Charitable Connections, Inc.

I was shocked and concerned when my postwoman left me a certified letter pick-up notice in my mailbox when I was sitting in my house with my door open to receive my mail. Now, I do have 14 steps to climb to get to my front door and it was 94 degrees outside, but I remember the days when rain or shine or in the depths of snow, the postman was always delivering my mail. But that does not seem to be the case anymore. The U.S. Post Office is no longer a trusted source for delivery. In fact, my story gets a lot worse. I waited until the next day and the mail lady again dropped my mail in the box and I had to chase her down the street to find out why she had not delivered the package to my doorstep. Her curt reply was that she left the packages at the post office yesterday so she just put notices in our mail. That seemed kind of strange to me that she didn't even have the courtesy to come to the door and ask if we would prefer to have the package delivered or if we would like to pick it up since she made a mistake. But no, she asked when I ran her down if I wanted it delivered tomorrow. It was certified mail from the county, so I told her I needed to know what it was and needed it today so I would go to the post office myself.

So off to the post office I went very upset by the situation. But the best is yet to come. I get to the post office to find that this certified letter was first sent on May 25, 2011 and today was June 28. How is it that this certified important letter sat at the post office for over a month and this was the first notice I had received. Well, it was sent back to the county, who had sent it, one time because I had not picked it up in May. That was because I was never notified by the post office that it was there. The post office had sent it back to the county and the county sent it back out on June 14th and I received my first notice on June 27th. To make matters worse, I filed a complaint and all the post office pulled out was a history of the letter.

SO, I opened the letter in front of the postal worker to find it was a letter from the county board of tax assessors giving me until June 24, 2011 to appeal a tax dscision in the appelate court. Now remember, it is June 28, 2011. Needless to say I filed a complaint, in fact I filed four. First for not notifying me of the letter in a timely way, second for forgetting the letter, third for consistently delivering other people's mail to my house and my mail to other houses and fourth for not coming to my door to let me know about the letter so I could get it more quickly.

I am awaiting a response from the post office, but I am not holding my breath. I will tell you that this little episode may have cost me $28,000.

Friends, I urge you...I know things are tough out there. Everyone is struggling to make it, but I implore you, be on your job. God says love your neighbor as yourself. I am really wondering if we love ourselves because it is surely not showing up that we love our neighbors. Help us avoid going postal.

“Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40. Lazarus was dead. Could the disciples, Mary and Martha trust in the moment and believe that even though Lazarus was dead, that he could rise again?  Do we trust in the moment and believe we will see the glory of God?
 

This past week (May 14 – May 21), The Campaign to G.R.O.W. trusted in the moment and saw the glory of God as volunteers from the following organizations came together to maintain a supportive housing
community, build a community garden that is wheelchair accessible and create long term volunteer support for the Rosslyn supportive housing community:

The Fuller Center for Housing of Greater Atlanta, Inc.– volunteers (completes their mission of repairs to homes for the elderly and disabled)

NAMI Northside Atlanta, Inc.– design of garden, materials to build the garden, volunteers, pastries, drinks, pressure washer (completes their mission to support those suffering from mental health issues)

Project Interconnections, Inc.- materials for pressure washing and staining (completes their mission to provide safe supportive housing for those suffering from mental health issues)

Hands On Atlanta Teamworks - volunteers (completes their mission to provide volunteers to improve the quality of life in Atlanta)

Goodwill North Atlanta- transitional labor to pressure wash (completes their mission to provide training and work opportunities to hard to employ individuals)

EPA Region 4– pressure washer and volunteer (completes their commitment to community service

Residents of Rosslyn Apartments– volunteers for cooking and building the community garden (gives them productive activities and interactions)

Wayfield Foods, Inc. - Hot Dogs, Buns, Condiments

Charitable Connections, Inc. – supplies, project coordination (completes their mission to improve the health and well-being of people and communities while providing leadership development, technical assistance and capacity building services to other non-profit organizations)  

Rosslyn is a permanent supportive housing community owned by Project Interconnections and managed by Community Friendship. It houses up to 56 individuals who have come from homelessness and have mental
health disabilities. Rosslyn Apartments provide a nice single room apartment to each resident as well as supportive services that provide a better quality of life for those individuals suffering from mental health disabilities.

Problem:The need to maintain the deck that connects all 56 units by pressure washing and staining. Immediate solution: Workdays for volunteers in May and June.
Long Term Solution: Develop a maintenance schedule and sustainable volunteer base to complete the schedule

Problem: Many of the residents are on permanent disability but still have a desire to be productive. Immediate Solution: Build a raised bed community garden that is wheelchair accessible.

Long Term Solution: Have residents of Rosslyn attend DeKalb County Extension
Gardening classes and meetings and grow food for their community.

Outcomes:

1.         Creates a community gardening learning center for residents of Rosslyn.
 

2.         Creates a venue for emotional and social healing for residents of Rosslyn through raised bed gardening.

3.         Creates opportunities for the residents of Rosslyn to be productive through raised bed
gardening.

4.         Provides a new on-going volunteering opportunity for Hands On Atlanta and Hands On
Atlanta TeamWorks.

5.         Provides on-going connections and education of the community to reduce the stigma of
mental health.

6.         Provides a source for on-going maintenance support for Rosslyn/Project Interconnections.

Impact:

Improving productivity of those with disabilities.

Reducing the cost of living (food cost) for those
with disabilities.

Reducing the cost of maintaining housing for those
with disabilities.

Creating communities with improved quality of life
for those with disabilities.

DO YOU TRUST IN THE MOMENT AND BELIEVE YOU WILL SEE GOD’S GLORY?