January 2012
11 posts
“Clothing presents a special problem. It makes up 40% to 50% of all donations and...”
– Sex Toys, Winter Coats, And Spanish Flags: The Uselessness Of Post-Disaster Donations | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation
Must read article to help you consider what to donate the next time. And, what NOT to give.
“The presumption throughout Perkins’s theology of community is that a...”
– Charles Marsh - Welcoming Justice: God’s Movement Toward Beloved Community
January Adventures
I leave this weekend for about a two week stretch that has me going to three other cities for a couple of different reasons, but closely related. I have a CCDA Emerging Leaders Cohort retreat in Jackson, MS next week and I’m doing some research on the feasibility of launching into a full blown video based series/curriculum at NeighborLink. We’re trying to figure what makes the most...
5 tags
Why I Love Web Based File Storage
I should have known that trying to upgrade to OSX Lion would have caused some problems. Early last week I chose to do that and it resulted in a trashed hard drive and over a week without any access to files I needed to be working on. To clarify, Lion didn’t kill my hard drive. As it was installing it located a bad spot on the hard drive the current operating system hadn’t gotten to...
4 tags
“The Civil Rights movement teaches us that faith is authentic when it stays close...”
– Charles Marsh - Welcoming Justice: God’s Movement Toward Beloved Community.
2 Types of Volunteers Video
Here is a quick video describing the two types of volunteers we have at NeighborLink and how projects get selected. We’re still fine tuning our tutorial video series, but I like where this style is heading. Now, we just need to get a better guy on camera.
Seth's Blog: One option is to struggle to be heard... →
Another is to be the sort of person who is missed when you’re not.
The first involves making noise. The second involves making a difference.
WatchVideo interview of Bob Lupton talking about how our traditional ways of distribution charity is actually not helpful and often toxic to any sort of relationship development or true community development. Worth the watch.
Video part of Plywood People’s Plywood Morning sessions.
I highly recommend his latest book, Toxic Charity.
7 tags
Being a Good Neighbor
I’ve been running this theme through my head for a couple of years now and every few months it gets more complicated, confusing, and difficult with moments of clarity and simplicity thrown in.
It’s a theme that is going to drive much of 2012 for me personally and consequently, the direction of NeighborLink. I’ve used it as the title of our winter training series that starts on...
8 tags
Official 2011 NeighborLink Statistics
I’m excited to announce the official NeighborLink Fort Wayne Statistics from this past year. Total number of projects completed, number of volunteer opportunities, and the approximate value of the time donated.
I’m incredibly proud and honored to run this organization. The volunteers who choose to spend time with NeighborLink are second to none.
Here are a couple of details you...
“One thing about NeighborLink is that it has the ability to touch the volunteer...”
– Lindsay - Director of NeighborLink Van Wert
December 2011
10 posts
So Much More To Do At NeighborLink
I developed an advisory group within the first 6 months of being the executive director at NeighborLink Fort Wayne almost 4 years ago with the goal of invited a group of people to support me, guide me, and bring fresh ideas from their practical experiences without the fiscal commitments of a board of directors position.
This group is made up of ordinary people with an extraordinary ability to...
3 tags
In Love With the Process, Not the Outcomes
Sometimes I think we’re more in love with the process than we are with the outcome. What I mean is that, we enjoy the process of creating, organizing, planning, etc.. more than we care about actually accomplishing the thing we’re organizing around. This is especially true when it comes to addressing community issues.
I’m no expert on the conversation, but I have seen this...
3 tags
Merry Christmas - A Season For Hope
To the volunteers and supporters of NeighborLink Fort Wayne
We truly have been looked upon by God this year. He has remained faithful just as you have remained faithful to His calling in your lives to be dedicated to the mission being lived out in and through NeighborLink. I hope you’re in awe as much as I am when you reflect on how He continues to call His people into service through the...
6 tags
Volunteers Completed The 700th Project in 2011
We’ve passed our goal of 700 completed projects! The NeighborLink volunteers have been hard at work all year and were as eager to hit that number as I was.
I was fortunate to be able to go out on a project yesterday with the Grub & Go Guys from Fellowship Missionary Church to help a family who we’ve been helping for well over a year. We moved some final boxes to a storage unit for...
6 tags
The Gift of Hot Water
Donations from the Light The Sky event went to purchasing a new hot water heater today. Getting to see donated dollars in action is always a highlight at NeighborLink. It’s one of the things I enjoy most.
A group of volunteers recently took on a project for a single-mom working hard to get her house in order. She’s recently had two major issues with her house. Both her furnace and...
Global Giving Turns Evaluating Aid Into A Game |... →
I like seeing articles like this one. Pushes all of us in charitable and development oriented work towards accountability, which is necessary.
Just because we’re trying to make our communities or the world a better place, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be required to be good at it.
Worth the read.
7 tags
Woodworking Must Have - Kreg Jig
My wife and I renovated a 100 year old house and I’ve decided to build quite a bit of furniture over the past year or two. It’s hard to find furniture we like that fits the style of our home and after doing just about every kind of home remodeling, it’s hard to justify the prices when I know I can build something we’d like.
There are lots tools you need, but there is one...
Single Dad Needs Some Help - Volunteers Needed
I don’t inspect nearly as many projects as I should or would like to. It’s the downside of having a 70% increase in activity this year. But, when I do, I’m always more connected to the project and am better at gauging whether it’s a project worth looking into or not.
Below is one of those projects that I think volunteers who have skill at drywall should look into. This...
What Makes You Do Things For Others?
I really want to know.
This is a constant question in my mind. I’m always thinking about it as I watch volunteers at NeighborLink take on projects. I think about it when I watch my wife cook meals for neighbors or bake cookies for a grieving co-worker. I think about it when I’m questioning whether I should offer to help a neighbor who’s working on their house or when I notice...
November 2011
18 posts
“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the...”
– Mother Teresa (via thereclamationproject)
4 tags
NeighborLink Snow Removal Planning - Feedback...
Yesterday’s snow was a fresh reminder that another winter in NE Indiana is upon us. If you recall at the beginning of 2011, we had a major snow that shut a lot of things down for a couple of days. After receiving over 100 phone calls for snow removal help in a 2-3 day time span, it challenged me to re-evaluate how NeighborLink approaches snow removal. After reflecting on our...
In As Much Ministry Needs Volunteers!
Broadway Christian Church’s In As Much Ministry needs volunteer help over the next two weeks to help get their building renovation done. This is a great organization that helps between 50-100 families with financial assistance, clothing, food, and other social services many organizations cannot. Worthy cause.
Here is a video of some of the things they need help with along with the contact...
4 tags
Do BETTER This Holiday Season - Idea 4
Idea 4 may be the best way to Do BETTER this holiday season and may be the hardest. It’s really a culmination of the previous 3 ideas.
Participate in Advent this year. What is Advent? Here is a great description from the Advent Conspiracy.
It starts with Jesus. It ends with Jesus. This is the holistic approach God had in mind for Christmas. It’s a season where we are called to put down...
Link - Scrooge And His Black Friday →
The spirit of Christmas Scrooge can no longer be thought of as just the hermit at the end of the street whom we never see. The Scrooge spirit resides in all of those who walked over and on top of the dying man in Walmart. The spirit of Scrooge exists in all of those who have to serenade their kids and others with 10 different high-dollar gifts, each, like a quarterly quota, and will pepper spray...
11 tags
58 Projects to Go! Help Us Complete 700 in 2011
As you can see, we’re only 58 projects away from 700 completed projects in 2011. Our goal all along this year was to hit 700 completed projects, which is a 70% increase over the 2010 total number of 494 completed projects. I’m blown away every time I think about that number based on what I know about getting projects done. It’s incredible.
Like any organization, we set goals...
3 tags
LIGHT THE SKY EVENT IS CANCELED
It is with great disappointment I send this email information you that we have to cancel the Light The Sky Event. Excitement has been building to see the skyline filled with hundreds of lanterns commemorating a year of developed relationships through neighborLink Fort Wayne. We apologize that we will no longer be able to gather and share this experience with our friends, families, recipients and...
Black Friday Alternative - Volunteers Needed!
Not everyone thinks Black Friday shopping is the best way to work those Thanksgiving dinner calories off. There is a group of volunteers who are giving their time to make it a LightFriday(just made that up) to helping a woman move several pieces of furniture and boxes of her belongings to a new place.
They need your help and they want you to join them for what usually turns into a really fun...
Do BETTER This Holiday Season - Idea 3
Getting your family members to completely choose against getting you a gift can be nearly impossible for some. Same goes for people in your family that may be disappointed with you for not getting them a gift. Change is necessary and also hard. If you aren’t willing to push into that, consider gifts with purpose.
In my last post, I suggested you purchase an item from a holiday catalogue...
7 tags
WatchBig bummer. Event had to be canceled due to uncontrollable circumstances.
Thanks to Matt Ayers Photo, the great tunes of Metavari, and a group of awesome Huntington University students in my Social Media class, we have a killer :60 video to help in promoting the Light the Sky With NeighborLink event coming up next Wed, Nov 23rd. Check it out, share it like crazy, and join us for 20 minutes of...
Leadership Roadtrip - Part 1
A couple weeks back I wrote about how considering going back to school to get a masters has been pretty frustrating due to what I sense is a lack of progressive, accessible options in the fields I’m interested in locally. I also know that I’m more of an experiential learner than a classroom or studying type.
I’ve determined that until I can figure that part out, if it can ever...
Community Voice: City pays $80,000 for job I tried... →
I love the spirit of Sean in this article. He probably should have asked before doing it, but I also realize that someone would have probably told him no.
What I take from this article is a question of, “how do we convince a spirit in the city government that leads to an environment of encouragement and openness for citizen initiatives like this?”
From my work at NeighborLink, if...
6 tags
Team NeighborLink Represents at Muncie Mini...
Michelle Hoffman and Christin Easterhaus represented Team NeighborLink on October 29th at the first annual Muncie Mini Marathon.
My wife, Michelle, ran her first mini-marathon in 2:00:04. She killed it and I’m jealous of how much faster she can run than me. Christin did amazing as well and finished in 2:08. Really proud of both of them and thankful they chose to support NeighborLink at the...
6 tags
Empowerment Via Storm Windows
I just got a quote for new storm windows for our 100 year old house that came in at over $4,000 and that was with a 10% discount. GASP! Of course our windows have to be bigger than standard sizes, which prevents us from going to the local box store and picking windows off the shelf.
Needless to say, I don’t want to spend $4,000 on storm windows nor do I have that kind of money to put into...
4 tags
Light The Sky With NeighborLink Fort Wayne -...
To the many in our community who’ve benefited from their good works, the volunteers of NeighborLink are a shining light - a beacon of care, compassion and support. Indeed, this year alone, NeighborLink volunteers have chosen to love their neighbors and help close to 600 city residents seeking assistance through our organization.
To honor those acts of support, and to celebrate these...
12 tags
Do BETTER This Holiday Season - Idea 2
Earlier this week I wrote on the opportunity of doing things different(BETTER) this holiday season. I wrote about how organization’s good intentioned program may be causing more harm than good to those receiving help. No program is going to be perfect, but it doesn’t give us a strong enough reason not to take the time to analyze our programs and do what we can to make it a dignifying...
Do BETTER This Holiday Season - Update
Thanks to my fellow CCDA Cohort member, Holly, I have some additional content to add to yesterday’s post, Do BETTER This Holiday Season. Thanks Holly.
Rethinking How We Give - Article by Bob Lupton, founder of FCS Ministries.
It was my first Christmas living in the inner city, the first time I had the luxury of relaxing on a Christmas Eve in the living room of a low-income family....
October 2011
18 posts
5 tags
Recent Recipient Email
I want to thank NeighborLink for the Six people who came to my rescue on leaf raking day from the Chapel. I thank God for each one of them. They even helped my neighbor who is a recent a widow and is not well. So they did double duty and had prayer with me and the neighbor. Not only did I receive help with my yard but I made six new friends. I speak blessings over you and this ministry.
Thank...
8 tags
Do BETTER This Holiday Season
Christmas is coming and if you’ve been in any major retail establishment, it’s already been coming for weeks to them. It’s obvious that we are addicted to Christmas and gift getting/receiving for reasons both good and not so good.
As we enter into November with two major holidays that remind us of what we’re thankful for and provides prospective for our need to be...
Nevada puts prisoners to work restoring classic... →
Such a good idea.
7 tags
Tutorial Video Series - Pilot
Video is being a vital part to nonprofit communication strategies, especially for us small guys. This is primarily due to the story telling potential and it’s inviting nature. I’ve been on a mission over the past 6-8 months to figure out how to integrate more video into the NeighborLink and NL Network strategy.
I’m working on three different video series or angles in order to...
4 tags
Thinking About Grad School is Maddening
I’m in a rut with the idea of grad school and in fear of getting a completely terrible attitude about it, I’m going on a little vent in order for some of you to share your experiences to lead me in the right direction.
I’ve been interested in going to grad school for about 3 years now, but I’m not impressed with the selection of accessible, local offerings as far as...
10 tags
The Pace is Fast & The List is Long
I can’t understand how people work 60+ hours a week, week after week, and maintain sanity. I’m in a particular busy season with NeighborLink, being an adjunct, some side projects, my house repair projects, and finally my family. I knew this was going to be a busy season of life and I’m enjoying it all, but, I’m getting tired.
I know some people thrive with this pace and do...
“A partnership between the city, local banks and credit unions could help...”
– This is a good idea and I hope many will take advantage. Like every other great idea, it’s going to take a lot of work to implement. I hope there are boots on the ground to implement it because we need to stop the crazy payday lending racket. Upwards of 400% interest on those things.
Oh, and...
“Do the numbers 917 billion, 1.5 trillion, 690 billion, 98 billion and 32 mean...”
– If you’re into seeking justice for the poor in your community, this a blog post worth reading that includes some statistics you really should know about the proceeding budget cuts our government is making.
Behind the Numbers: We Are Mobilizing! - Lisa Sharon Harper - God’s Politics...
Modern Love - Those Aren’t Fighting Words, Dear -... →
There is so much going on in this article on one couples marriage story. After reading the article, I wonder how many broken marriages were due to similar issues and/or could be solved in a similar manner.
I don’t have a full response/thought on it yet, but I felt there was enough power in the words and story that I wanted to share. If nothing more than to create a conversation or provoke...
12 tags
There is Love in These Rakes
Believing there is love in a rake seems like a naive or silly concept. But, I believe it.
True, the rake is just a tool designed to complete a very limited number of tasks. The rake gets its power when it’s picked up and put to work. Our attitude and intention dictate the power of the rake.
Sometimes we want nothing more than to put it to work to get our chores done so we can...