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What will I
remember most about this class in 2022 --
My classmates
exemplified heart & soul during the class discussions about what social
issue to address and which nonprofit organizations should be funded and why. They
divulged their struggles with poverty, lack of meals, growing up on food stamps,
being homeless, mounting bills, and surviving abuse. They stood their ground to
dispel common notions – more like damning with faint praise – that are merely ingrained
stereotypes about the homeless eschewing job opportunities, incapable of
working, and preferring to live on the streets as being carefree. They enlightened us about why the
homeless must retain their pets and about how survival depends more on keeping
families together than having a bed for the night.
My classmates walk
their talk – they pay it forward by volunteering, advocating for the poor, and
fashioning a college education and career that dovetails with their passion for
social justice and their dream – actually expectations - for a better world. During
heated discussions, a handful of classmates – males and females -- would become
teary. I witnessed raw pain, still ever glaring many years later. I was touched
that they spoke frankly about their childhood. This poignancy and their grace will
live with me. I am honoured.
What did I
learn from this experience?
On first blush, I
learned the nuts & bolts of being a funder or grantmaker, even though we
weren’t awarding large grants. I appreciated more what my grant writing
professors taught me and what professional grant writers struggle with –
engender the grant application to come to life, yet be succinct, don’t bore the
reader, and instigate curiosity about their clients so that they would be
tapped for funding. That’s the clinical, analytical and rational sides of me when
learning about and working in the sphere of nonprofits.
The gritty aspects
of grants encompass separating the wheat from the chaff. I clashed with classmates,
drilled down on financial reports, peeled away expenses listed in budgets, and posed cutting queries of applicants. Obtaining and confirming factoids,
numbers, and details contained in grant applications that I’ve assisted with
crafting did annoy me at times. However, in this class, I embraced those inputs,
outputs, and outcomes, both the small and large figures.
A few lessons
were felt in my gut. Denying a worthy applicant. Turning down help for children
with cancer. Sorrow for those grant writers who toiled for nothing to show for.
My gut churned at times because I’ve been that person who was rejected and who
felt dejected. On a cheerier
note, I was most impressed about the nonprofit applicants and their programs,
successes, and growth. It was auspicious that so many people in Oregon
volunteer, work with nonprofits, and/or donate. One in three Oregonians
volunteer.
What did I
accomplish?
I am but a cog in a wheel.
This class
accomplished something intangible – granting the ability for children to anticipate
frivolity and stability while at Community Transitional School. With expenses
for a van covered for the summer of 2017, they can stay in school, partake in a
carefree season of activities, and remain with their friends, parents, and
teachers.
To anticipate fun
means the world to homeless children.
Too often,
children without homes become friends with hunger, chilled nights, weird
smells, intrusive strangers, scratchy blankets and interrupted slumber. They cannot afford to
anticipate. To do so would mean that they carry hope, which is the kernel to budding daydreams, entertaining future plans, and sparking confidence to feel secure about
themselves and about their world.
Having
transportation may seem so pedestrian of an accomplishment. Funding a van isn’t
flashy nor makes a splash in brochures or on a website. But to allow a child to
anticipate a summer of fun is most precious. We honour the sacredness of a child’s
heart and whim.
What surprised
me the most?
Several things
surprised me. First, how much passion my younger colleagues showed every week
during class, for the applicants, for the homeless, and for our selections. I
realized that I was holding onto stereotypes of young students (teens and early
20s) of being indifferent, or worse, too self-absorbed. Not true.
Another surprise
was the harsh reaction of one of the finalists. The executive director lashed
out in an e-mail and voice message to our instructor upon learning about being
denied a grant. This executive director apparently believed that being a
finalist meant that the nonprofit organization was already selected, with the
amount of the grant as the only unanswered question. Portland is a small world,
and the sphere of nonprofits in Oregon is even smaller. Many of us were stunned
by such unprofessionalism.
Lastly, what
surprised me the most was the depth of services for homeless families. The number
of housing units in the Portland metropolis was much larger, and some key
organizations provide a plethora of wraparound services, a variety of
education/courses for clients & their children, and maintain rental homes
in nicer neighborhoods. By nestling homes in better school districts and near mass
transit, their clients will have greater success to remain in their homes and
with their families. It’s not just about putting a roof over their heads.
I hope that other students, especially on the community college level, will be able to take this Students For Giving course, as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary. I graduated from a major university with a science degree and am blessed to have taken courses at this thriving community college. Portland Community College is the only community college among 40+ universities to participate in this innovative and moving course sponsored by the Learning by Giving Program. I am deeply grateful for this support and selection of our community college among major universities and highly lauded colleges nationwide.
