I came into the office the next day and there was a slight under buzz by staff, They were all wondering what I had in store for us all. I called an informal staff meeting more like brainstorming with the team,
“OK I said” now each of you give me your best file of a family in case management ,They looked puzzled and each handed me a file, now came the moment of truth. Who fo these 3 caseloads do you think would agree with getting filmed and share their story.My staff looked at me in astonishment and said “Boss” that is a great idea so we ran with it.
I called a Board member and he happened to be a lawyer, I ask “if I film my clients telling their interaction with us do I need to get a release.As the ED it was my job to see we were not doing anything that could lead to something that could jeopardize our status, He offered to put together a disclaimer that said the film would only be used for the purpose of promotion of the Agency. Great I said saying a silent prayer that I was on to something good.
So I had each case manager contact the families we had chosen and they all agreed to do it but they were all afraid but I assure them it would be just me them and a video camera and they could watch it and if they were not ok with it we would scrap it. But since they had trusted us to nelp them rebuild their lives they all agreed.
The first family was a man and his 2 children.They had come to us in summer they had been sleeping on the streets and would walk around all day, They had been to every place in town and no one would help them or couldn’t.
The 2 little girls faces were sunburned and you could tell they had been out too long in the sun.We were running our summer program so I called my case manager in and said get them some icepops and let them out to enjoy the summer program. With icepops in hand they were led out to my summer staff who were teachers at the local school so I briefly told them and they took over, By the time I got back in my office Dad was in tears of relief.I told him I had an apartment that I would place him and the girls in today but he had to start to look for a job,He agreed to it all.I did the intake and had someone make up a weeks worth of food and got them ready for their new home. With shame he looked at me and said I can not even buy milk. I had a fund that was like petty cash so I handed him $20.Well you would have thought he had just won the lottery.I told him just keep compliant and all would be well.
So off the family went in the van to their new home ,Most of us were MOM’s so we knew how important this was to them.
They were the first case I filmed months later Dad had been working the girls were in Headstart and the local kindergarten and they were on their way to self-sufficieny.
They were my first video in my series for the United Way. I just put him in front of the video camera and he began to tell his story .Well even the staff cried as we watched the video and the power and raw emotion got to us all. That video had the execs from the United Way in awe of what we were doing. Moving homeless broken fellow members of the greatest Country in the World to self sufficiency in 11 months, Unheard of they said but I had proof. A simple honest video that earned us another $30,000 in funding and a video that was effective.Boy I wish I had utube back then.
We all sat in silence reliving the day they came to us sunburned homeless hungry and no one would help, but we did!
I drove home passing the shelter thanking those who helped us in so many ways and grateful I had a home and job I loved. Peace Sandra