If you are like me, then you are aware of The Eugene Mission, but do you really understand what they do? That's easy, right? They help homeless people. End of story, thanks for reading. What does helping homeless people look like? If you're like me and you're honest, perhaps helping the homeless isn't your highest priority...maybe the homeless should help themselves...maybe I work hard for my dollars and I don't always think that they should be "wasted" on people who aren't willing to work hard to change their own situation... So, I'm putting it out there - these are some of the thoughts (one's I don't like to admit) but ones that bounced around in my hollow head. If you are better than me and have never thought these things, please hang around, you may still learn something you didn't know about the reach of The Eugene Mission. I decided to take The Eugene Mission up on their offer to "Schedule A Tour" - this can be done through the website, a simple email or by calling. I had some time and had some specific interests, so we were able to walk through and discuss the majority of their 11 official structures (there are technically 13 if you count the 2 chicken coops) on the 7.5 acre property in the Whitaker District of Downtown Eugene, Oregon. Driving by the facility from Chambers street you cannot grasp the full layout of their campus, it is quite a range of structures with the primary building having been built in 1967 and the newest structure, The Women's Center, having been built in 2013. From a facilities management standpoint, which was one of my inquiries that led to the visit, it is amazing to think that they are able to keep things maintained and functioning with 2 full time maintenance staff (that's 6.5 buildings and 3.75 acres each) on buildings some of which are nearly half a century old. As I walked with my tour guides I was humbled by their care, they knew names of guests at the facility as well as who had assisted them in reaching benchmarks/project around the campus. Everyone from volunteers that were assisting in the one of a kind gardens, employees working in various capacities, volunteers who were assisting in the kitchen and guest/members of the The Eugene Mission Life Change program who were in their final sessions of re-entering the public as productive members of society. One important distinction that rattled my assumptions was that those who visit The Eugene Mission have to be sober, they are constantly testing and confirming the commitment to sobriety, as the team members noted, "You cannot begin to restore your life if you are addicted to substances." The organization remains firm in this commitment to restoration but have changed gears with regards to requiring guests to attend chapel, "No where in the Bible do we see that Jesus required the people He interacted with to listen to a message before they were fed." Faith remains a core of what inspires the staff to engage in their mission and they believe that the power of God's love is essential to long term change in the lives of those they serve, but this aspect is not forced upon anyone in their care. On average The Eugene Mission serves nearly 400 people every day - men, women and children in our community that are in various stages of need. There is a significant number of those guests served by The Eugene Mission that have a very short stay with the organization as their lives have been suddenly impacted and they just need a little bit of help before they are back on their feet. The Eugene Mission partners with organizations such as Goodwill which brings in staff every Friday to assist with job training assistance as well as other community or government organizations who are following up with guests they are working with. Many guests served by The Eugene Mission have problems related to mental health, substance abuse or other traumatic experiences that are holding them back from restoring their lives, the organization has 5 full time social service case workers that are laboring to assist these persons in finding resource to get their health and lives back on track. Every guest of The Eugene Mission assists with at least 1 hour of chores, is required to shower and is given clean pajamas as well as bedding which significantly assists with maintaining cleanliness throughout the campus. In addition to the transitional services that we traditionally think of, The Eugene Mission facilitates a 12-18 month intensive Life Change program that takes men and women who are intentional about rebuilding their lives and further equips them to achieve this goal. Members of this program undergo case supervision, life and skills training and put many those skills to work by daily assisting with areas such as food services as well as work around campus. The Eugene Mission is a wellness center for the homeless in our community. While this contingency of our local population may be misunderstood or even seen to be a detriment in many areas, I believe it is an important distinction to understand the standards, process and reach of The Eugene Mission in their goal of restoring lives in our area. In their own words, "The Eugene Mission’s ultimate goal is to provide holistic long-term solutions that lead to the wellness of its guests. We are positive but assertive with our guests, asking as much of them as they do of us. We arm them with the skills they need to move forward, while inspiring and motivating them to do so." I thought I knew, but after taking the tour I am humbled and inspired by the reach of The Eugene Mission. I would encourage you and your family, or your friends or your organization to set aside 30 minutes and take the tour of The Eugene Mission.
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I was excited to be a part of the first ever annual Eugene Young Professionals Summit and am proud to report that the event was everything it was advertised to be. The vibe was electric, the presentations were inspiring and the material was direct. While Millennails may get a bad wrap throughout the nation, this gathering in Eugene, Oregon on June 2nd of 2016 was a celebration of the efforts of many motivated young professionals sharing stories of battles won, lost and on-going for the development of our community as well as our professional aspirations. The Eugene Young Professionals Summit was an extension of the fruits of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network and their many partners in the local community. For the Eugene area, the bar has been set rather high for the launch of an event aimed at connecting young professionals and further inspiring their engagement in the local economy. Since the event was social media charged, this first recap will showcase live tweets highlighting moments from the event. I tried to discipline myself to primarily experience the event, something that can't always be done when you are tweeting every moment, so here are some of the key points. If these grab your attention you can reference my Twitter feed for corresponding photos as well as the links to other young professionals who tweeted throughout the event. Event Kick Off & Keynote Speaker This is what millennialism in action looks like. #eugeneypsummit Watch Out! @jessemthomas speaking at #EugeneYPSummit - secret to success "LARPing" (if you didn't attend you missed it) Start Up Panel @upstreamOR @iamcarolina @derekedws @youngmtntea Startup Panel for #EugeneYPSummit #EugeneYPSummit Start Up Panel - Feel the buzz in Eugene/Springfield, an ecosystem of start ups w/ a sense of balance @eugenerain @nedcocdc Post Lunch & Young Professionals Panel Thus far #EugeneYPSummit is everything advertised, well done by all involved #EugeneYPSummit Young Professionals Panel - @DutchBros @nedcocdc @RolfPrima @JakeWeatherly @PIVOTarch Table Talks Frustrated w macro politics, individuals can make an impact at the local level by showing up & entering discussion #INvolved #EugeneYPSummit @LoniChristine83 @Eugene2030 is a great way to connect with your community and give back while growing your leaderships skills. #eugeneypsummit Deep Dive: Eugene Civic Alliance @KidsportsBev & @EugeneCivic discuss Play On, Civic - revive & reimagine following disaster #EugeneYPSummit Don't wait for someone to come and ask you, find something you want to get #INvolved in and go do it. #EugeneYPSummit Deep Dive: DWN TWN EUG Denny Braud of @cityofeugene speaking at #EugeneYPSummit - 5 years $300M invested in Downtown Eugene Development Denny expressed gratitude & inspiration that 63 people attended (58 under 40) @cityofeugene Public Renewal Meeting #EugeneYPSummit #INvolved @simplyelena If a group of us showed up at city council, we could make a difference! No, really. REALLY. @bqdub #micdrop moment. #eugeneypsummit Closing @CelesteEdman speaking to close festivities #EugeneYPsummit aka standing between YPs & adult beverages You can't just show up when YOU need help, participate in the community and it will reciprocate - @CelesteEdman #EugeneYPSummit @EugeneYPSummit #EugeneYPSummit 100% well done by EVERY person & organization up front & behind the scenes Eugene Young Professionals Summit @eugeneypsummit / #eugeneypsummit website Stay tuned for the Second Annual Eugene YP Summit 2017! Join the fun and Discover Downtown Springfield with the Summer In The City event on Saturday, June 4th, 2016. The festivities kick off at 10am on the campus of the Sprout! Regional Food Hub where attendees can pick up their free tote and event passports with special deals included from over 35 participating vendors. Activities and offerings include: brunch menus, beer specials, wine, live music, shopping exclusives, tour of beautiful local murals, sweet treats throughout, demonstrations from local businesses, lawn games, face painting as well as door prizes. The City of Springfield has been hard at work with community leaders, business members and residents to create growth as well as pride in the Downtown area. The Summer in the City event is a great opportunity to enjoy what is being accomplished, explore the businesses establishing roots and continue to work together to move the community forward. Official festivities will conclude with a Trivia Night hosted in the Srpout! Market Hall which finds its home in the restored structure of an old church building that now serves as an incubator for local businesses.
Participating Businesses Include: 100 Mile Bakery Project, A-lamp Design, Claim 52 Abbey, Belvan Clothing, Blue Buffalo, ChaCha's Boutique, Ducko's Custom Framing 2.0, Emerald Art Center, Eugene Lock and Safe, Growler Underground, Haven - Home Garden Gift, Hearts for Hospice, Jazzercise, L'Etoffe Fabrics LLC, LaGranada, Lean Nonprofit, Memento Ink - Tattoos, Piercing, Salon and More, Mercantile, Mezza Luna Pizzeria, CHOW/MOE'S Tavern, Oregon Vape Society, Pig N Turnip, Plank Town Brewing Company, Polemic Dance & Fitness Studio, Rock Reiki, Soft Peaks Cakery, Sprout Regional Food Hub, The Defiant Diva Boutique, The Washburne Cafe, The Vintage Industry, Time Travelers of Oregon Antique Mall & Estate Sale Services, Tradewinds Café & Catering Co., Trash-n-Treasures, Vino and Vango-We Do Painting Parties, Wynant's Family Health Food, Yoga Pitt, Inc., and more. For assistance covering and promoting your business or your next event, contact iz.vents There is an issue at work, people are upset. Everyone blames leadership and by leadership we mean you. Everyone is mad at you, again. Why is everyone so critical? Why does everyone always look at the leader when the messy stuff hits the fan and splatters all over the walls of the organization? Leaders (or "leaders") can respond a few ways to issues each with corresponding consequences: A) Face them; B) Ignore them; or 3) Disappear (hide) If the leader chooses Option A - face the issues - then there will be a process of gathering data (what happened), extracting truth from the data (or the attempt thereof) and making conclusions from the process (right or wrong). Whether management completes each step with flawless logic and execution or not, leaders that dare to engage (who are so brave as to do what they were hired for) will find that their teams respond to their efforts. There is a difference between ignorance and ignoring, this is the difference between the manager who was not aware that something was wrong and the manager who is aware but who's resolution strategy is in hoping that the office fairies will float the conflicts away so that they don't have to manage them. For most teams, there is as much frustration when a problem is brought to the attention of management and those leaders (with their extra zeros behind their annual salary) either ignore the issues or the boss disappears from the fray. In these scenarios, the team begins to conclude that leadership isn't necessary and management by their actions proves that their teams conclusions are functionally valid. For those in management that are tempted to employ the time tested tactics of Ignore and Hide (some may have proudly earned their degree in I&H), often the philosophy behind such actions revolve around the defeatist attitude of, "It can't be fixed anyways so why even try." Managers may be in a situation or a frame of mind where they feel that their team expects them to know everything and do everything correctly or perhaps the leader expects this of themselves. Leadership Key - Leadership is not about being omniscient. Leaders are not expected by their teams to know everything but they are expected to deal with issues when they are brought to light. A leader who places the burden of omniscience on themselves either views themselves far too highly or has been poorly mentored. Managers must understand that they are not god or Kuthulu, but as importantly a leader cannot be an ostrich (if you're slow that means don't bury your head in the sand). Leaders should not practice willful ignorance as this will frustrate your team far beyond whatever issue it was that they brought to management's attention. Like those books of our youth that had the multiple choice plot line pivots, when next the team brings a matter before the high council will our exciting lead character, The Manager (dun-dun-dun), choose to: A) Rise to the occasion and courageously perform the duties of their role by executing the aforementioned process of bringing resolution to the best of their ability. B) Take the ostrich approach and hope the issue passes by before the sand their head is buried in suffocates the life from their weak body. C) Exercise their one super power of disappearing whenever the heat rises in the organization's kitchen. While the writing quality of this piece is far superior to anything the reader has ever invested five minutes of their life on, it would be a shame to miss the point. To summarize what should be taken from the dried ink of these qwerty typed exclamations - if you are a leader you need to lead. One of the key tests of leadership merit and/or efficacy occurs when the team cares enough to bring an issue to management's attention, in that moment, a leader will demonstrate the need for their abilities or will prove otherwise. Key to leadership is understanding that leading is not about being omniscient but rather about being consistent. As a leader, the effort to address issues will prove much more positive long term to the health and engagement of the team than the absolutely detrimental effects of ignoring or hiding from challenges. Check in with our partners - MIZDOTBIZ for creative business solutions and [DYOJO] for managers helping managers manage. |
AuthorThoughts on personal and professional development. Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is a contractor, author, and host of The DYOJO Podcast. The goal of The DYOJO is to help growth-minded restoration professionals shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. You can watch The DYOJO Podcast on YouTube on Thursdays or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
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