managers do everything they can for our guests, and I have seen a lot of guests get the help they need to get themselves back on their feet. There is one story in particular that I would like to share with you.
Several of our guests have been involved with a program called Career Connect. This is a program that connects underem-ployed or unemployed individuals in the Chicago-land area with living wage jobs.
Career Connect is currently teamed with the Jane Addams Resource Corporation, which has expanded from Chicago to Addison and provides hands-on training in either welding or CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine operating training. The program also
helps the graduates find living wage employment, holding a 95 percent placement rate and a 97 percent retention rate after one year. It is an amazing opportunity for our guests, and we are blessed to be working with our guests and these organizations that can provide life-changing, living wage job op-portunities. We have utilized volunteers to do some math tutoring with guests in order to pass the required TABE test to get into the program, as well as provide some financial counseling.
Just this past week, one of our guests in the program found full-time employment with his CNC operating certification. His life has changed because his very hard work matched
with the opportunity provided by Hesed House’s affiliation with Career Connect. He now has well-paying, stable full-time employment and through working with our case managers is able to make arrangements to move himself out of Hesed House and into his own home. We can have up to six guests at one time in the program for the 14-20 week trainings in CNC or welding.
It is these kinds of stories that make me proud to be a part of Hesed House. Some folks just need one extra push, an opportunity to open a door that was locked or simply not available before, or a helping hand, and that is it. That is why Hesed House is here.
The Power of a Living Wage By Michael Dutra, AmeriCorps VISTA - Volunteer Department
Perfection: A Hesed guest in the JARC CNC program holds up a wax piece that he programmed a CNC machine to make. Students move from wax to metal in making a piece that meets exact measurement specifications in order to obtain a NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) Certification.
Opportunity Knocks: Michael Dutra with Kevin, a guest in the JARC CNC program, after earning his NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) certification. Kevin is currently consider-ing three living wage job opportunities with manufacturing companies in the area.
What is a Living Wage?
A living wage is the mini-mum amount of salary needed to afford basic living expenses like food and shelter, daycare, etc., in a community.
It is widely recognized that minimum wages in our country are not living wages, a reality we see at Hesed House every day where some people work several jobs at minimum wage but are not able to afford housing for their families.
For more information on the concept of a living wage or to check out liv-ing wage calculators of states and counties across our country, check out the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) website below! It is one of many resources on living wages and living wage calcula-tors. — Bruce B.
http://livingwage.mit.edu/
- - - - - -
Illinois State Senator Mi-chael Hastings was one of 23 legislators that Hesed guests, volunteers and staff talked to during our last Springfield Advocacy Day in March. Hastings and many others pledged their support to work against Gov. Rauner’s pro-posed budget cuts that would decimate services to homeless individuals.
P A G E 4
PADS Coordinators
Meeting set for
Wednesday, April 8!
Prayer Share
I would like to start a little section in some newsletters where volunteers can share various reflec-
tions or prayers that have that have helped them in some way regarding their ongoing commitment
to service. I will kick it off by sharing one that has helped me. Before coming to Hesed House, I
had the opportunity to do eight years of service work in some very different places, from Appala-
chia to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn to Jamaica, West Indies. I learned through those years that a
reflection, either individual or with a group, after a day of service work, could be an incredibly
powerful experience, not only for challenging my own awareness of self and others, but also in
discovering God's plan for me.
At Hesed House, we have such amazing people and groups that come and live their faith each and
every day by serving, while asking for nothing in return. These groups come from different faith
traditions, but often I think it’s the same intrinsic motivation to help our brothers and sisters in
need that resonates and inspires us all to act on the call in our hearts.
If you are interested in sharing a prayer or reflection that has helped you, please e-mail it to me at
This particular prayer has helped me when layers of problems that people face and suffer through
on a daily basis seem absolutely overwhelming. I thought it might be helpful for a group after shar-
ing a service experience. If you haven't read it before and like it, please let me know! If you don’t
like it or think this whole thing is a bad idea, you can let me know that, as well!
Prayer of Archbishop Oscar Romero: A Step Along the Way
Note: This prayer has been linked to Romero through time, though thought not to be written by
him. Romero, an outspoken opponent of human rights abuses perpetrated by the government in
El Salvador, was martyred in 1980 while celebrating Mass.
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's
grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder
and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Calling all PADS coordi-nators! Our next coordi-nator’s meeting is com-
ing up soon! Please RSVP with
Bruce Bachmeier at [email protected]
if you are able to join us, and THANK YOU for all
that you do!
Attention Youth:
Hike for a Good Cause! Now is the time to start organizing your youth
groups or teams for the 11th Annual Hike for Hesed on Saturday, Sept. 12 from 8 to 11 a.m! Any time spent by youth preparing a team
for the Hike can be used for service hours!
For more information, please contact
Bruce Bachmeier at [email protected]
—————
Volunteer Tidbits Dental Ministry — We are
looking for pairs of volunteers to transport our
guests to dental appointments and sometimes other
transportation needs! If interested, please contact
Bruce Bachmeier at [email protected]
By Bruce Bachmeier, Director of Volunteers