Burning the Candle

Ending poverty in Licking County is a lofty goal, I realize. There are a lot of reasons to not bother even trying.

For one thing, it's hard to keep your candle lit long enough to light the way. But, after meeting last Tuesday night with 8 volunteers committed to rolling up their sleeves to get to work on solutions to poverty, I believe we can make a serious dent in Licking County in my lifetime. Today my candle is burning more brightly.

These volunteers were 6 women from the Missionary Social Action Committee (M-SAC) at the Granville First Baptist Church, along with 2 other volunteers I invited. They came to an orientation meeting for people who want to serve on a team (called a Circle) that helps a low-income parent and his or her family to escape from poverty or near poverty.

The low-income parent serves as the Circle Leader and the other Circle members, called Allies, are people from the business and faith communities, along with others who want to make a difference. While the Circle Leader is learning skills and strategies about becoming financially stable, the Allies are learning about poverty in our community and its causes from the real experts (people in poverty).

Our Circle leaders will be people who have graduated from our Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World classes. (18 sessions that can change lives.) Over the last 3 years, about 100 people have graduated from these classes.

Okay, 8 of us at a Granville church may not sound like a big number. But if you'd been there, you'd have felt the energy, commitment and creativity that flowed through the room. My scalp literally tingled with some of the stories and ideas I heard there.

The Circle goes beyond bringing that particular family out of poverty. They look for strategies that will make all of Licking County financially stable. That means working together to ensure good jobs, education, healthcare, housing, law enforcement, and other services that keep the ship afloat and able to weather any storms. If the level of poverty causes a leak in our boat, the whole boat sinks. We need each other.

There's is one tiny hiccup. We haven't raised the money (yet) to make Circles happen. But I'm working on finding grants and I've got help--our Volunteer Brigade is awesome.

Call me at 788-0300 or e-mail me at JudithAllee@MHALC.org if you are:
. a low-income parent who wants to enroll in Getting Ahead
. someone who wants to work on solutions for poverty
. a business person who wants to save costs and increase productivity by increasing retention rates for entry-level workers, helping them and their families to climb out of poverty
. someone with an interest in reducing dropout rates for low-income high school and college students

Or if you want to join a rowdy group of people who fix cars on weekends. Or if you can fix up old computers so that kids in poverty can keep up in school. Or if you like researching or writing grants.

Or if you . . .well, you tell me where your gifts and passions lie, and we will find a way to plug you in. You can learn more about Getting Ahead and other MHA services by surfing our website, www.MHALC,org, or by visiting www.VolunteerMatch.org to learn more about a wide range of volunteer opportunities. You can also visit www.MoveTheMountain.org to learn more about the Circles initiative.

--Judith Allee
Parent Support Coordinator

Volunteering for Good Mental Health

Fatina Evans is not your typical AmeriCorps volunteer. A strikingly beautiful mother of five and a new grandmother, Fatina could easily pass for any other college freshman. But Fatina will never be just any other freshman.

“Fatina is a very capable young woman with lots of experience and knowledge. She can change the world!” says friend and mentor Judith Allee.

Allee, Mental Health America’s Parent Support Coordinator, recommended Fatina for AmeriCorps, when Fatina was a student in Allee’s May 2007, “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World” class. Fatina started with AmeriCorps, September 22, 2007.

AmeriCorps membership is open to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents age 17 and older. Members serve full or part-time over a 10- to 12-month period. Upon successful completion of their service, members receive an AmeriCorps Education Award of up to $4,725 to pay for college, or graduate school, or to pay back qualified student loans. During their service, members receive health coverage, training, and student loan deferment. About half the members also receive a modest annual living allowance.

AmeriCorps is not for everyone. Fatina says that she would only recommend AmeriCorps to someone who had a dedication to volunteerism and to furthering their education, or for someone who needs to gain practical work experience.

As of September, Fatina will be able to pay off her student loans completely, and be prepared to continue her bachelor’s degree in IT studies at Capital University where she will reregister as a freshman next year.

But there is where her similarity to a typical student ends.

As an Americorp member, Fatina is a volunteer for Mental Health America. Evans has spent the past year co-facilitating “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’ By World” classes with Allee and coaching financial literacy classes. She has taught at the Sheryl L. Kraner, Esquire Behavioral Health Complex and at the Licking County Corrections Center. In her next AmeriCorps’ assignment, she will work closer to her child’s school, which is important to her. There, at Opportunity Links, she will continue to teach weekly budgeting classes and tax preparation, as well as the “Getting Ahead” class.

“I couldn’t begin to serve the community without the aid of the volunteers,” said Allee. “Fatina was a huge help, being a graduate of the classes, she understood them. The fact was, that she was transformed by the class.”

Evans sits with her children now and discusses finances and explains financial consequences to them, where she did not in the past. “My kids have noticed a difference, now they are more willing to work for money. If they want a $2 Dora the Explorer pencil and they squirt $2 worth of toothpaste into the sink, they’ve learned to save the toothpaste and the $2 to buy the pencil.”

“There is nothing about the participants that has surprised me,” says Evans, “What has surprised me, was how I was able to manage my home and my bills on my stipend. It was difficult.”

“The experience is a big sacrifice,” says Allee, “but it really pays off in all she has learned.”

Her job, Evans admits, was challenging. “There were times that were difficult, when people were not giving you full disclosure and you would wonder why.”

There are many reasons why people living in poverty do not fully disclose their financial situation, even to those who are trying to help them, says Evans. “Often they are in ‘Crisis’ or ‘Survival mode.’ For example, maybe they keep missing appointments with their case worker, or they are late on their bills and their electricity is going to be cut off, and their kids need new clothes for school, and on and on. They appear to be ignoring the problems, but actually they are focusing on one aspect that they feel will make or break them. Maybe they are taking their money to pay the cable bill, for example.”

Volunteerism and service is an important part of Fatina’s life. She is admired by friends for helping neighbors and people from her church. Now that she has received training through her volunteering, such as use of the Ohio Benefit Bank, she has more to offer them.

The lasting impression that Fatina takes from this experience is her education in mental health issues. “I didn’t believe in a lot of different [mental health] disabilities before this. Being able to work with the people has made all the difference- they do need more understanding and tolerance.”

She was most impressed by the atmosphere at the Mental Health America Office. “You never hear criticism of the clients. You couldn’t ask for a more understanding and supportive environment.” The experience has so affected her that she has even considered changing her major from IT to social work.

Her final advice is a plea to anyone who is hesitant to seek help. “If someone just found out they have a mental illness, make that call [to MHA], they won’t find anyone else more understanding.”

--Kristen Frame