The REAL IMPACT - making a difference since 2006

How is IMPACT able to effect REAL change in Charlottesville and Albemarle County?

• IMPACT is the most diverse faith-based organization of its kind in Virginia, 33 congregations allied for justice.
• The Nehemiah Action is one of the largest meetings of its kind on the east coast and the LARGEST in Virginia.

What has IMPACT done for our community?

• Pushed for, and gotten, increased bus service to under-served neighborhoods. Not to mention service on Sundays, allowing thousands of riders to attend church, go to work, or otherwise lead normal lives on Sunday.
• Advocated, and increased, the funding for and attention paid to affordable housing for those at the lowest level of income - people who are essential to our community, but can't afford to live here, or even nearby.
• Pressed for, and obtained, increased dental health care for those without means, lightening the burden on our emergency rooms, and improving the health of our entire community.

What is IMPACT working for this year?

• A commitment to pre-Kindergarten programs - in these difficult times, we can't neglect our future, and we must truly "leave no child behind."
• A commitment to the creation and implementation of language access plans in the local legal system - the law supports this, the community needs this. Ignoring it, or denying access, degrades the performance of the legal system as a whole.

For us to continue to make a REAL IMPACT in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, we just need you to show up at the Nehemiah Action at 6:30pm on March 22 at University Hall. By your presence, we make a REAL IMPACT.

IMPACT Rally this week - hope to see you there!

Please consider attending the IMPACT Rally this coming Thursday, February 25th at 6:45PM at the Church of the Incarnation.

Some folks get a little confused by the IMPACT lingo (Assembly? Rally? Action?), so here's a little explanation in question and answer format:

Q: What's the difference between the Rally and the Action?
A: The RALLY is where IMPACT will announce exactly what we are seeking from the city and county stake-holders in regards to pre-K education, as well as interpretive services in the legal system. We will build momentum and energy for the Action in March. There will be wonderful music, prayer, reflection, and testimony on the issues.

Q: Which meeting is more important?
A: Well, unquestionably, the Nehemiah Action in March is where we want to have the greatest attendance. If you can attend only one event, the Action is key. But if you can't make the Action in March, or can be present both nights, PLEASE come on Thursday night!

Q: Why should I bother with the Rally?
A: Great question! Here are three reasons:
1. Issue updates. When you remind your friends and neighbors about the Action, and they want to know what's at stake, you can tell them in detail.
2. Inspiration. We have had fantastic turnout for the Nehemiah Action in the past. Other congregations need our encouragement and support at the Rally, and your presence will inspire them.
3. Wonderful music? Prayer? Reflection? A joyous night with IMPACT member congregations? Say no more!

If you have any questions about the Rally, the Action, the issues, or IMPACT in general, please don't hesitate to email or call me.

This quote is a wonderful interpretation of John 15:13 ("Greater love has no one than this..."):

When we think about laying down a life for another we usually think in terms of a singular event. But it is possible for us to lay down our lives over the course of a lifetime, minute by minute and day by day. And it is the work of the Spirit to empower us as we seek to lose ourselves in acts of lovingkindness and sacrificial living.

- Elaine Puckett, professor at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia

I hope you will consider sacrificing an evening or two for those in our community who are suffering due to inequalities in our education and legal system, and for the greater cause of justice.

Bishop Katharine, Prophets, and IMPACT

I'm still processing the many challenging and invigorating ideas and images presented by Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori during her visit to celebrate St. Paul's centennial this past weekend.

Like a musical work that reveals more with each listening, when I reflect on the things she said and, just as importantly, how she said them, I find myself being drawn further into God's mystery and the questions that bring us together.

I had the privilege of playing guitar with the youth group on Friday night, with the added benefit of participating in the talk that followed. Here's what most impressed me about Bishop Katharine's retelling of her journey:

1. Bishop Katharine's talents were recognized by the people around her, and they encouraged and supported her development. Her only agenda is furthering God's work.
2. She was never certain of what lay around the next corner, and sometimes questioned whether she was making the right decision, but was always open to God's will.

It is this "open-ness" that most impressed me. Her serenity invited participation, her answers invited further questions, her presence made all feel welcome.

Her Sunday sermon concerned prophets/profits. It's worth reading (or re-reading) in its entirety (on Rev. Jim's blog), but I wanted to highlight a portion that has specific meaning for me and the work we all do with IMPACT.

"Every time we see and speak out about injustice, or the need for healing or reconciliation, we’re both speaking in God’s name and pushing for progress toward God’s vision. Loving our neighbors is intimately wrapped up in that prophetic work of telling the truth of what is and what ought to be.

...Your next hundred years will be built on that kind of courage to speak truth, to pluck up and pull down human structures of injustice, and to build and plant a community of peace.

...Prophets may be quaking in their boots, like MLK the night his house was bombed, but they keep on speaking, and they keep on moving toward God’s perfection. May your words and deeds be bold!"

That is the truth: our work for justice in our community is an expression of our love for our neighbors. Our work for justice is to "build and plant a community of peace."

Thank you, Bishop Katharine, for your wisdom and your courage.

More IMPACT coverage

Here's something I should have posted a while back. Will Peyton, Associate Rector at St. Paul's Ivy, appeared in a segment on CBS 19 News last week. He did a great job explaining how IMPACT's work transcends faith barriers and finds a common goal in furthering the cause of justice.

Jay James on Faith: Religious Diversity

Will emphasizes how IMPACT's efforts foster constructive interfaith dialogue. By concentrating on shared aims, we make progress while deepening a sense of community.

Spanish-language coverage for IMPACT

IMPACT recently received a nice write-up in Nuevas Raices, a regional Spanish-language newspaper:

Hispanos involucrados en IMPACT

and here's a passable machine translation,


It's great that IMPACT is getting more exposure in all the populations in our community. The issues which we've taken on in the past number of years affect ALL of us, regardless of our mother language. This is a great step towards bringing us together in our call for justice.

Post-MLK Day Thought

I came across this Martin Luther King, Jr. quote the other day. In light of the holiday and the tragedy in Haiti, I thought it particularly moving:

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.
- Martin Luther King Jr.

Those suffering from chronic economic injustice are far more vulnerable when disaster strikes. It's important to keep in mind the root causes as we treat the symptoms.

Help for the disaster in Haiti

The devastating news from Haiti continues to pour in. Let our prayers include careful consideration of what we can do to help. There are many organizations working to provide aid. Once you have determined how much you can give, if you need help deciding where to give, here is a good resource at Charity Navigator:
Help Survivors of the Earthquake in Haiti

Particularly for those of us located far from the epicenter of the disaster, but who feel greatly the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters in Haiti, remember the words of George Henry Lewes: "The only cure for grief is action."

Happy New Year!

We western Christians have just finished our Christmas season (the twelve days of Christmas). This quote helps me transition from the chaos of the holidays back into the demands of the every-day:

When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace ... to make music in the heart.

- Howard Thurman, American author, civil rights leader, and theologian (1899-1981)

I'm glad and excited to begin the work of Christmas. I'm also glad and excited about the work that's already in process with the IMPACT research committees. I'm grateful for the many hours they've already spent on the issues of early childhood education and interpretive services. I'm confident that we will make real progress this year, thanks to the work of the committee members and all who support IMPACT's efforts.

May our eyes and ears be open to the truth, may our hearts be open to God's will, and may we all have the strength and courage to work for justice and peace in 2010.

Civic duty and our call to do justice

I don't think I need to remind you of the importance of voting today.

IMPACT is non-partisan.
Our civic duty calls us to vote.
Our faith calls us to do justice.

Please pray and reflect and choose the candidates you feel best represent the issues of justice on which IMPACT has been focusing. Remember, these are the leaders with whom we'll be dealing come next March and the Nehemiah Action. The wonderful, non-partisan site Charlottesville Tomorrow has voter guides available.

To refuse to participate in the shaping of our future is to give it up ... Each of us must find our work and do it. Militancy no longer means guns at high noon, if it ever did. It means actively working for change, sometimes in the absence of any surety that change is coming.

- Audre Lorde, from her book Sister Outsider

Year of the "Unthinkable"?

The article in yesterday's Daily Progress titled "County mulls once 'unthinkable' cuts" got me thinking about the term "unthinkable."

I accept that we're in uncharted waters, economically. I also understand that the county is faced with some very difficult work in the days ahead. But proposing cuts to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is very "thinkable," and it is one of the reasons IMPACT is so important.

We're all trying to cope with uncertainty these days, and it is certainly pushing us out of our comfort zones to contemplate job loss (our own or our neighbor's), high mortgages and rent, the increasing cost of health care. The list is long. But it's our responsibility to think - think long and hard - about what kind of world we want to create out of this fiscal ruin.

Do we want a return to the policies and attitudes that deny basic human rights of affordable shelter and reasonable access to health care, or basic services and safety, to people in Charlottesville and Albemarle County?

The possibility that we will retreat to the self-preservation bunker is very "thinkable." We need to be brave, to trust in God's abundance, and to continue to press forward to build the foundations of a community where justice is not only "thinkable," but essential.

A reminder - and this is going to be in a large font:

IMPACT Annual Assembly
Tomorrow night - October 19
6:30pm
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

We'll be choosing an issue to focus on for the year, in addition to pre-school education. Please come and let your voice be heard as part of this important process!

I found this quote interesting on a number of levels:

When I feed the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why so many people are poor they call me a communist.

- Dom Helder Câmara, late archbishop of the Brazilian diocese of Olinda and Recife. Wednesday, Oct. 13 was the 10th anniversary of his death. (Source: Guardian)

See you tomorrow night!

Justice, Awareness and Memory

I was struck by the article in the Daily Progress yesterday on Charlottesville City Council's consideration of making an apology for it's former participation in the Massive Resistance pro-segregation movement 50 years ago.

This gesture has meaning. It's a position on justice. It says, "Charlottesville is a different city than it was 50 years ago. We find the actions and attitudes of the past reprehensible, and we are committed to a higher standard of justice." It's commendable.

Now, an advantage of writing about yesterday's news is seeing all the comments made by online readers. Calumny and praise in more or less equal measure. Standard stuff for the internet, I suppose. But the strong feelings elicited by this topic - recognition of past errors - reinforces my belief that the dialogue on justice must continue - respectfully, plainly, strongly.

Great News! Charlottesville Free Clinic Expansion Completed

The Charlottesville Free Clinic, which was a key player in the 2008 IMPACT issue of expanded dental care for the uninsured and under-insured, has moved into its expanded space. This is excellent news for ALL those earning between $10,000/year (for individuals) and $20,000 (for a family of four) in need of health care.

It's really great to see that we're making such progress in this important area. There's still much we can do at a national level (no further comment necessary), but for folks in Charlottesville and Albemarle County (and beyond!), this is significant.

This quote really struck me:

“[Patients] were delaying care because they couldn’t afford it and they were suffering from it. The response from local [medical personnel] in setting up the clinic and in volunteering was amazing,” said Dr. Mohan Nadkarni, whom clinic officials credit as the clinic’s founding father. “It’s really taken off, but I have mixed feelings about it. I wish it didn’t have to be here. We had no idea in 1992 that 15,000 people would be served. We thought it would be a short-term solution.”

Access to health care really is a justice issue - and I like to think we are making progress. And it's good to remember that there is still much to do:

To attain the promises of God, we need above all continuous exercise in the virtues; for however firm one’s commitment to some good may be, if it is not renewed daily, it quickly dies out.

John Trithemius
from the 'Rule', quoted in Essential Monastic Wisdom: Writings on the Contemplative Life by Hugh Feiss.

IMPACT Listening Process for 2009/2010

The listening process for the 2010 Nehemiah Action has begun. Each congregation, through a series of house meetings, gathers input to identify a issue of justice in our community which we believe would be well served by the IMPACT method of seeking a commitment from critical stakeholders on that issue. In addition, there's time to discuss IMPACT's evolving process, successes, and opportunities for development.

This year, we're trying something new. In addition to the congregational meetings, we'll also hold interfaith meetings, where different faith communities can share ideas and gain insight into the problems affecting different populations. St. Paul's has been teamed with Evergreen Ministries and Holy Comforter Catholic Church.

I am excited about this process - introspection, action, progress, justice. The interfaith side is a welcome addition. It reinforces the connection between the individual and their faith community, the connection between all faith communities united for justice, and the connection between all of us as residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Here's a very nice quote:

Maybe I’m not making big changes in the world, but if I have somehow helped or encouraged somebody along the journey then I’ve done what I’m called to do.

- Sister Thea Bowman
African-American Franciscan (1937-1990)

Nehemiah Action TONIGHT @ 6:15pm at U Hall

I hope you can make it to University Hall at 6:15pm tonight, March 30, for the Nehemiah Action. Music, testimony, prayer, and a strong call for justice in housing and education.

Great prayer for today:

O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others; open my ears that I may hear their cries; open my heart so that they need not be without succor; let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich ... And so open my eyes and my ears that I may this coming day be able to do some work of peace for thee.

- Alan Paton

Survey says: Childcare is getting tough and tougher

NBC29 did a piece on survey results from a group called Smart Beginnings on child care options (Survey Results: Child Care Struggles Flow Over into the Workplace) . I was mainly struck by this comment from a respondent:

"The cost (of child care) is just too much and I can't afford it and because of that, I feel my child won't get the early education she deserves to get her ready for school!"

It's striking to me when I hear the voice of parents who need to work multiple jobs, but who understand that child care needs to be more than a pair of eyes on their child. They know that if they don't find a place that engages well with their kids, it will have a strong negative effect on their children's future.

That's a frightening dilemma. You need to work to pay for rent/mortgage, food, etc., but you know your pre-schoolers need positive, engaging care to have a better chance when they get to school. But that costs money - and the space might not be available.

Please consider coming out on Monday night at 6:15PM at U Hall. Show that you want to see better opportunities for those in our area, our friends and neighbors who work in minimum wage jobs in businesses in the city and county, who are faced with the prospect of little to no affordable housing and who worry about their children falling behind in school.

Funding priorities and IMPACT

In an article ("Reserve proposed to fund new projects") in the Daily Progress yesterday, there were a lot of numbers thrown around. There's this much in the reserve fund, that much needed for programs x, y, and z. And it's noted that the Charlottesville Housing Fund is to get $400,000 less than the previous budget.

“Whenever funds are cut, it’s saddening to our community,” said Rickey White, pastor at Union Run Baptist Church and a member of IMPACT, a local interfaith group that has been credited with affordable housing accomplishments. “But we understand the economic situation that we’re in.”

I think it's wise to move our focus away from the dollars spent on one program or another, especially this year. Not that the programs aren't important, or that the money isn't needed. But putting a number on a program is always tricky, and fluid. The question shouldn't be, "How much are we spending?" but "Are we doing enough?"

"Doing enough" includes requesting public funding, but also includes asking questions about existing programs, looking for creative solutions, creating awareness in our community, building a group of people who believe strongly enough in these issues that they won't let them go, because they understand that we won't come out of these difficult times any stronger if we don't do enough.

Inspiration

I'm going to post some inspiring words I've come across that I feel are relevant to IMPACT's goals and methods -  if you've already committed to coming on March 30, please send them along to a friend, neighbor, or relative who might be encouraged to join you!

"It is so important not to let ourselves off the hook or to become apathetic or cynical by telling ourselves that nothing works or makes a difference. Every day, light your small candle.... The inaction and actions of many human beings over a long time contributed to the crises our children face, and it is the action and struggle of many human beings over time that will solve them—with God's help. So every day, light your small candle."

- Marian Wright Edelman
Guide My Feet

Great primer on affordable housing

Charlottesville Tomorrow has published a terrific and thorough introduction to the topic of affordable housing in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

They don't spend a huge amount of time talking specifically about those earning below 30% AMI (around $20,000/year), which is what IMPACT is focused on, but there is this powerful quote:

"... the problem of a shortage of affordable housing is more complicated than examining incomes and ensuring that an adequate number of units exist for households at each income level; it is not only people who qualify as “low income” that try to save money on housing.  Since people with higher incomes and University students look for inexpensive housing within the City and there are a limited number of affordable rental units, low-income earners have to spend a higher portion of their pay on rent in order to be competitive in the rental market.  The situation has been exacerbated by the slowdown in the housing market; as the demand for rental units grows, rental prices within the City and County are increasing while unemployment is on the rise and salaries are staying the same or decreasing."

Thanks to IMPACT efforts, some progress has been made (City budgets, joint task force), but the economic climate makes a "perfect storm" for affordable housing, particularly for low wage earners. Please come out on March 30 to support our neighbors who can't find a suitable place to live at a livable price.

IMPACT's Issues are OUR Issues

It seems as though I can't open the paper these days without seeing how the topics IMPACT has identified as critical issues of justice have become part of the fundamental platforms of many politicians running in the upcoming elections.

First up, Dennis Rooker:

[Rooker] also said he has his eyes set on improving the county’s affordable housing system, as well as “making certain that we fund excellence in education in this county.”

Next, Dave Norris:

But Norris said the city is still not where it needs to be in terms of providing affordable living choices for its residents, though a dent has been made.

And Julian Taliaferro:

Taliaferro emphasized many of the issues elected officials have been confronted with over the past few years — such as public education, governmental efficiency and especially affordable housing and the regional water supply plan — and vowed to continue work on these matters.

It's clear that IMPACT has help shift the dialogue in a positive way - we know that there are no easy solutions for the issues facing us all, and we look forward to working with elected officials to make progress. It's good to know that the elected officials are on board and understand how important affordable housing and education are to us and to our community.

The university take on affordable housing

Brian Plum (lead organizer for IMPACT) let me know about this article by Sarah Wooten in the Cavalier Daily - "Living through the crisis".

The majority of the facts in the article have been discussed before. The most interesting comments, to me, surrounded the effect (or perceived effect) that the student population has on the amount of affordable housing available to those earning below 50% AMI (average median income).

"University Off-Grounds Housing Manager Vicki Hawes, however, said the housing that University students predominantly live in has been rezoned as “university high density” for students. “I don’t think it affects affordable housing available for the general population of Charlottesville,” Hawes said of the student presence in the city."

Some city residents see things differently:

"Another reason finding affordable housing is difficult, Johnson said, is the student population in the city. Students are taking up a majority of the housing in Charlottesville, she noted. “You can get a lot of students in one apartment and they can pay it,” Johnson said."

Adding the University to the debate complicates things, so I'm glad that they took part in the conversation about the future of affordable housing (see IMPACT Behind the News). And I'm glad that the Cavalier Daily finds this issue important enough to devote a fair number of column-inches to it. I hope that many UVA students read the article and understand that housing is, fundamentally, a human rights issue - and that many many students will come out to the Nehemiah Action on March 30 to show their support for their neighbors who struggle to find a place to live.

Wahoo-wa!