Volunteer Spotlight: Judy Completed Over 300 Hours at HOME!

HOME would not be thriving as it is today without the contributions of passionate, dedicated volunteers like Judy Ferguson. Judy recently completed over 300 volunteer hours at HOME and we could not be more grateful for all that she does! Her work at HOME is primarily sorting through donated clothing and organizing the clothing closets at the facility, which she has been devoted to weekly, but that is not all she does; she actively seeks to fill in necessary roles as they arise, such as washing dishes.

When asked why she got involved with HOME, she explained, “I liked the concept, it was good. It gave me a second area to keep busy.” Volunteering at HOME has become one of Judy’s hobbies now that she has retired. Her perspective is that her work here is like an extension of her life. Being a grandmother and not able to be around her own grandchildren very often, the youth at HOME have become like family to her. She enjoys seeing youth come in with needs and being able to equip them with the resources to fill that need.

Besides volunteering at HOME, Judy is active in the community as the unit treasurer of the Salem Bridge Club. The Salem Bridge Club supports the needs of HOME and it was there that Judy first learned about HOME. Through this awesome connection, Judy has essentially become a representative of HOME to the Salem Bridge Club, regularly updating the club about the needs of HOME. This active mediation between the organizations has resulted in a lot of donations that have contributed to providing resources to the youth at HOME.

According to Judy, “It’s a lot of fun, people should think about doing more volunteer work.” A volunteer of her caliber is priceless! Thank you Judy for devoting yourself to enriching the lives of countless youth! We greatly appreciate all the commendable work you do!

Grant Community School Partnership: Cutting-edge Work Experience!

HOME Youth and Resource Center recently partnered with Grant Community School of Salem, a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade two-way immersion/dual language school. Through this partnership seven youth from HOME had the extraordinary privilege of being the first Grant Intern Cohort at the school, working as Program Assistants for the after-school program. Each of the youth committed to one afternoon per week for ten weeks in which they will assist teachers with supplies, classroom management, and any other tasks which help the program function optimally.

This program was designed to assist youth in entering the workforce and emphasizes the teaching of “soft” employment skills including filling out time-sheets, reporting to a supervisor, being punctual, and developing a work ethic. Most of these youth will also gain tutoring experience throughout the internship. The cohort has already submitted background checks, attended a training event, and is currently working on the initial phases of their internship.

We would like to extend a big thank you from HOME to Grant Community School and Terra Naught, Outreach Coordinator at Grant, for this phenomenal opportunity to equip ambitious youth with experience that will not only enhance their employment skills, but also empower personal achievement. As HOME continues to expand and change, our hope is that this will be just one of the several opportunities our youth will have to gain employment skills and build up their resumes. We are extremely proud of this remarkable cohort of youth and are excited to see their skill development continue to escalate!

Work Experience Programs: They really work!

During the past years at HOME Youth & Resource Center, we have been focusing more and more on job experience and job skills training for our youth.  Entering the work force can be a daunting task for any youth regardless of financial and home-life instability which are factors which affect many of our youth at HOME. As a group, youth face the highest rate of unemployment (17.1% in July 2012 as reported in the Wall Street Journal). Individuals who are unemployed during their adolescence are much more likely to face unemployment in their adult years and can face lower potential wages while working (BBC News). Many cases of teen homelessness can be attributed to unemployment or under-employment and unaffordable housing for the youth’s parents or guardians (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2009). 

The importance of work experience in the teen years is clearly high and thus we are implementing a variety of programs here at HOME which allow for our teens to gain job skills and experience. Partnerships with Center 50+, the Humane Society Thrift Store and recently Grant Community School, in addition to the employment opportunities for youth here at HOME, have helped to bolster many youths’ resumes. 

One example of the importance and effectiveness of these programs is found in a youth who started coming to the drop-in last year. Jessica* first started to add to her resume by participating in Crew volunteer activities, including playground clean-ups and emergency sandbag assistance. She then participated in a work experience internship at Center 50+ and the Humane Society Thrift Store. These experiences and her employment as the HOME janitor led to her being employed as a parking attendant at the Oregon State Fair. Just over a month ago Jessica completed three months of working as the cook at HOME. These experiences gave her a variety of skills and a solid resume which allowed her to be hired as a part-time employee at Chuck-E-Cheeses just a few weeks ago. Jessica said: “…having a bunch of jobs helped me to get the job at Chuck-E-Cheeses and having cash register experience from the Humane Society Thrift Store helped a lot…” We are so proud of Jessica and all that she has accomplished! 

Jessica provides just one example of the importance and success work experience programs provide and as the programs continue to develop and grow here at HOME we hope to assist more youth in entering the work force and thus ensuring themselves a brighter and more financially stable future.

Goodbye, Peggy! You will be missed!

Friday marked a significant date in HOME's history: Peggy Kahan officially retired as Program Director. The youth and staff at HOME are so happy for Peggy and we extend our congratulations on this great accomplishment. Our hearts are also heavy with the thought of the drop-in without Peggy!

Peggy has played a key role in the establishment of HOME Youth & Resource Center and without her dedication and vision, the drop-in would not be what it is today, if it existed at all. Since 1993 when the vision for HOME started becoming a reality, Peggy has volunteered and worked countless hours to make sure youth of Salem have a safe place of their own where they can meet their basic needs and access resources in their community. When Peggy first became involved with the HOME project, she envisioned baking cookies for youth once a week; little did she anticipate a career of 20 years with the organization! During the years HOME has evolved and changed as many organizations do and without Peggy's determination and hard-work, it would not be what it is today: a day shelter which serves on average 150 youth every month.

With retirement usually comes a nice gift in appreciation of the individual's time and dedication. Although Peggy most definitely deserves more than gold for her contribution, a gift just didn't seem right or follow the spirit of Peggy's work. So, in exciting news, the Peggy Kahan Youth Empowerment Fund was established in order to honor Peggy and continue her efforts. This fund will benefit youth of HOME in various ways including assistance with identification documents, college scholarships and other needs. It is a great way to continue to honor Peggy's spirit and provide additional help to youth in need. The fund is still at its beginning stages but donations are welcomed! Of course, HOME Youth & Resource Center still depends greatly on the donations of the community; the Peggy Kahan Youth Empowerment Fund will act as an extra boost to determined and dedicated youth. 

Thank you, Peggy, for your dedication, hard-work and inspiration! You will be missed but your spirit and vision for HOME will never be forgotten.