Travis
Heather Raymond
See this year’s Dinner On The Grounds in an album of volunteer Grant Harrison’s event photos.
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After work, single dad Robert plays with his youngest son, Malachi, outside the Family House.
302 E Roosevelt Rd; Little Rock, AR
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newsletter design & all photos by Amanda Woods, an Our House VISTA except pg 9 & Dinner on the Grounds photos by volunteer Grant Harrison; pg 10 photo by Ganelle Grimm; pg 16 design by Felecia Cagle, VISTA © Amanda Woods or Our House 2012
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by Ganelle Grimm, Development Coordinator Our House’s job training program offers hands-on experience in specific career fields like child care, security, and facilities maintenance. Job trainees learn and practice the skills associated with these fields in internships on the campus of Our House. They meet once a week on Monday mornings in the Shelter where their supervisor, Director of Client Services Justin Sanders, will read a mission statement called “What We Stand For.� When asked to tell the group what he stood for, Travis wrote a thoughtful, sincere poem that describes not only what he believes, but also what any hard-working resident may learn by making the commitment to complete the Our House program. continued on page 6
What Do I Stand For By Travis Who do I stand for? Islam and living life as a Muslim to the best of my ability. Islam is a way of life. The way I walk, the way I sleep. The way I wake, the way I eat and talk, to the way I dress. What do I stand for? Not letting any controlled substance control my life. These are the things that will hinder my present and future. I could not stand for anything, if I let narcotics and alcohol dictate my life. What do I stand for? I stand for taking care of all my present and past legal affairs, not running or hiding from these problems, whatever be the outcome. I stand for becoming a productive member of society. What do I stand for? Doing better than my best on any job I may have. Working hard to improve my life and my family’s life. What do I stand for? Being more compassionate to anyone who may need my compassion. For being more of a listener and understanding someone else’s problem instead of thinking the world is just about me. What do I stand for? Giving a hand wherever needed to Our House, who has given me a helping hand when I needed one. Helping the residents: my sisters and brothers at Our House, when they may need it. This is what I stand for.
Travis’s situation begs the question that is so often asked of the most vulnerable members of our community. How does someone with such an incredible work ethic become a homeless resident of Our House? “I don’t have a problem working, and I work hard. I’ve done everything from drive a cab to work at the GAP as an assistant stock manager. Keeping the job is the hard part. One situation of trouble can ruin my motivation and make me think that giving up is the best option. I lose jobs when I don’t believe in myself, when I don’t believe that I’m good enough to do better.” Travis’s troubles are likely generational. “My mother is addicted, so staying with her was basically the same as being on the streets.” When he was in 4th grade Travis wanted to be a basketball star and buy his grandmother a big house. She tried to take Travis from his mom when he was small, but his mother sent him to Shreveport. “Mom sent me to my grandfather, who I didn’t know at all. One year later he married a woman who didn’t want me there, so they sent me to Houston.” From Shreveport Travis moved in with his great aunt– who had seven children of her own. “I didn’t do well in school because home was a mess. Got back on track in about the 12th grade and got my own apartment. I was the assistant manager at a movie theatre.” Travis worked three jobs to keep his apartment. By 19 he was married with a son on the way. The pressure of marriage and a child at the age of 19 would prove tough for anyone. For Travis, who had little family support and was predisposed to drug use, the pressure was debilitating. “My first joint was at the age of 13. It gave me such a bad headache that I said I would never do it again, but I did. When I had my son, I thought I knew my limitations. It wasn’t outlandish. I thought I knew when to stop.” Over time Travis was in the Texas penitentiary, and when he got out, things were even more difficult. For the first
Travis does yard work at Our House as part of his job training position.
time in his life, Travis couldn’t get a job. By 2009 he was back in Little Rock, sleeping on the street outside of Salvation Army. He checked himself into a 15-week rehabilitation program at UAMS. By September of that year, Travis had checked into Our House. While he maintained employment and good standing with his case managers, Travis’s addiction overpowered his will to stay in the program. After a few short months, he was back on the street. Travis came back to Our House in August of 2011, and he’s been a viable member of our community ever since. “I knew what was expected of me this time, and I knew what to do to stay sober.” His criminal background proved to be a serious barrier to finding employment, making Travis a perfect candidate for the Our House job trainee program. Visitors to our campus will probably find Travis working outside. “I maintain the lawn, make sure trash is picked up, empty recycle bins, trim branches and trees, secure fences. I do anything on the grounds that needs to be done. I’m always on call.” Travis freely places himself in positions continued on page 8
Travis replants fence posts with Campus Improvement VISTA Tyler Amm.
to help Our House residents and staff, even helping out the Shelter supervisors at night and cooking on Sundays. “I try to keep Saturdays for myself, but I may end up working on something if I don't get the job done during the week.” Travis’s story is proof that Our House works. With a strong enough desire to change his situation and a dedication to hard work, Travis has been able to put himself on a path to becoming a productive citizen of the community. Our House has been a hand up, his support system, and the only constant in Travis’s tumultuous life. “[The staff] and this program have really knocked it out of the ballpark for me. I can get on with my plans for my life, and I’m not nervous about it.” Travis plans to use the skills he’s learned as a job trainee at Our House to start his own landscaping business when he completes the program. “I have a long way to go, but I also have a lot of people rooting for me at Our House, and I shouldn’t let them down. I’ve made it my goal to make sure I make everyone proud, including myself.”
by Ganelle Grimm, Development Coordinator About one week after meeting Our House volunteer Heather Raymond, I began to ask myself, “how is it possible to be so busy and so amazing at the same time?” Heather got involved with Our House through a local group called Womenade. Each month the group gets together for a potluck dinner where they also choose a local charity to highlight. Heather missed the meeting where Our House was featured. “Because I couldn't be at dinner, I volunteered to bring the food for our monthly lunch service. I brought it and was struck by the people and the organization. I decided immediately that I had no choice but to be an active volunteer.” Heather left Our House that day having been physically moved. “My heart was pulled. I sat down at the computer and wrote an e-mail explaining what I had seen.” “I had no idea. The conditions on the campus are great but still there are 40 women in one room with their personal belongings at the end of the continued on page 10
Heather & two members of the Communications Committee for Dinner On The Grounds
bed. As a new mom I was punched in the chest to see these new moms living in this situation. Strollers were pushed to the side of the bed, and children were sleeping in them. They have no personal time. I imagined me and my son having those special times when it’s just the two of us. They can’t have that. It's a clean and lovely facility, but it doesn’t change the reality of their situation. I’d never seen that with my own eyes.” Heather urged and challenged her friends and family to join her in support of Our House. The following day she converted her garage into a donation center. “I had a huge response and became a regular at Our House.” There was certainly a buzz going around the campus about Heather as she brought in a yoga instructor to reach the residents, asked a friend to volunteer to cut hair, and coordinated a Halloween healthy snack project for Our House with her son’s preschool class. The staff coined her “Heather who sent the e-mail” until we (very quickly) got to know her on a personal level. “I just came out of nowhere with no connection to Our House whatsoever. The story and the people just touched me, and I knew I could do more to help.”
We asked Heather to join the event planning committee for our December silent and live auction, Tie One On. “I just thought that I could help get donated items for the auction.” Heather’s hard work as a volunteer on our campus and for Tie One On made her a shoe-in for the next event planning committee, this time as Communications Chair for the southern supper Dinner On The Grounds. Heather’s background in marketing and event planning were perfect for the role, landing Our House a four-page cover story in SYNC. “It’s been a lot of fun! I’m ready to start working on Tie One On again as soon as this is over.” Heather’s support of Dinner On The Grounds didn't end with communications. She is also responsible for the addition of a vacation package raffle that took place during the event. “I called on some contacts in Napa Valley and Sonoma and asked for a nice wine weekend. They were eager to help!” Heather’s wine weekend included private tours of three wineries, 4 lovely bottles of wine that aren’t accessible in Arkansas, tastings, and croquet on an internationally recognized lawn, a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of us. That package was paired with two tickets from Southwest Airlines and raised an additional $3,000 for Our House through Dinner On The Grounds. But why Our House? Why does Heather, a hard-working volunteer, loving mom, and faithful friend choose to spend her time so freely and in so many capacities to Our House? “Because the residents are so incredibly thankful and gracious! I’ve had lunch with them a few times and I know they do not feel like a victim of circumstances. There is a palatable sense of hope with children and adults alike. That kind of attitude speaks directly to the staff and mission of Our House. That hopeful culture would not be there if the staff did not instill that in them and demand that they pull themselves up. I’m sure residents have their moments, but as an outsider coming in, they are beautiful. They are our community, and we need to do more. If that means packing up clothes and putting them in my driveway, then we should do that.” Heather is so often working behind the scenes for Our House that we are no longer able to keep track of all the work she puts into our organization. Her work ethic and dedication is so inspiring that even our staff—who work full-time for our mission—are inspired to do more. “It doesn’t feel like work for me. I just really wanted to make sure I was doing something with my time that I felt compelled to do. I’ve gotten out of my experience at least ten-fold what I’ve put in.” Almost one year later, Our House certainly feels like we are on the winning side of this equation.
Thanks to the many generous donors who bought tickets, sponsored tables, and participated in the raffle at Dinner on the Grounds 2012. Your contributions helped us break our fundraising record!
Dinner on the Grounds raised $107,205 for Our House programs The raffle, a fly-away trip to California wine country sponsored by SW Airlines and Brown Foreman, raised $3,110. The Faces of Hope painting created live at the event by Matt McLeod sold for $1,750. Special thanks to our presenting sponsor Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Our deepest gratitude to our event chairs Susan Brown and Charleen Francis and the committed team of volunteers whose service on the Dinner on the Grounds committee made this even such a success.
Georgia Mjartan
It is one of the most common questions I am asked. This month, two sisters and their children (including the sweet baby in this photo) came to Our House after they lost their home to a fire. Another woman—a young mom of three—called us one night recently asking if we had beds. After leaving an unsafe home situation, they had been living outside in a tent. From the safety of the Our House child care, the youngest, a four-year-old, captured the experience in a drawing of himself sleeping in a tent, a smile on his face, with the sun shining above and a rainbow in the sky. A few days outside was not a devastating experience for him. A few weeks or a few months certainly would have been. Seeing that drawing, holding these children, watching relief travel across the faces of these parents as they realize they have found safety, community, and care at Our House remind me daily why we are here. Photo: Georgia gets to know one of our newest & littlest residents during a family event at Our House.
by Amber Hood, Volunteer Relations VISTA 13,978 children are homeless in Arkansas over the course of one year. They sleep on the streets, in abandoned buildings, and in cars. Since we don’t see them, they are easy to forget. To remember each homeless child as a real person and not just a statistic, Our House is collecting 13, 978 handmade birds to represent each child and his or her voice that often goes unheard. The birds can be drawn with crayons, sketched in pencil, crafted from scrapbook paper, or any other medium you choose. Each bird will be unique just as each child is unique. The only stipulations are that each bird must be twodimensional, no bigger than 8.5 x 11 inches, and cannot be made with glitter or perishable items. All birds can be hand-delivered to Our House’s volunteer coordinator or mailed to: Our House Attn: Volunteer Coordinator 302 E Roosevelt Rd Little Rock, AR 72206
make a difference every day
be a VISTA at Our House 8 positions available in these areas: Fundraising & Development Children’s Programs Adult Education & Workforce Training Volunteer Management In-Kind Donations Campus Improvement VISTA Leader (requires previous AmeriCorps service) AmeriCorps VISTA positions last one year. Members get an $858/month living allowance and their choice of either an Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,500 OR an end-of-service stipend of $1,500.
To apply, send your resume and cover letter to vistaleader@ourhouseshelter.org.
Photo: Callie, Our House’s 2010-2012 Children’s Programs VISTA
hometown Ottawa, Illinois education Senior Sociology Major, Illinois State University community organizations President & Co-Founder of Fishsticks & Milk Inc. NFP Our House staff since August 19, 2011
I am in charge of improving & maintaining the campus. I specifically work on beautifying the campus, increasing safety measures, & delegating duties for community service volunteers.
My favorite part is getting to meet all of the residents & hear their stories. My career goal is to become a therapist for teens & young adults with mental health problems.
Michael Palin of Monty Python. He is genuinely funny.
I love to dance.
I enjoy writing music & developing my own board games.
hometown Mineola, Texas education International Relations & Global Studies, Hendrix College Our House staff since August 19, 2011
I work in the Learning Center with our adult students, forming course curriculum, scheduling classes, & bringing in volunteers for events like practice job interviews.
When I mention my job to people, I often feel an immediate change in attitude & get comments like, “Wow, you must see some tough things,” or “That must be hard going.” There’s an instant feeling that where I work & who I work with aren’t normal. While it’s true that most people don’t work in shelters, it’s mostly like any other job interacting with clients. We work with real & regular people with the standard spread of personalities you would find in any company. There’s happiness, hardship, success, & setbacks like in any human relations position. A big obstacle for our clients is the mostly-pejorative “special” status they receive when others discover their homelessness, & most of those stereotypes just aren’t true.
The Dairy Queen in Mineola, Texas, the 2nd-cleanest DQ in the state. Funny how proud I was of that. I still love DQ!
Always ask questions of yourself. Clarify your vision of what you want the world & your life to be, commit to that paradigm, & then challenge that vision. At the same time, don’t take yourself too seriously—it leads to self-importance.
For everyone to be happy, peaceful, hard workers that mind their own business, take care of their own & their earth, & have a full range of their own free will. And that Sonic burgers would suddenly be only 10 calories.
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basket 99¢, cross-stitch & sewing patterns 50¢ each, cabinet $159.99
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fabric $1.99 each
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antique sewing machine $69.99
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yarn $99 each
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folding screen $199.99
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109 N. Van Buren St. Little Rock 353-0642 4606 JFK Blvd. North Little Rock 246-5741 Pick-up is available for furniture donations.
benefitting Our House
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4 3 Felecia Cagle Community Engagement VISTA Our House
Amy & Gustavo Atilano Amy & Gustavo from Señor Tequila West donated 40 packages of diapers.
Girl Scouts The troop from St. John Baptist Church donated Girl Scout Cookies.
Our Lady of Good Counsel The dinner serving group donated lunch trays.
Presbyterian Women The group from Second Presbyterian Church donated cereal & breakfast bars.
UALR Children’s International UALR Children’s International donated windbreaker jackets for men & women living in the shelter.
UAMS Student Council UAMS Student Council donated laundry detergent & under-the-bed storage containers.
Drew & Angel Weber Drew & Angel donated shoes & baseball gloves.
Forest Park 4th Grade (pictured) Mr. Finney’s 4th grade gifted & talented class at Forest Park Elementary donated money they raised by selling hand-made jewelry.
Big Spring Clean Volunteers The Cherry Family, Summit Church, & Fellowship Bible Church made the second annual Big Spring Clean a success. The event collected items for My Favorite Thrift Store which raises funds for Our House. If you were not able to donate at the event, you can donate clothing, furniture, & household items to My Favorite Thrift Store Monday—Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. 109 N. Van Buren St. Little Rock 353-0642 4606 JFK Blvd. North Little Rock 246-5741
Individuals Annie Abrams Twylla & Drew Alexander Anonymous Christie & Steve Bardwell Jane Bown Miranda Burchfield Baker Robin Burkett Curtis Chatham & Shane Fraizer Lena Cheatham Jami Eaves Patricia Elimon Marie Gieringer Tanya D. Giles Carla & David Greenway Bobbye Ann Hannah Jon Michael Haslauer Julia & Lyle Heim Michelle Hicks Sarah & Theodore Hood Amanda Hughes Mary Janssen Peggy & Jim Jones Jim Kamran Lance King Jo Luck Derick Malone Cathy & Michael Moran Erin Oakley M. J. Orellano Lee Anne Overall Jennifer Owens Jared Phillips Nancy & Tad Phillips Brett Reinhard Shana Ricks
Guy Sallis Chris Schaffhauser Steven Self Jan & Albert Taylor Bridget & Andrew Upchurch Angel & Drew Weber Temeka Williams Hardy Winburn Jodi Woods Congregations Cathedral of St. Andrew Church of the Immaculate Conception St. Anne Catholic Church St. James United Methodist Church St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Government AR Special Nutrition Program City of Little Rock—CDBG Grant DHS: AmeriCorps HUD: Transitions Pulaski County Organizations Heart of Arkansas United Way Joe T. Robinson Elementary School Womenade Corporations Bank Of America U.S. Pizza Co. Other Grants Dollar General Literacy Fdn.
All issues of Our House’s newsletter, packed with photos & information about our programs, clients, & supporters, are viewable on issuu.com. Click on one of the magazine covers on these pages to catch up on articles you missed or to re-read your favorites. An index of articles from our newsletter’s first year is in the May 2012 issue.
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