The City Mission serves the city of Cleveland by providing resources and programming to the poor and homeless. They help men, women and children overcome homelessness and poverty through programs emphasizing spiritual growth, education, rehabilitation, employment readiness, leadership and recreation. They also provide care that begins a person’s point of immediate need and then moves them along from crisis to recovery and then ultimately to integration into society. Cool Cleveland reader Steven Bivens met with Jennifer Madden, Associate Director, Donor Relations at the City Mission, to discuss its directives. Get involved and help out the less fortunate during the holidays at their open house event on Thu 11/18 from 4-7PM. The Mission will be serving a Thanksgiving meal on Sun 11/21 in which they will need volunteers.Cool Cleveland: How long have you worked with The City Mission?
Jennifer Madden: I have been on staff here just over a month, but I served the Mission as a volunteer for about four years. It was a great experience, and in an odd way I feel right at home as a member of the staff. Kind of like I have always been here.
What do you do for the Mission?
I work in the Development Department and do some grant writing and work with individual donors. I also plan special fundraising events when we have them. I was doing event planning as a volunteer before I came on staff, and some grant writing, too.
Tell me a little bit about what the Mission does.
The City Mission’s goal is to move people from a place of despair to a place of hope. We provide some programs that meet people’s needs in times of crisis, like we have a clothing room and an overnight facility for homeless men and women. A lot of people come to us when they have hit rock bottom. We are able to provide a safe place for them to regroup and try to get their lives together.
What does that look like?
Well, we provide some long-term residential programs for both men and women. Basically, people who are committed to making a change in their lives will have a place to stay for about a year. During this time they receive some training and education like employment readiness, tutoring, studying for the GED if they need to, and just general life-skills like how to maintain and manage a household. We are a faith-based program that is built upon Christian principles, so this also plays an important role in what we do.
What types of programs does City Mission have?
Our men’s program is on our main campus at 55th and Carnegie but our women have a separate facility on Puritas Avenue in Cleveland, it’s called Laura’s Home and just opened over a year ago. It was designed because so many women who are homeless have children, so the facility accommodates the kids with a nursery, preschool, and children’s library there. We also work with the public schools to place older kids during the school year, and our first group of women will graduate in 2005. We are really excited about that!
What other outreach programs are available?
We also do some really neat things with children and teens. Kids are bussed to our facility from area Cleveland public schools for an after school program. We work with teachers and parents to really make an impact in their lives, and we will have an enrollment of over 100 kids this year in that program. City Mission works with them to complete their homework and prepare for the proficiency tests. We also provide some fun activities like soccer, drama and art; we have a huge gym and playground they can use. We also have a camp facility in Rock Creek that gets used in the summer for overnight camps. So many kids living in the heart of Cleveland don’t get to experience things like hiking, canoeing and horseback riding. It’s great that we can provide that for them. The goal is to break the cycle of poverty at a young age by encouraging these kids to make wise choices and pursue an education.
I understand there are some things happening around here for the holidays?
Yes. This is by far the busiest time of the year for the Mission. We will serve a Thanksgiving meal to over 700 people this month and will hand out 1600 food baskets this month and next. And, of course we always try to do things for the men and women in our residential programs and the kids in after school. We are always flooded with requests to volunteer and to give things like clothes, toys and food this time of year.
How can someone get involved?
We always need volunteers, and of course that is something that I really enjoyed doing before I came on staff. There are so many ways to get involved. We have groups that come from area businesses and churches to serve together for a specific project and then there are so many individual people that serve weekly or monthly. It’s pretty amazing actually. Without volunteers we could not do what we do. And, of course, as a non-profit we are funded by individual gifts. We don’t receive any funding from the government. We do receive some grants from area foundations, but a bulk of our support comes from individual donors. So, financial support is always a good way to help out.
What if someone wants to get involved right away?
We have partnered with Wal-Mart to do some cool community activities this month. We are calling it “Stuff-a-Truck” for people who want to collect food for the holiday baskets, and they can drop it off on Sat 11/20 at some different Wal-Mart locations throughout the city — both East and West side. There will be a truck in the parking lot that we will take donations. We have a list of food items and drop off locations posted on our website, and we ask for specific things because that way all of the food baskets are the same and we know our clients will get food they will use and enjoy. If people can’t make it to Wal-Mart, they can always bring things to our campus at 55th and Carnegie during the workday or on Saturday morning. We will also be serving a Thanksgiving meal on Sun 11/21 and there may still be a few volunteer positions available for that event. And, we use a lot of volunteers to pack the food baskets that we give away in November and December. The best way to get involved is to call the main office and ask for the volunteer department. They can plug you in. Depending on what you are interested in doing you will need to attend a short introduction meeting to learn more about the Mission.
We are having an Open House on 11/18 from 4-7PM, we will be giving tours of our campus and visitors will have time to talk with some of our department leaders. It's a great way for people to stop by and learn more about what we do - to see it first-hand is the only way to fully appreciate it. People think we are a soup kitchen, and then they see the variety of programs we provide and the quality of our services, and it blows them away. So, I’d encourage people to stop by on their way home from work that day. It won’t take long, probably less than an hour.
What are your thoughts on our city and your work?
Well, I would just encourage people to be active in their community and in their city. We live in such an isolated culture these days; it’s so easy to go to work and then go home and never even talk to your neighbor. Life is about so much more than that. The fact that Cleveland has now been marked as the poorest city in America is a call to action. I love this city and am committed to seeing good things happen, and although I didn’t grow up here, I intend to stay here for a long time. I’ve lived here for eight years now, and I know I will build a career here and stay for many years to come. Good things do happen in Cleveland - everyday, and that’s why I work here. I’m committed to change and growth and new things. The City Mission brings life and hope to the people that the world sees as worthless. In this way, I’m all about living out [Biblical scripture] Matthew 25: Jesus arrived to radically change society. I think that investing in and redeeming that which is worthless is the most radical thing you can do with your life. Cleveland is seen as worthless in so many ways, yet I’m ready to see good things happen here. It’s time for people to come out from hiding and really pull together and invest in their own community and in the city at large. It’s not an easy road to walk, but one that is full of many rewards. http://www.TheCityMission.org or call 431-3510.
from Cool Cleveland reader Steven Bivens
stephenbivens@msn.com
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