As I look back on seven and a half years at CHUM, I am grateful for all the support and generosity I have received from so many, but none as much as my family and friends. When someone asked me a few days ago what I liked about working at CHUM, I told them how great it was, each and every day, to be challenged to take action for the greater good, for kindness, inclusion, generosity and compassion.
Every decision I make is through this lens. How to keep Duluth’s homeless community safe during COVID? How to make sure that CHUM staff have everything they need to do their work in a way that is effective and brings them joy and satisfaction? How to ensure that children in our care, whose parents are fighting addiction and mental illness, have everything they need to thrive? How to engage public agencies in creative solutions to complex problems? How to keep the words of St. Augustine in perspective: “Hope has two lovely daughters. Their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are and Courage that they do not remain as they are.”
Normally in October, CHUM has a fundraising dinner, with the proceeds supporting our Street Outreach program. Street Outreach is a big part of our work, as in addition to the 60-70 people who stay in our shelter each night, 200 more live outside. This year, we can’t have 300+ people in a room, so we have joined the throng moving to virtual fundraising. It’s new territory for me, hence the profile picture of me under a waterfall which you can hardly see, so I added it to the series of photos above. You can still barely see my head.
This year, in addition to Street Outreach, our fundraiser will support all of CHUM’s programs. Emergency Shelter with 1,100 guests a year; the Food Shelf that distributes 600 50-pound food packages each month; Steve O’Neil Apartments that provide permanent supportive housing for families with children who have experienced long-term or recurrent homelessness; CHUM Church, an inclusive worship service for people of all disabilities; and Congregational Outreach, uniting the charitable and volunteer efforts of CHUM’s member congregations in support of our work.
Instead of the usual presentation at our dinner, this year we will release videos of CHUM’s program every Monday, starting with the Food Shelf on September 28th. We will post these videos on CHUM’s website (https://www.chumduluth.org/), and on our social media platforms (buttons above).
Please contribute what you can (buttons above) – and know that every amount is deeply appreciated. I can promise that you will help build a corner of welcome, kindness, generosity and compassion in Duluth. If you would rather contribute through the main page of the fundraiser, you can use this link https://www.betterunite.com/CHUMDuluth-2020chumvirtualfundraisersilentauction
I am hosting a Zoom reception to talk more personally about what’s going on at CHUM, and I’d like you to come. The reception will be on October 15th from 7 to 8 pm (CDT). Here’s the info:
https://zoom.us/j/97249928873?pwd=VTBldy9mbUhjQ2tkMW1laS8zVjE4UT09
Meeting ID: 972 4992 8873; Passcode: 515303.
Thank you!
