Sometimes we spend so much time thinking about all the people we work with who are still struggling to find a job, keep food on the table, and try to make ends meet that we forget to stop and celebrate the successes.
This week three people I have been working with and praying with landed jobs. One as a bank manager, one in non-profit, and one in marketing. It was so wonderful to celebrate with them as the offers came in.
Our jobs at Christian HELP can be challenging and some days it seems like we can't do enough for people. God always let's us know that He can.
Many tears flow here with sadness, but some days we get to have the happy tears as well.
Please continue to pray for us and help us to chip away at joblessness in Central Florida. Thank you!
Sandi
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
A letter to the politicians running for election in Florida 8/12
This is a letter I wrote after hearing many of the candidates for office speaking at the Christian Chamber Hob Nob. I expanded out my e-mail list after the event to all of those running for major positions. To date I have received 6 responses.
I recently heard you speak at the Christian Chamber Candidate Forum and Hob Nob. I found the event to be a great way to see and hear in person where you stand on many of the issues. Thank you for participating.
As I make my decisions personally on voting and encourage others to vote, I did want to take a moment to talk about what I am seeing in my work daily. Since mid 2008, I have seen people losing their jobs. Job losses are still continuing today. A good friend of mine was recently profiled in the Orlando Sentinel after having to resort to coming to our food pantry to provide for his children. He was one of 10 people laid off from a Casselberry Construction firm in May. I have seen a single mother who HAS A JOB suffering because she is not making commission selling supplemental health insurance because people are waiting to see what happens with the healthcare bill. I have seen many people who are told they are “overqualified” for jobs they are applying for and won’t even be considered because the employer is afraid they will leave if things get better. I have also seen people doing everything right. They have excellent resumes, take classes, network, have interviews and come in as the second or third choice for a job.
I see hearts break and tears flow daily as former Vice President’s of HR can’t put food on their tables, as donors to our Ministry become clients, and as the common working man can’t figure out how to apply online because he has never had to do that before.
Job seekers are volunteering, they are giving back in other ways. They are us. They are hurting and they are scared. They go to churches and non-profits only to be turned away because the non-profit is at fire code capacity. They go to job fairs and open house events willing to take anything. They use their precious last drops of gas putting all of their pride aside to walk into a food pantry to ask for help.
Here are some startling statistics-
Source- Second harvest hunger survey 2009
731,900 people accessed food pantries last year
47% are children
48.4% from single parent households
32% chose between eating and medical care
50% chose between food and transportation
49% choose between food and rent/mortgage payments
Source- Families in Transition Seminole County Public Schools
1357 homeless children were registered in Seminole County public schools
for the 2009-2010 year
Source- Bureau of Labor Statistics/Department of Labor
Florida has the 5th highest unemployment rate in the country at 11.4%
44.9% of the unemployed have been out of work over 27 weeks
34.2 is the average number of weeks a person is out of work
$275 (with $25 of that being stimulus dollars) is the maximum amount of unemployment compensation a person gets in a week in Florida. This is $6.85/hr for a 40 hour week of looking for a job. It is lower than minimum wage.
We recently had a candidate for State Senate come to our office to talk to about 10 of our unemployed clients. They were articulate and engaged. They had great questions. One haunting thing was there was no answer when I asked how we can help now.
Christian HELP is devoted to preventing homelessness by helping people find jobs while providing for them materially and spiritually. We offer one on one employment counseling, job skills classes, and free resume assistance. Our Central Florida Employment Council Division (CFEC) hosts an online job board, 6 major job fairs including the 2 Mayor’s (Orlando and Orange County), Governor’s, and President’s job fair, and has a network of employers who meet monthly to network and learn. Additionally, Christian HELP provides qualified referrals to other agencies for additional help. We also have a 2000 square foot food pantry so that our clients do not have to choose between eating and paying their bills.
Recognized in as a model faith based program by the White House in 2003 and as one of the top ten Social Entrepreneurial organizations in the United States by the Manhattan Institute in 2004, Christian HELP runs on just over $700,000 a year, has no debt and has been recognized as the most productive private permanent placement agency in Central Florida by the Orlando Business Journal Since 1999 with over 71,000 people connected with jobs.
Some of the issues we need to address include keeping jobs in the United States, creating a friendly environment for both large and small businesses, and what happens to the unemployed when their resources run out. Retirement accounts are being used for living expenses, and people are forced to sell all they have just to have somewhere to stay.
While there are some who abuse the system, there are many job seekers who just want to work.
In today’s paper was a solemn reminder of just how competitive the job market is. Here is a quote about the job fair just held at the Peabody hotel for 300 positions. “About 6,500 people came out for the hotel's four-day job fair, which ended Tuesday, said Alan Villaverde, managing director of Peabody Hotel Group. It was a pretty emotional experience for all of us, Villaverde said. We saw firsthand how the economic downturn is affecting the residents of Orange County.”
I would like to invite you to come and see first hand how this small ministry works so efficiently with so little waste. Please call or e-mail me if you would like to schedule a tour. sandi@christianhelp.org 407-834-4022.
Thank you for your time and desire to serve.
Sandi Vidal
I recently heard you speak at the Christian Chamber Candidate Forum and Hob Nob. I found the event to be a great way to see and hear in person where you stand on many of the issues. Thank you for participating.
As I make my decisions personally on voting and encourage others to vote, I did want to take a moment to talk about what I am seeing in my work daily. Since mid 2008, I have seen people losing their jobs. Job losses are still continuing today. A good friend of mine was recently profiled in the Orlando Sentinel after having to resort to coming to our food pantry to provide for his children. He was one of 10 people laid off from a Casselberry Construction firm in May. I have seen a single mother who HAS A JOB suffering because she is not making commission selling supplemental health insurance because people are waiting to see what happens with the healthcare bill. I have seen many people who are told they are “overqualified” for jobs they are applying for and won’t even be considered because the employer is afraid they will leave if things get better. I have also seen people doing everything right. They have excellent resumes, take classes, network, have interviews and come in as the second or third choice for a job.
I see hearts break and tears flow daily as former Vice President’s of HR can’t put food on their tables, as donors to our Ministry become clients, and as the common working man can’t figure out how to apply online because he has never had to do that before.
Job seekers are volunteering, they are giving back in other ways. They are us. They are hurting and they are scared. They go to churches and non-profits only to be turned away because the non-profit is at fire code capacity. They go to job fairs and open house events willing to take anything. They use their precious last drops of gas putting all of their pride aside to walk into a food pantry to ask for help.
Here are some startling statistics-
Source- Second harvest hunger survey 2009
731,900 people accessed food pantries last year
47% are children
48.4% from single parent households
32% chose between eating and medical care
50% chose between food and transportation
49% choose between food and rent/mortgage payments
Source- Families in Transition Seminole County Public Schools
1357 homeless children were registered in Seminole County public schools
for the 2009-2010 year
Source- Bureau of Labor Statistics/Department of Labor
Florida has the 5th highest unemployment rate in the country at 11.4%
44.9% of the unemployed have been out of work over 27 weeks
34.2 is the average number of weeks a person is out of work
$275 (with $25 of that being stimulus dollars) is the maximum amount of unemployment compensation a person gets in a week in Florida. This is $6.85/hr for a 40 hour week of looking for a job. It is lower than minimum wage.
We recently had a candidate for State Senate come to our office to talk to about 10 of our unemployed clients. They were articulate and engaged. They had great questions. One haunting thing was there was no answer when I asked how we can help now.
Christian HELP is devoted to preventing homelessness by helping people find jobs while providing for them materially and spiritually. We offer one on one employment counseling, job skills classes, and free resume assistance. Our Central Florida Employment Council Division (CFEC) hosts an online job board, 6 major job fairs including the 2 Mayor’s (Orlando and Orange County), Governor’s, and President’s job fair, and has a network of employers who meet monthly to network and learn. Additionally, Christian HELP provides qualified referrals to other agencies for additional help. We also have a 2000 square foot food pantry so that our clients do not have to choose between eating and paying their bills.
Recognized in as a model faith based program by the White House in 2003 and as one of the top ten Social Entrepreneurial organizations in the United States by the Manhattan Institute in 2004, Christian HELP runs on just over $700,000 a year, has no debt and has been recognized as the most productive private permanent placement agency in Central Florida by the Orlando Business Journal Since 1999 with over 71,000 people connected with jobs.
Some of the issues we need to address include keeping jobs in the United States, creating a friendly environment for both large and small businesses, and what happens to the unemployed when their resources run out. Retirement accounts are being used for living expenses, and people are forced to sell all they have just to have somewhere to stay.
While there are some who abuse the system, there are many job seekers who just want to work.
In today’s paper was a solemn reminder of just how competitive the job market is. Here is a quote about the job fair just held at the Peabody hotel for 300 positions. “About 6,500 people came out for the hotel's four-day job fair, which ended Tuesday, said Alan Villaverde, managing director of Peabody Hotel Group. It was a pretty emotional experience for all of us, Villaverde said. We saw firsthand how the economic downturn is affecting the residents of Orange County.”
I would like to invite you to come and see first hand how this small ministry works so efficiently with so little waste. Please call or e-mail me if you would like to schedule a tour. sandi@christianhelp.org 407-834-4022.
Thank you for your time and desire to serve.
Sandi Vidal
Monday, August 2, 2010
"God Provides"
I worked in the Pantry on Friday and experienced how the disciples felt when Jesus fed thousands with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.(Matthew 14) The fridge on the right shows what I saw when filling food orders for our clients. We seemed to be low on food and the clients kept coming and yet no-one was turned away empty handed. I saw how our drivers kept going out in our vans and coming back numerous times with boxes and boxes of food. I worked side by side with volunteers who have served with Christian HELP for 10+ years and who still have that love and compassion for each and every client, a compassion that only can come from our Savior. I asked one volunteer what she felt about being able to help in the Pantry and she gave me the title to this article she said she can sum it up in two words - "God Provides".
One of our clients, "Maria", was so excited as this was the last time she was having to come and get food as her new job was starting on Monday. She had two boys and one of them was having a birthday. We were able to give her Batman Cupcakes and a box of individually wrapped fruities which she was going to give to her son's friends who were coming round to celebrate the birthday.
The hardest part of my day in the pantry was when I had a client's food order to fill who asked me to be careful what I gave her as she came on foot and had to be able to make it back to the bus stop. It felt like a 100 degrees outside and I wondered how desperate one must be to still have to make the trip out to us under those conditions. It is hard to understand the hardship some must endure and I can only turn to God at those times and remember this verse in Psalm 44 vs 3 "...it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them."
We thank all who donate to this humble Ministry! There are many of you out there, from churches, grocery stores and individuals who are affecting peoples lives through us - I hope this gave you a little glimpse of how you are helping our community.
God Bless,
Jackie Normand
Development Director
One of our clients, "Maria", was so excited as this was the last time she was having to come and get food as her new job was starting on Monday. She had two boys and one of them was having a birthday. We were able to give her Batman Cupcakes and a box of individually wrapped fruities which she was going to give to her son's friends who were coming round to celebrate the birthday.
The hardest part of my day in the pantry was when I had a client's food order to fill who asked me to be careful what I gave her as she came on foot and had to be able to make it back to the bus stop. It felt like a 100 degrees outside and I wondered how desperate one must be to still have to make the trip out to us under those conditions. It is hard to understand the hardship some must endure and I can only turn to God at those times and remember this verse in Psalm 44 vs 3 "...it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them."
We thank all who donate to this humble Ministry! There are many of you out there, from churches, grocery stores and individuals who are affecting peoples lives through us - I hope this gave you a little glimpse of how you are helping our community.
God Bless,
Jackie Normand
Development Director
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Be still and know...
Psalm 46 is a great psalm to read when you are experiencing times of trouble. One of my favorite verses is verse 10. I truly believe God speaks to me when I stop and listen to Him. It is so important to know that when we are experiencing trials, He is with us. The bible tells us that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. The problem is we don't always listen. I know without a doubt that if i think for a minute that I am in charge here or in my life, God will let me try to handle things on my own. If I turn to Him and follow His guidings, He always blesses. Not always the way I think He should, but the way He knows it should be. I just have to remember to take time out of my busy day to be still and know that He is God and he is my strength.
Every day at Christian HELP we meet people who are going through really tough times. They have lost jobs, health, homes, and sometimes even loved ones. We can provide a listening ear, coaching and job leads, food to keep them full, but most of all we can pray for their needs.
Sometimes we just need to spend time alone in prayer and ask God to guide our steps as we search for a job or move on to the next steps of our lives. Know that He is listening.
We are so thankful for all of the prayer warriors out there praying for the Christian HELP team.
Every day at Christian HELP we meet people who are going through really tough times. They have lost jobs, health, homes, and sometimes even loved ones. We can provide a listening ear, coaching and job leads, food to keep them full, but most of all we can pray for their needs.
Sometimes we just need to spend time alone in prayer and ask God to guide our steps as we search for a job or move on to the next steps of our lives. Know that He is listening.
We are so thankful for all of the prayer warriors out there praying for the Christian HELP team.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Relying on God
Helping people can be tough. The needs are diverse and many times much bigger than one person or one agency can handle. Throw in a wrench like losing a contributing grocery store to a change in company policy or a supporting church to declining donations and it becomes harder. The good news is God is in control and He always provides.
Tomorrow I am speaking about trends in the economy and hiring. In May Central Florida lost 135,000 jobs and unemployment is still in the double digits at 11.1%. We are desparately trying to find a silver lining in the economy and an end to all of the tough times.
You are still providing hope, encouragement, love, and prayer to the unemployed. Still providing job seekers with job leads, coaching, skills classes, and free resumes. The pantry may have less some days, but like the loaves and fishes, God stretches what we have and you provide the prayers and the means.
I am encouraged every time a job seeker lands a job. Every time someone gives us good news and lets us know how much your support of Christian HELP helped them. We recently profiled James in our e-newletter. At 59, he thought he would never land a job, but HE DID. He is now on his way back to stability. There are so many others who have landed jobs and we celebrate.
Our work is not done. It is through you and others like you, God provides for Christian HELP. Thank you for your support.
I hope you will join us at Christmas in July on the 23rd. It is certain to be a great event!
Be blessed,
Sandi
Tomorrow I am speaking about trends in the economy and hiring. In May Central Florida lost 135,000 jobs and unemployment is still in the double digits at 11.1%. We are desparately trying to find a silver lining in the economy and an end to all of the tough times.
You are still providing hope, encouragement, love, and prayer to the unemployed. Still providing job seekers with job leads, coaching, skills classes, and free resumes. The pantry may have less some days, but like the loaves and fishes, God stretches what we have and you provide the prayers and the means.
I am encouraged every time a job seeker lands a job. Every time someone gives us good news and lets us know how much your support of Christian HELP helped them. We recently profiled James in our e-newletter. At 59, he thought he would never land a job, but HE DID. He is now on his way back to stability. There are so many others who have landed jobs and we celebrate.
Our work is not done. It is through you and others like you, God provides for Christian HELP. Thank you for your support.
I hope you will join us at Christmas in July on the 23rd. It is certain to be a great event!
Be blessed,
Sandi
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
A note from our Development Director about her day of counseling
I had planned on spending the morning at Christian HELP answering phones to learn what needs were in our community at this time. God had another plan for me.
I arrived at Christian HELP at 9:15am - just in time for their morning gathering round the little table in the kitchen to pray. We lifted each other up in prayer and the clients that would be coming in for various needs. As I made my way to the front desk to man the phones, Kristy Owens, our Director of Operations asked if I would be willing to do some Employment Counseling with the clients as we were short staffed. When something unexpected happens I am keenly aware that God may have something to show me and I jumped at the chance.
I only saw four clients today but what a cross-section of our community.
My first client was a lovely young lady who was attending college to get her degree but was looking for a part-time job to help her with her basic bills. We did a job search and I found two leads for her to walk away with and she was able to get some groceries from our pantry.
My next client was an elderly couple (65+). They had both been out of work for a year and his unemployment checks had once again stopped and they were hungry and scared. They had no family, only each other. We did a job search and found some leads but my hope for them was small. Who is going to hire someone that age? The husband looked frail and was asking for mechanical leads. He had his resume with him and was so earnest about finding something. Our volunteer who assists with resumes was there so I asked him to help my client as well. We prayed and they received bags of food to put in their car. Later I spoke to Kristy saying I felt we were not able to help them and she explained to me that we were. Christian HELP is independent and we have the discretion to serve those who we feel are in need. The groceries that we were able to give this couple was a dire need that we were filling and one we are able to continue to fill, the other need was just spending time with them, listening to them and praying with them. There are not many places out there where this couple can go and receive that much needed attention.
My third client was a lady who was able to help herself but was not doing so. She had been seeing us for over a year and was not following up on the job leads we were giving her. I had to explain to her that we were not helping her move forward and that she needed to seek out other agencies that may be a better fit for her.
Lastly I had a well dressed, educated women who came in for the first time. She had been out of work for 4 months and was feeling a little discouraged. Her experience was good and we were able to find very promising leads for her - it was rewarding to see her leave feeling more encouraged.
I love things to be black and white. I love to know if you are looking for a job we help you - if you are not we don't. Well guess what.....life is gray......there are people out there who don't fall into certain categories. This does not mean they do not deserve to be helped. I am totally against enabling people to be dependant but seeing this need this morning helped me to understand that God has us here for many reasons, not just one and we need to let him guide us to show where He wants to use us.
I also realized our logo - Christian HELP (Hope, Encourage, Love & Prayer) was right on the mark and being carried out every day!
Jackie Normand
Ministry Development Director
Thank You
Thank your to all our donors who make this Ministry possible. Please feel free to visit us to see God's work in action.
I arrived at Christian HELP at 9:15am - just in time for their morning gathering round the little table in the kitchen to pray. We lifted each other up in prayer and the clients that would be coming in for various needs. As I made my way to the front desk to man the phones, Kristy Owens, our Director of Operations asked if I would be willing to do some Employment Counseling with the clients as we were short staffed. When something unexpected happens I am keenly aware that God may have something to show me and I jumped at the chance.
I only saw four clients today but what a cross-section of our community.
My first client was a lovely young lady who was attending college to get her degree but was looking for a part-time job to help her with her basic bills. We did a job search and I found two leads for her to walk away with and she was able to get some groceries from our pantry.
My next client was an elderly couple (65+). They had both been out of work for a year and his unemployment checks had once again stopped and they were hungry and scared. They had no family, only each other. We did a job search and found some leads but my hope for them was small. Who is going to hire someone that age? The husband looked frail and was asking for mechanical leads. He had his resume with him and was so earnest about finding something. Our volunteer who assists with resumes was there so I asked him to help my client as well. We prayed and they received bags of food to put in their car. Later I spoke to Kristy saying I felt we were not able to help them and she explained to me that we were. Christian HELP is independent and we have the discretion to serve those who we feel are in need. The groceries that we were able to give this couple was a dire need that we were filling and one we are able to continue to fill, the other need was just spending time with them, listening to them and praying with them. There are not many places out there where this couple can go and receive that much needed attention.
My third client was a lady who was able to help herself but was not doing so. She had been seeing us for over a year and was not following up on the job leads we were giving her. I had to explain to her that we were not helping her move forward and that she needed to seek out other agencies that may be a better fit for her.
Lastly I had a well dressed, educated women who came in for the first time. She had been out of work for 4 months and was feeling a little discouraged. Her experience was good and we were able to find very promising leads for her - it was rewarding to see her leave feeling more encouraged.
I love things to be black and white. I love to know if you are looking for a job we help you - if you are not we don't. Well guess what.....life is gray......there are people out there who don't fall into certain categories. This does not mean they do not deserve to be helped. I am totally against enabling people to be dependant but seeing this need this morning helped me to understand that God has us here for many reasons, not just one and we need to let him guide us to show where He wants to use us.
I also realized our logo - Christian HELP (Hope, Encourage, Love & Prayer) was right on the mark and being carried out every day!
Jackie Normand
Ministry Development Director
Thank You
Thank your to all our donors who make this Ministry possible. Please feel free to visit us to see God's work in action.
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