We're poor...but happy

     "How is stuff going at Joel's Place?"

I am asked that question a lot.  I am often not sure what to say.  Do I tell them about:

• The hundreds of kids that we are feeding every week?
• The amazing community garden that is being maintained by volunteers and harvested to supply our cafe?
• The grants we are receiving in order to improve our facility and insulate our walls for the winter?
• How we've seen more kids so far this summer than the previous 2 summers combined?
• The autism day camps and skate clinics that we will be putting on?
• The great community training that we hosted?
• The new programs I am dreaming of?
• The ache of transition as we say goodbye to long-time leaders?
• The constant inability to pay staff on time?
• The frustration of cash flow which is only trumped by...
• The frustration of youth?  They regularly make horrible decisions and are the cruelest to those who are helping them the most.
• The excitement of seeing lives transformed before our very eyes?
• The building balloon payment that we are trying to figure out for 15 months from now?

     There is more bouncing around in my head and my heart about the state and direction of Joel's Place than anyone wants to hear about in one conversation.  I usually respond by saying, "We're poor...but we're happy."  Finances are a struggle, not nearly to the pit of despair level that they were last year, but still a struggle.  I probably spend 75% of my time dealing with money in some way, shape or form: grant applications/reporting, fundraising, figuring out what to pay when, increasing earned income, etc.  We are this close to being financially stable...I just need a little more help and another score or two of monthly donors.  Fortunately, we have just enough money that comes in just in time to continue offering amazing programing and opportunities to the youth of our community.

     This is where the happy comes in.  We know who we are.  We know what we do well and, probably more importantly, why we do it.  My staff are free to love kids elaborately without looking over their shoulders and wondering if we will have different programs and priorities next month.  We are learning where we fit within our Community's Continuum of Care.  We don't have to be able to do everything for any youth that is in crisis.  We simply need to excel in our niche and then have the relationships and trust to be able to connect youth in need with organizations eager to help.

     Our staff love the work that we do.  They love being able to see young people laugh and grow and discover new things about themselves.  They love knowing that they are helping teens navigate some of the roughest parts of their lives.  They just wish that I would be more available for them and that their paychecks would be given out on time.

     Happy...but poor...but making great progress in rectifying that.