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Keeping in touch with MOM pays off
Middleton Times Tribune - September 13, 2007
by Dietrich Gruen, Middleton Outreach Ministry
Talk about the power of connections and hope!
"Middleton Outreach Ministry is connecting neighbors for good!" - that is our vision statement. MOM is all about helping people make connections to resources, to service opportunities, to find help and offer hope. When you begin doing that, you discover that hope is everywhere you look. And you have just bought into the theme of this year's United Way campaign, "hope is everywhere you look."
In the work of the 130 community volunteers who participated in United Way's "Days of Caring" in Middleton (August 22-29), we see hope. In the incredible support that donors such as you provide through today's MOM Donor Luncheon (124 coming), or through United Way's annual campaign (now, through November 1), hope truly is everywhere you look.
What does hope mean to you?
Hope is a profound life-changing concept. The mere presence of hope, if rightly placed, even in the absence of tangible supporting evidence - such as "no place to live" or "no one will hire me" - can bring about the very change one desires or anticipates.
Middleton Outreach Ministry, as with other United Way agencies of Dane County, is fueled by hope. We believe that only by pulling together the members of our community can we turn our hopes for a stronger, healthier, safer community into a reality. Hope means many things to many people. Through MOM and the many other agencies supported by United Way, you help provide it.
For some, hope is very modest, humble and prayerful: It's a chance for children to succeed in our nationally ranked schools. It's access to health care, to live long enough to enjoy one's grandkids. It's being able to age at home with dignity. It's a second chance at affordable housing.
Take, for example, what happened recently to a long-time MOM client, Angie: In her case, hope was looking for an affordable place to live, when there was none in sight. Her story illustrates the power of hope and the power of connections. Fortunately for her, those connections and hope finally paid off, big time.
Four years ago, Angie applied for a federally-funded rental subsidy program with MOM's help. She was 17 years old, pregnant and living with her father. When the baby was born with complications, Angie had to drop out of school to care the baby. When it was healthy again, Angie found a full time job herself and, even though she wasn't making much, decided to move out to relieve her father of that burden.
Of course, the father continued to help when he could, as when she was laid off work and had no other way to come up with her rent. Fortunately, he still lived within the MOM service area and we were able to help him with his rent, so that he could, in turn, help his daughter.
Then when the baby needed to be hospitalized, both Angie and her father took turns going back and forth to the hospital. That's when the car also broke down. MOM stepped in with auto repair assistance and kept them going.
When the baby recovered, both Angie and her dad alternated staying home with the child. For the sake of convenience and to save money, they looked for an apartment where they could live together. They found one, but it was outside our service area, so MOM was no longer able to assist them. However, they gave us their new address and phone number.
Just last month - now FOUR year later - Angie was finally approved for this housing program. Since she had used MOM as a reference, the housing authorities had sent her paperwork here. When we told Angie and her dad that she had been approved, it was as if they had won the lottery. Angie could now be on her own again, and it would be a new start for both her and her father. And it happened because they and MOM stayed in touch. Because she held out hope. And because MOM connects neighbors for good.
Stay connected with MOM!
You can offer help and hope to others, like Angie, by staying in touch with MOM. Join the email list for our new monthly eConnections newsletter! Find out about our monthly needs, as well as other fun ways to get involved in serving the community. To sign-up, visit www.mompop.org and look for the "Join MOM's eConnections!" box, or send us an email at econnections@mompop.org. We respect your privacy, and will not share our list. In addition, you'll be able to self-manage your subscription to the list.
We at Middleton Outreach Ministry look forward to further connecting with you as our neighbor.
Editor's Note: Craig Waggoner and Ellen Carlson of Middleton Outreach Ministry and Leslie Howard of United Way contributed ideas to this article.
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