Welcome to GETINVOLVED!
We hope you find ways to do just that, starting with taking a few minutes to understand Guilford County's Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness – and Greensboro Urban Ministry's Role.
How Things Got Started
I am a Greensboro Urban Ministry (GUM) Board Member and Volunteer — and I was trying to understand exactly WHAT the Ten Year Plan involved and HOW it would affect GUM and our community.
So, I started doing my homework...
I found the web site ( http://www.partnersforhomeless.org ), downloaded and printed the Ten Year Plan, and read it — and was confused, so…
- I asked Mike Aiken, Executive Director of GUM ( http://www.guministry.org ) for more info and he gladly provided a BUNCH of information — and that was confusing, too, because I lacked Mike's background with ALL the issues, so…
- I talked with Charlie Zimmerman, Senior Pastor of First Lutheran ( http://www.firstlutheran.com ) and Skip MacMillan, Board Chair of GUM – and both members of the Ten Year Plan Task Force — and got more clarity, and...
- I circled back around to talk with Mike Aiken on at least 4 distinct occasions for over 6 hours total, clarifying and refining things each time, and then…
- Mike told me he and Skip are finding a LACK of knowledge about the Ten Year Plan in the community at large — and even on the Board of GUM — so…
- The GUM Board decided our #1 priority in 2008 is to Educate the Community on the Ten Year Plan, leading to...
- My attempt to take a complex subject and pare it down to 20 minutes of key points!
What you can do right now — GETINVOLVED!
Skip, Mike, Charlie, and I want to deliver this presentation to your group, pretty much any day of the week and at any time — it's THAT important.
Through August 31, 2008, Mike and I have made presentations to 12 groups!
To schedule, please call either Mike or me:
- Mike Aiken 336.271.5959 ext 302
- Todd Herman 336.297.4200 ext 11
What's New — Recent Events
- Partners Ending Homelessness — In Spring 2008, Guilford County began implementing its Ten Year Plan, with the announcement of David Miller as Leadership Council Chair, and the hiring of Jehan Benton as Implementation Director. Jehan quickly began work to coordinate various groups' efforts, and to educate the community on implementation progress, which will initially focus on chronically homeless individuals. The implementation group is called Partners Ending Homelessness. Jehan can be reached at 336.889.6105 ext 1133.
- Beyond Pathways — In June 2008, Greensboro Urban Ministry announced the creation of Beyond Pathways, a new program to rapidly rehouse homeless families currently in the Pathways emergency shelter. Currently, families typically stay about 100 days in Pathways — the goal of the new program is to slash this stay to 30 days. Congregations, civic clubs, businesses, or other groups can volunteer time and talent to form or be part of a Housing Care Team, or to make a financial contribution. Interested? Contact Gail Gore-Lewis at 336.271.5959 ext 305.
What we're doing right now — Corporate Sponsorships!
- Run for Shelter — Sunday, September 14, 2008
- Benefiting Guilford County's Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. Temple Emanuel, together with Partners Ending Homelessness, is holding an 8K Run/Walk as part of its 100th anniversary celebration.
- To register, or learn more, visit the Temple's web site.
- Greater Greensboro CROP Hunger Walk — Sunday, October 19, 2008
- CROP Hunger Walk is the name given to community-based hunger education and fundraising events sponsored by Church World Service (CWS), a relief, development, and refugee resettlement agency operating in over 80 countries. Local walkers agree to walk 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) and raise funds to fight hunger. 75% of the monies raised goes to international causes funded by CWS and 25% goes to Potter's House, Greensboro Ministry's community kitchen.
- To find out more, visit GUM's web site or call the CROP Hunger Walk office at 336.271.5959 ext. 339.
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