Beyond Welfare
Beyond Welfare
Beyond Welfare
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January 28, 2008
This week, Beyond Welfare showed its true colors as a "village,” in the sense of "It takes a village
to raise a child." In one instance, 30 people signed a community letter regarding an infant whose
custody is being contested. This baby and his mother have been coming to Beyond Welfare
every single week since he was born. The Beyond Welfare community felt it was critical for the
judge to know that the infant has bonded to this community and should remain with a foster
mother who has been a vital ally in the biological mother's Circle of Support.
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we held a baby shower for a first-time mom who helps with the
Beyond Welfare youth group. At least 50 adults and kids showed up to celebrate the promise of
new life and support the mother. When asked if she minded us calling the baby "ours," the
expectant mother beamed and said, "Please! Thank you!” We are honored that young mothers
trust us as a loving community with whom they can share their "bundles of joy.”
February 4, 2008
Wheels to Work wins $10,000 United Way grant!
At present, Beyond Welfare is not part of the ASSET process, by which Story County United Way
funds are traditionally allocated. Part of the problem is that these monies must go for direct
services, not salary expenses. Since Beyond Welfare is not a "service" agency, this limits the
benefit of ASSET to us. Last fall, United Way recognized this problem and invited Beyond Welfare
to write a grant request for non-traditional funds. Staff focused on the much-in-demand “Wheels
to Work” program--and, estimating from records that we receive 36 requests a year for vehicles
and repair assistance at $500 per vehicle, boldly requested $18,000. Last week, a remarkable
grant of $10,000 in non-traditional United Way funds was granted to Beyond Welfare for vehicle
repairs and registrations in 2008. United Way also plans to fund bus passes, gas vouchers,
insurance assistance, and car maintenance education for people in poverty.
As if on cue, we received three used vehicle from donors last week to inaugurate our 2008
Wheels to Work program.
This is certainly good news for Beyond Welfare and people in poverty in Story County!
February 11, 2008
Community Building across Iowa
Beyond Welfare has been working closely with numerous regional Iowa organizations wanting to
build communities similar to ours in Ames. Organizations entering their second year include
Humboldt CARES, Boone County Community Cares, Southeast Polk at Central Place, Waterloo
Gathering in Friendship Together (GIFT), Cherokee Family Circles, and Atlantic Circles for
Success. Members of these groups have attended Beyond Welfare's week-long Immersion
trainings, and Lois Smidt and others routinely visit them.
The Beyond Welfare concept is proving contagious! The Cherokee group is expanding to
neighboring Sioux County, and Atlantic is expanding to neighboring Mills County. A new group in
Mount Pleasant will kick off in March. Greene County, home of Jefferson, Iowa, just received
funding to initiate their community engagement process. Lois met with them just last week, and
the Beyond Welfare Learning Center will receive $5,000 in 2008 for continuing consultation!
February 21, 2008
Last Sunday, several Beyond Welfare families braved the blizzard to attend
"Addy: An American Girl Story" at Stephens Auditorium. The free tickets (normally $13.50 and
$24.50) were graciously donated to Beyond Welfare by the Iowa State Center. One eighth-grade
participant went with a younger friend, who was reading the book. Other families enjoyed the rare
treat of going to the theater together -- something they normally cannot afford to do. As the play
starts out, Addy is a slave. She and her family escape slavery and move to a town. Her brother
and father are captured. Addy has to make up her own birthday. President Lincoln is shot. And a
train goes by... Or so your correspondent has been informed by a 6-year-old who attended the
performance.
I have also been told "You missed a good show."
Beyond Welfare participants who attended are sending thank-yous to the ISU Center. The
experience also prompted a successful participant-led effort to get tickets to KidzDayz at ISU. We
hope to build relationships with other performance companies and venues in the community, so
that those in poverty are routinely included in local events.
March 13, 2008
THE “POT OF GOLD” AT THE END OF PATHWAYS!
For the past five years, Beyond Welfare has been involved in a grant called “Pathways to
Collaboration.” This grant was given to the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) to determine
how collaborative organizations, such as Beyond Welfare, work. Beyond Welfare was one of only
seven organizations chosen from a pool of 764 applicants for this grant, because we truly “walk
the walk” of collaboration: those experiencing a problem are involved in solving it. This
collaboration is enacted in our Community Leadership Team (Thursday night meetings), our
board (where 51% are people in poverty), our hiring practices, and our daily operations.
Beyond Welfare also enacts collaboration in our fulfillment of the NYAM grant.
Throughout the five years, Beyond Welfare has received funds to gather information about its
history and help the researchers document it. These funds were disbursed to people in poverty to
help with the project, as well as salaried staff. On Valentine’s Day of this year, all Beyond Welfare
participants and allies (people in poverty and people not in poverty) were led in small group
sessions to review Beyond Welfare’s history and use it to discern its strengths and envision its
future. Everything that was said by everyone was recorded and transcribed and is now in our
hands! This reflection is our “pot of gold”. It represents the wisdom, experience and leadership of
the entire organization. Jan Cook, a writer as well as our Thursday night cook, wrote summaries
of these small group findings.
Last weekend, several members of the Beyond Welfare “Pathways team” traveled to New
Orleans to share our summaries with NYAM and the other organizations on Monday and Tuesday
of this week. It was a time of celebration, as the Pathways process was often not easy. For staff
members, it’s hard to believe the process is at an end. But the “pot of gold” remains our treasure
to use with our discretion!
April 3, 2008
Beyond Welfare Director Lois Smidt has been taking our community wisdom "to the world" for a
while. But, never before has "the world" meant the world! Yes, Lois has international
engagements throughout the month of April. She began in Macedonia, then to Brussels, and will
continue on to lead workshops in London, Gloucester, and Wales, then across the seas to
Newcastle and finally Sydney, Australia, where she will deliver the keynote address at a
conference focusing on Australia's indigenous people.
Lois's themes include
-How to create environments of welcome for everyone, leaving labels of prestige and deficit at the
door, where gifts, dreams, and needs of ALL are invited, without constraints of eligibility
-Our learnings on "making friends on purpose" across lines of difference that separate us
-How we are breaking completely free from the model of "helping" which institutionalizes caring,
requiring people to be defined by deficits in order to be "served." This, we have found, limits the
gifts of those being served and the gifts of community, reinforcing the myth that there are the
"needy" and the "helper" when, in reality, all of us have needs and all of us have gifts by which we
can assist one another in community.
Her travel expenses are being paid by the groups that want to hear about our revolutionary, but
simple ways of connecting people to people. In addition, her stipends for this work abroad is
paying for most of her salary/benefits costs during the time she is gone. The Community
Leadership Team has "blessed"
this part of our mission: sharing our knowledge with others.
Take some time every once in a while to think about our Lois. Send her strength and courage for
this month of travel and teaching so very far from home.
This week, Beyond Welfare showed its true colors as a "village,” in the sense of "It takes a village
to raise a child." In one instance, 30 people signed a community letter regarding an infant whose
custody is being contested. This baby and his mother have been coming to Beyond Welfare
every single week since he was born. The Beyond Welfare community felt it was critical for the
judge to know that the infant has bonded to this community and should remain with a foster
mother who has been a vital ally in the biological mother's Circle of Support.
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we held a baby shower for a first-time mom who helps with the
Beyond Welfare youth group. At least 50 adults and kids showed up to celebrate the promise of
new life and support the mother. When asked if she minded us calling the baby "ours," the
expectant mother beamed and said, "Please! Thank you!” We are honored that young mothers
trust us as a loving community with whom they can share their "bundles of joy.”
February 4, 2008
Wheels to Work wins $10,000 United Way grant!
At present, Beyond Welfare is not part of the ASSET process, by which Story County United Way
funds are traditionally allocated. Part of the problem is that these monies must go for direct
services, not salary expenses. Since Beyond Welfare is not a "service" agency, this limits the
benefit of ASSET to us. Last fall, United Way recognized this problem and invited Beyond Welfare
to write a grant request for non-traditional funds. Staff focused on the much-in-demand “Wheels
to Work” program--and, estimating from records that we receive 36 requests a year for vehicles
and repair assistance at $500 per vehicle, boldly requested $18,000. Last week, a remarkable
grant of $10,000 in non-traditional United Way funds was granted to Beyond Welfare for vehicle
repairs and registrations in 2008. United Way also plans to fund bus passes, gas vouchers,
insurance assistance, and car maintenance education for people in poverty.
As if on cue, we received three used vehicle from donors last week to inaugurate our 2008
Wheels to Work program.
This is certainly good news for Beyond Welfare and people in poverty in Story County!
February 11, 2008
Community Building across Iowa
Beyond Welfare has been working closely with numerous regional Iowa organizations wanting to
build communities similar to ours in Ames. Organizations entering their second year include
Humboldt CARES, Boone County Community Cares, Southeast Polk at Central Place, Waterloo
Gathering in Friendship Together (GIFT), Cherokee Family Circles, and Atlantic Circles for
Success. Members of these groups have attended Beyond Welfare's week-long Immersion
trainings, and Lois Smidt and others routinely visit them.
The Beyond Welfare concept is proving contagious! The Cherokee group is expanding to
neighboring Sioux County, and Atlantic is expanding to neighboring Mills County. A new group in
Mount Pleasant will kick off in March. Greene County, home of Jefferson, Iowa, just received
funding to initiate their community engagement process. Lois met with them just last week, and
the Beyond Welfare Learning Center will receive $5,000 in 2008 for continuing consultation!
February 21, 2008
Last Sunday, several Beyond Welfare families braved the blizzard to attend
"Addy: An American Girl Story" at Stephens Auditorium. The free tickets (normally $13.50 and
$24.50) were graciously donated to Beyond Welfare by the Iowa State Center. One eighth-grade
participant went with a younger friend, who was reading the book. Other families enjoyed the rare
treat of going to the theater together -- something they normally cannot afford to do. As the play
starts out, Addy is a slave. She and her family escape slavery and move to a town. Her brother
and father are captured. Addy has to make up her own birthday. President Lincoln is shot. And a
train goes by... Or so your correspondent has been informed by a 6-year-old who attended the
performance.
I have also been told "You missed a good show."
Beyond Welfare participants who attended are sending thank-yous to the ISU Center. The
experience also prompted a successful participant-led effort to get tickets to KidzDayz at ISU. We
hope to build relationships with other performance companies and venues in the community, so
that those in poverty are routinely included in local events.
March 13, 2008
THE “POT OF GOLD” AT THE END OF PATHWAYS!
For the past five years, Beyond Welfare has been involved in a grant called “Pathways to
Collaboration.” This grant was given to the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) to determine
how collaborative organizations, such as Beyond Welfare, work. Beyond Welfare was one of only
seven organizations chosen from a pool of 764 applicants for this grant, because we truly “walk
the walk” of collaboration: those experiencing a problem are involved in solving it. This
collaboration is enacted in our Community Leadership Team (Thursday night meetings), our
board (where 51% are people in poverty), our hiring practices, and our daily operations.
Beyond Welfare also enacts collaboration in our fulfillment of the NYAM grant.
Throughout the five years, Beyond Welfare has received funds to gather information about its
history and help the researchers document it. These funds were disbursed to people in poverty to
help with the project, as well as salaried staff. On Valentine’s Day of this year, all Beyond Welfare
participants and allies (people in poverty and people not in poverty) were led in small group
sessions to review Beyond Welfare’s history and use it to discern its strengths and envision its
future. Everything that was said by everyone was recorded and transcribed and is now in our
hands! This reflection is our “pot of gold”. It represents the wisdom, experience and leadership of
the entire organization. Jan Cook, a writer as well as our Thursday night cook, wrote summaries
of these small group findings.
Last weekend, several members of the Beyond Welfare “Pathways team” traveled to New
Orleans to share our summaries with NYAM and the other organizations on Monday and Tuesday
of this week. It was a time of celebration, as the Pathways process was often not easy. For staff
members, it’s hard to believe the process is at an end. But the “pot of gold” remains our treasure
to use with our discretion!
April 3, 2008
Beyond Welfare Director Lois Smidt has been taking our community wisdom "to the world" for a
while. But, never before has "the world" meant the world! Yes, Lois has international
engagements throughout the month of April. She began in Macedonia, then to Brussels, and will
continue on to lead workshops in London, Gloucester, and Wales, then across the seas to
Newcastle and finally Sydney, Australia, where she will deliver the keynote address at a
conference focusing on Australia's indigenous people.
Lois's themes include
-How to create environments of welcome for everyone, leaving labels of prestige and deficit at the
door, where gifts, dreams, and needs of ALL are invited, without constraints of eligibility
-Our learnings on "making friends on purpose" across lines of difference that separate us
-How we are breaking completely free from the model of "helping" which institutionalizes caring,
requiring people to be defined by deficits in order to be "served." This, we have found, limits the
gifts of those being served and the gifts of community, reinforcing the myth that there are the
"needy" and the "helper" when, in reality, all of us have needs and all of us have gifts by which we
can assist one another in community.
Her travel expenses are being paid by the groups that want to hear about our revolutionary, but
simple ways of connecting people to people. In addition, her stipends for this work abroad is
paying for most of her salary/benefits costs during the time she is gone. The Community
Leadership Team has "blessed"
this part of our mission: sharing our knowledge with others.
Take some time every once in a while to think about our Lois. Send her strength and courage for
this month of travel and teaching so very far from home.