almost that time of year

What a time it has been.  It’s odd in August to feel fall so rapidly approaching and to know September no longer means just back to school or fall or light changing or one of my sister’s birthdays.  For me, since 1995, September has meant United Way campaign kick off and here it comes.  Someone was talking to me about Thanksgiving and I realized I could talk about being in Arizona with my family for Thanksgiving and quickly realized wow a lot happens between now and then.

The United Way campaign is a lot!  It is a lot of volunteerism in action.  It is a lot of paperwork.  It is a lot of learning, breathing, being in community.  The gift for me is that it makes me revisit the past year to see what have I learned.  This year I have learned the power of engagement, hard lessons around gaps, cracks, and breaks in systems (and what the heck does that mean anyway?), and have been reminded deeply what happens when life is changed in a second or is it?

United Way’s had some great successes this year with CASH Jackson County, HOPE Chest, CAN and Don’t Turn Away, public policy and more.  CASH Jackson County is our partnership to help working poor taxpayers complete their tax returns and receive the credits they earned.  Our work garnered a Crystal Groundbreaking Award from the IRS.  Our Community Building Council had the courage to recommend endorsement of anti-sex trafficking legislation to the United Way Board and the Board had the courage to endorse it.  Just a couple of weeks ago, United Way of Jackson County stood with OASSIS and the Oregon Center for Christian Values along with the Governor while he signed that legislation into law.

Randy Ellison, board president of OASSIS and CAN mmber, and Representative Carolyn Tomei, Milwaukie visited.  Representative Tomei worked spearheaded this legislation and was kind enough to share with me that without our United Way’s endorsement it might not have passed United Way of Jackson County’s endorsement made it an I-5 issue not just a Portland Metro issue.  The photo at right is Governor signing the legislation into law.

The Mail Tribune won the Public Service Award from the Oregon Press Association for Don’t Turn Away.  Their courage in covering these tough stories has been amazing and remarkable.  Congratulations to the Mail Tribune, Bob Hunter and Sanne Specht.  We are proud to partner with them and KOBI to change the scourge that is child abuse and particularly child sexual abuse in this county, not tomorrow but today.

As life would have it, I learned of the award at the same time, in the same conversation as learning of the tragedy on Tenth Street.  In Jackson County, I believe it will become known as just that – the Tenth Street Tragedy.  That morning five people were murdered.  Without focusing on that case given it is ongoing, what is there to learn from this tragedy in community?  I heard people say it can’t happen here.  Well, it did.  And out of this tragedy comes our mission.  We cannot let one incident, one person, one crime; take our hopes, our beliefs, and our dreams for community change.  Here’s what I learned from this tragedy and the following vote in Congress on the debt ceiling.  I learned again that services don’t help people.  People help people.  We do it by listening, by hearing the stories, by holding the pain and finding a way through it.  All of these cuts, which have to come from somewhere, cut not only valuable dollars but in fact, time, the most priceless commodity.  Time to hear someone share.  Time to hold the pain that is everyday life for far too many people in our community.  Time.  The thing that money can’t buy.  It is time for us to take the time to see what truly helps.  Join me, call me, email me, face book with us in the United Way of Jackson County Medford Group.  Take the time.  We need you.