VISTAs are VICTORIOUS

Volunteers in Service to America

            In our pursuit to help others, VISTAs are willing to get down and get dirty.  We are willing to demonstrate the toughness required to live below the poverty line.  We are America’s volunteers who chose to forsake nicer paying jobs, with tangible medical, dental and retirement benefits, in order to serve the veterans of poverty.

Calling those in poverty “victims” seems a bit offensive/  And it is.  No one wants to consider themselves a victim (although many rich and poor people display this debilitating mindset). Self-pity, self-defeat and poor attitudes are thought to accompany the poorer members of our society.  However, there are other ways to see the attributes of those who live in poverty.

Veterans in Surviving Tough Atmospheres – VISTA

This is the acronym that comes to mind after observing residents in poverty for the past three months.  Veterans because poverty is often a lifelong or long-term condition.  The ability to endure in spite of tough living conditions (poor access to quality food, transportation, shelter…) is a learned skill.  And, maybe when we look at those in poverty, we could see some things different.

For instance: 

Poor people are tough:  It takes grit and grime, sheer willpower and hope to face the same day, again and again, with the same amount of limited financial resources.  Imagine being a mother of three young children and having a certain amount of money to feed, clothe and provide shelter for your family month after month, after month.  The money is clearly income.  But the benefits she reaps for her hard work are priceless.  Mom is tough and not a victim.

 Photo by Marina del Castell

Poor people are resilient:  Bounce back.  Poor people can bounce back from the brick walls and closed doors often faced each day.  Learning to maneuver obstacles is a skill developed by resiliency carried over from childhood into adulthood.  Of course, this doesn’t apply to every poor person, but too many of us, indeed.

Poor people are resourceful:  Where can I get….?  If you can’t afford it, you make adjustments or do without.  A second hand or creatively-crafted Halloween costume for a young child at the end of the month is just one way poor people use their limited resources to make the best of everyday life.

Poor people share information:  Did you know…?  Forget social media.  Before there was electronic messaging, there was the good ol’ pipeline.  The network of words used among a community of people to spread the news about opportunities, gifts, giveaways, death, funerals, births and rewards.  Since poor people often must, at a moment’s notice, tell their personal woes in order to find a solution, it is often that same sense of desperation and transparency that can bring solutions quickly to one’s dilemmas.

Poor people support each other:  It always amazes me how poor people bury each other.  It is common knowledge that many people don’t have the proper insurances in place over the course of a life span.  So, when someone dies in a poor community, the people pull social and financial resources together to give them a proper resting place.  And, the way they support each other in death is the same way life is supported through sharing of food, clothing, advice and love.

Poor people won’t let you give up or give in.  Their “we can do” attitude and positive, “let’s get this done” mindsets establishes success long before they break the barriers of economics.   

All these adjectives are resources VISTAs learn to utilize while serving in poor communities.  Regardless of prior socioeconomic status, all VISTAs learn lessons of life that equip them for many years to come. 

A Vision for Wellness

Wellness - A Public Health Issue

There are many types of organizations using the terms wellness and well-being.  The distinctions between the two words are subtle, yet profound.  My research has uncovered that the word wellness includes a component of having a positive attitude, as opposed to a religious preference.

Also, wellness centers are springing up across the country.  The one specific to this article resides in a public housing authority in central Pennsylvania.  The mission and goal of these centers, funded by the federal government, is to help low-income residents maintain good health so they can keep their housing.

When a person falls ill mentally or physically, the likelihood of losing their low-income housing increases.  Compliance with a housing authority’s rules and regulations becomes a burden.  A mental or physical setback can cause someone to lose the cheapest housing.  Without family supports in place, many low-income disabled and elderly residents end up homeless. 

Sad to say, but true to form, some elderly and disabled residents are substance abusers or have an untreated mental illness.  Organizations like the Agency on Aging or the Visiting Nurses Association can’t help everyone.  So, imagine how heartbreaking it is for a social services department to deliver an eviction notice to someone who is incapable of compliance. 

When we think of wellness, we can say that it is “[t]he condition of good physical and mental health, especially when actively maintained by proper diet, exercise, and avoidance of risky behavior.”[1]

Yet another definition states, “an approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.”[2]  Surely, this is what the federal government wanted when they got involved in “wellness” efforts.  However, realistically, wellness is often about trying to restore a community to a state of good health after many years of neglect and abuse.

Economics and access to healthcare are not the only factors involved in the deteriorating health of men and women as they age.  Certainly, early decisions about the intake of alcohol, cigarettes, sugar and water impact our health for many years after the fact.  What is important is that we, as health conscious government entities, non-profit organizations and families change our message.

Wellness is not just about a positive attitude or good health – it is about making good choices.  After my children were grown, I began to hear child educators encouraging young children to make good choices.  The reference, at the time, was to managing social relationships.  More importantly, it is time we teach each other, no matter what the age, to make good choices regarding our eating, exercise and social relationships.  In this way, we have a vision for good health in the years ahead.

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[1] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wellness

[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wellness

The Gift of Ourselves

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.” 
― Henry Clay

Angel Tree distribution took place the third week of December at the Reading Housing Authority.  Every year in October, low-income residents are invited to voluntarily sign up to receive a gift from an anonymous donor, i.e. an angel.  In December, the gifts magically arrive wrapped and labeled for its intended recipient.  Little did I know the effort required to deliver these gifts.

https://www.faithbetonville.com

My new co-workers and I manually spent one day sorting, transporting and delivering more than 1,000 gifts to eight different housing sites.  It is important for me to share that my coworkers, although paid to do their jobs as nurses and social workers, cheerfully and with great enthusiasm bent their knees, pushed carts, lifted boxes and worked up quite a sweat that day.  It was delightful to partake of their kind, hard-working spirits as we all looked forward to the delivery date.

Over the course of the next two days, we then distributed said gifts.  My heart was humbled by the whispers and shouts of gratitude from men and women of little means.  The anonymous donors were so generous.  It occurred to me on those delivery dates that some of the residents will only receive this one gift.

My heart will certainly hold in fond memory the grandmother who unexpectedly received a gift of pink slippers with matching pink bottles of perfumes.  She screamed in delight when the unwrapped package was handed to her.  Her eyes lit up with joy and her expressions of thankfulness in Spanish made all that hard work worth it.  Yes, a few people grumbled on distribution day; but, they didn’t matter at that moment.  All that mattered from the entire experience, for me, was this lovely abuela’s (Spanish for grandmother) sincere smile of appreciation.

Residents also randomly handed out gifts to my co-workers too.  I was not left out as I received a handful of gifts too. 

The whole experience made me reminisce about the kind of “wellness” one stores in their heart in order to “give” to another.  Well wishes for another to have happiness, hope, peace and love from their fellow human travelers – in spite of race, language or economics.  If wellness is defined a balance in mind, body and soul, then these residents and my coworkers were witnesses of wellness.

I am so grateful to see the signs of wellness in poverty.  We say that money doesn’t equal riches.  But the demonstration of that saying is when someone takes a little of what they have, whether tangible or intangible, and gladly, willingly shares it with someone else causing a smile, a rainbow of peace and a hope shot of love – unexpectedly.

Don’t forget to share yourself this holiday season.  Touch someone else’s life with the beauty of your wellness.

Living Well in Poverty?

            Securing affordable, safe, stable housing, a primary care physician, healthy food and a great attitude takes both time and effort.  For those living in poverty, barriers include money, access to quality health care and transportation make achieving wellness more difficult. 

People in poverty mount these hurdles with Herculean efforts.  It doesn’t seem like much, but taking the bus to and from a doctor’s office could equate to two hours out of a person’s time schedule.  If the physician’s office is running on time, the visit should only take an hour.  If they are running late though, it could be up to three hours.

A Small Example

“You are changing my diet, Dr. Smith?” a patient asked.

“Yes,” he responds.  “You are not eating enough fruits and vegetables.  The last reading of your carbohydrates made me nervous, so change your diet and delete all forms of carbs.” 

“I wonder how much that is going to cost,” the patient mused. 

It didn’t matter because she didn’t have enough food stamps to purchase the necessary food alternatives for at least a week.

Pursuing Wellness

Wellness is defined many ways by different people.  Definitions that combine exercise, healthy nutrition, exercise with a balanced, stable self-image and mental health are attractive.  Yet, how are these goals achieved when money is lacking, transportation is scarce and poor housing is often a normal, challenging adventure? 

Resiliency makes it possible for most people to bounce back from the storms of life.  But what if your life is about daily making sure you have the resources necessary to pay each bill, arrive at each doctor visit or sustain other forms of responsibility, let alone wellness?

Tough.

Called to Service

I decided to volunteer a year of my life as a servant to the federal government and 4,000 low-income, subsidized housing residents.  This decision, initially motivated by a desire to be gainfully employed, I have since second guessed a few times.  Why? Because of the pay, my living conditions and my poor access to convenient transportation.  

Yet, my first call to vocation was as a minister many years ago.  As a Christian, I believe that followers of Christ are called to serve people.  The specific community or category of people may or may not be clear for non-pastoral church leaders, such as myself.  In fact, after I graduated seminary, what I was specifically supposed to do eluded me.  I didn’t know who God wanted me to help and who God wanted me to leave alone.

Gradually, I understood I first had to help myself.  In learning how to love myself, I became able and equipped to begin loving and serving others. 

Defining Serve

            It is interesting to note the word “serve” comes from the Latin word “minister, be of service, wait on.”[1]  The Latin verb means “to wait on,” but the noun means “to act on the authority of another.” 

            The English language uses “serve” as a verb.  It means to perform duties or give a service to an organization or individual.  Or, it could also mean “to provide a group of people with a product or service.”[2]

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”  ― John Bunyan

            In my role as Wellness Coordinator, serving others means providing direction, encouragement, inspiration and/or information.  Providing something that was not already present.  In many cases, this could simply mean providing hope.

VISTA

VISTA stands for Volunteers In Service To America.  This department of the government has worked exclusively to end poverty since 1965.  (Ironically, that is the year I was born.) 

What the organization gradually tells you is this:  the pay, really called a living stipend, covers your housing only.  The idea is that each worker will understand what it is like to live in poverty because the stipend covers the bare minimum of American living expenses.

The Adventure Begins

The biggest challenge for me, thus far, is adequate, affordable, safe, clean housing. 

Intellectually, many of my friends, family members and peers understand that poverty is bad.  Poverty is an unpleasant experience.  The needs of those in poverty are magnanimous.  The hearts of those in poverty are gentle, but glossed over with the scar tissue of worry, fret and angst.  The reality of their situation, from the outside looking in, is grim.  No wonder America’s forefathers and enslaved ancestors turned to God for strength.

It was unimaginable to me that a decision to volunteer would place me deeper in the trenches of a world filled with lack.  Often, I covered up my lack of access to money, transportation and healthcare with handouts from well-meaning friends and family members.  Often, I sold my skills as a writer, editor and tutor to support myself.

But relocating to Berks County has forced my hand in different ways.  I have actually had to go without!  I have gone without food, safe, affordable housing and medical care. 

Ironically, in not having enough, I have discovered I have more than enough.  The room I rent has been invaded by cockroaches (although they probably think I am infringing on their privacy) and is, in my opinion, dark and dreary.  The kitchen has too many roaches for my tastes and the bathroom needs a whole lot of TLC.

Each morning when I awake, I pray to maintain my own sense of wellness.  I hear the lady next store coughing like an uncontrollable child, doors slamming while I watch an occasional roach scurry up my bedroom’s wall.  I thank God.

“Love is not patronizing and charity isn't about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same -- with charity you give love, so don't just give money but reach out your hand instead.”  ― Mother Teresa

I thank God for a warm place to sleep, a coffee pot in my room and a soon-to-come payday which will produce poison for the roaches and Lysol for the walls.  This brings me an inner comfort unknown to my fellow “house dwellers.”

Then, I play my worship music, loud enough to enjoy, since I have listened to all sorts of noises from 5 p.m. until 4 a.m.  Fortunately, I slip farther into a peaceful frame of mind as I prepare for yet another work day…a day of service. 

My breakfast meal is healthy with just enough servings.  My attitude is hopeful because I have a job that could move me to a new housing arrangement.  My emotions are managed because I am using all the resources of my wellness kit to start the day strong, optimistic and joyful.

Achieve Wellness in Poverty?

I believe “wellness” can be achieved no matter what a person’s social or economic status.  Wellness is a choice – just like choosing to begin a weight loss program, visiting the doctor regularly or taking diabetic medication.

My hope is that I can serve my site and the residents at my location by being an encouraging, inspiring vision of hope and wellness.  Hearing people share their lives with a positive attitude, strong sense of self identity and general doses of gratitude and acceptance will make me feel like I have done my part.    

I bet the lessons I learn from serving my country the next 11 months will mature me in ways unforeseen.  Yet, I hope my year as a VISTA worker will impact other people to serve, give or find gratitude for what they already have in their own lives.

Join me on this journey, if you will.  I will try my best to be open, honest and positive.

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[1] http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=minister&allowed_in_frame=0

[2] http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/serve