Seeds of Opportunity
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME that I heard the phrase: The seed never sees the flower . I was participating in a service learning experience in college, working with youth living in rural poverty. As I was providing volunteer support to social workers and other specialists, I struggled with wondering what kind of impact I, myself, was making. After all, most of my time with them was spent playing table tennis and shooting pool, supervising homework, and driving them from place-to-place in a 15-passenger van. In a group discussion with my service learning classmates, I was reminded that my presence and interactions with these young people could be planting seeds of positive youth development, and I may never know the impact that planting these seeds will have on the rest of their lives. The seed never sees the flower. Our Pathway to Financial Stability program has structured workshops, classes, and coaching sessions helping our residents raise their credit scores, manage their expenses, and increase their savings. Pathway to Healthy Living program has formal fitness classes, nutrition workshops, and health screenings making our residents more aware that living a healthier life has a positive effect on work, school, and happiness. Our Pathway to Academic Achievement program has daily activities for children and adults aimed at increasing success in school and gaining the knowledge and skills to further their career goals. Yet all of these structured, formal, daily activities are only useful to cultivate a seed that was previously planted. Operation Pathways’ resident services staff also plant seeds every day in the lives of our residents. It’s the first step toward self-sufficiency. Maybe it’s the gentle reminder to save part of a paycheck for the future when a resident comes in saying she’s so happy it’s payday. Or the resident who attends one nutrition class who learns about trans fats and how to find them on food labels in the grocery store. Or the child who suddenly understands her math lessons on ratios and proportions while preparing snacks in the afterschool program. It could be one of these moments that makes a resident start putting away $25.00 each month, or change his diet, or realize her love for learning. As you will see in our annual report, Operation Pathways had a great 2014 and we have many stories that prove that both our formal and our informal connections with our residents have produced many flowers. We thank you for your continued support of our work.
In gratitude, Kenneth D. White Vice President, Resident Services
2
OPERAT I ON PATHWAYS F I SCAL YEAR 20 1 4 ANNUAL REPORT
Powered by FlippingBook