1. You Get to Choose What You Want to Do. If there’s a word to describe the volunteer positions you can fill at New Beginnings, it’s variety. You can watch the home during times when regular staff isn’t there as a Home Assistant, help set up fundraisers as a Church Liaison, form a close personal relationship with a resident while also being a role model as a Mentor, help residents with their academic progress as a Tutor, lead educational programs as a Group Night Presenter, or help with different projects as a general volunteer.
0 Comments
God showed me that He had a higher plan for me and directed me to New Beginnings: A Home for Mothers. I have been here for a little over a month and have started parenting classes twice a week, have developed a healthier relationship with God (through church and devotion), and have signed up to attend school to complete my accounting degree starting this summer. Without the worries of having no roof over my head, I not only have been able to focus on my education goals, but also on my parenting skills, and my health as well. With no more self-doubt, I am very optimistic about our future! Allesundrea (Shawna) joined the New Beginnings Family February 2018. She is expecting a baby boy in May. She plans on going to school and get her degree in accounting.
Many of our mothers, prior to coming to New Beginnings, did not have the opportunity, Christian encouragement, or resources to continue their education. One of the best books I have read is called A Framework for Understanding Poverty written by Ruby Payne. The author illustrates that poverty is often a result of a lack of resources, and that education can change the current prevalence of poverty. In fact, she goes on to say, "An education is key to getting out of, and staying out of, poverty." Education has the potential to break the cycle of poverty. However, there is a caveat. More than 20 years of experience has shown us that mothers will often doubt their ability to continue their education because life events have eroded their self-confidence. As we know, self-doubt is a tough feeling to overcome, but by centering the focus on God's love for us, mothers learn that with Christ anything is possible. We know that the educational attainment of a mother predicts the educational attainment of her child. For this reason, New Beginnings maintains an education fund in which we help mothers pay for the cost of tuition, school supplies, laptops, and transportation to school. Your gifts are life-changing for the mothers – they are finally given an opportunity to succeed with God by their side. To help your gift go further, the Siebert Foundation will match gifts given to education dollar for dollar.
Sharing the gift of education and Christ's love is key to breaking the cycle of poverty for mothers just like Kim, Meosha, and Letisha – even more than that, your gift breaks the cycle of poverty for generations to come. Will you prayerfully consider a gift today? Thank you for supporting life-changing work. The mothers' accomplishments are a result of your gifts, and each mother is grateful for the opportunity to break their cycle of poverty. Brianne Hansen is the Executive Director at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UW-Milwaukee and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, spending time with her dog (Bella) and cats (Mufasa & Jasmine), and going on adventures with her husband, Daniel. Do you ever wonder if you really make a difference? Those volunteer hours that you put in or that money that you donate to help support New Beginnings, does it really matter? How can that help possibly make a difference? It Does! A resident has graduated from the New Beginnings Program! It is all because of God's love working through your help and support! Here is Letisha's story and letter to all of you who have helped her along the way: Dear Supporters of New Beginnings, I am honored to write this letter. I came here to Milwaukee, and low and behold I found a great family with the staff of New Beginnings. Since joining the New Beginnings Family I have began to find a closer relationship with God, my child has gained many new aunts with staff, and I know I have friends for life. My growth here at New Beginnings is only through God’s Grace. Although rough at times this experience has only helped me grow as a mother, a Christian, friend, and soon to be wife. My now fiancé James Greyer also grew and gained much respect for New Beginnings and Staff. Because he was able to trust that his son and I would be in good hands he was able to go to school to get his CDL while also getting his life back on track. Because of my experience here at New Beginnings I have began taking Bible Information classes so that I will be able to join the Lutheran church and extend my volunteering for New Beginnings. More than anything I plan to give back to this great organization that saved my family from sin, along with God’s help. I truly believe that God worked through this foundation. My fiancé and I will be moving into our new apartment. We will also be married at Saint Marcus Church. But the best thing about all of this is the relationship that has grown with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Because of the daily devotions and one on one Bible studies I was able to learn about God, Son, and Holy Spirit. For that I will forever be grateful. Although I made some mistakes along the way again New Beginnings was right there to help me get back on track, for the first time in a very long time I feel like I’m headed in the right direction and New Beginnings along with God are cheering me on. Gratefulness is all that is flowing in my heart, and by myself volunteering at New Beginnings I hope to give as much as they gave me back to another mom. Thanks, Letisha Thank you for everything you do! Letisha joined the New Beginnings Family in January of 2017 and had her son in May 2017. She is pursuing her education while making God and her children the center of her world. She has since graduated from the program but will continue in her journey as part of the New Beginnings Volunteer Family.
3. We have a wide range of opportunities available. Mentor. Tutor. Home Assistant. And so much more! The opportunities are endless and we have special projects all the time. And you know what? If you have a talent or interest you’d be willing to share with us that you don’t see covered in our current available opportunities, I bet we could use it! All you have to do is reach out to us and we will find a place for you! 4. Our moms are awesome! They are hard-working and hilarious and pretty fun to be around. We get to help them through some tough things and we get to celebrate their successes with them. Volunteering is always more fun when you get to spend time with great people! 5. You may get to hang out with some babies! I’ll let these pictures do the talking for this one:
7. You might learn something! Whether you’re forced to learn something in order complete a project or you learn something while helping a mom, chances are you’ll find out something you didn’t know before volunteering with us. I interned at New Beginnings prior to working here in the capacity that I do now and I deepened my knowledge in so many areas from interacting with and helping others to the day-to-day operations of a non-profit. Most importantly, I gained experience in a Christian environment and therefore strengthened my faith. As staff members, we are learning and growing in faith every day and you will too! 8. It’s great experience to add to a resume. No matter what you’re doing to help us, you’re gaining great experience that you could add to your resume! Want to practice a new skill? What better place is there to put that skill to use?
10. WE NEED YOU! Without the support of our donors and volunteers, New Beginnings could not continue to run and help moms here in Milwaukee. With the help of volunteers, we’re able to help more moms and do more to help the moms we already have here. The bottom line is that volunteers are vital to the success of our moms and our program as a whole. Your talents and time are needed here! “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” Isaiah 58:1
Well there is no better way to start a blog post than with a quiz! I hope I didn't scare you away. Are you still there? If so, stay with me. I promise this quiz is easy – all you have to do is make a mental check next to the statements that apply to you. You might be wondering why I am so curious to learn whether you know how to get a library card. The purpose of this quiz is to illustrate a point. If you are falling more into the purple box, odds are you grew up in generational poverty. If you are falling into the green box, more than likely you grew up middle class. Some of us might assume everyone knows how to get a library card – seems easy enough. The reality is that if you don’t know how to do some of the things in the purple box, you cannot possibly expect others to know the hidden rules of middle class. As you may have guessed, there is even a different set of “hidden rules” for wealth - all of which I did not know (but we won’t get into that)!
As Christians, we aim to meet people where they are at, and build our relationship with that person both interpersonally and emotionally. More importantly, we take that relationship a step further by sharing the saving message of God’s grace. Life isn’t always about understanding one another fully, but rather about forming relationships and meeting people where they are at. We don’t have to understand all of the hidden rules, but we should aim to acknowledge them. Let’s not always expect everyone to be like us, let’s not jump to conclusions about who they are, and let’s not judge on the basis of having little or having lots. When we do those things, we lose out on unique opportunities to help others grow (and probably grow ourselves too). Form relationships, share knowledge, share Christ, and through that power, change lives. I encourage you to form a relationship with someone who differs from you in some way. I can assure you that a relationship built on the foundation of Christ is never in vein. Brianne Hansen is the Executive Director at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UW-Milwaukee and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, spending time with her dog (Bella) and cats (Mufasa & Jasmine), and going on adventures with her husband, Daniel. Every workplace has its own odd quirks and idiosyncrasies, and New Beginnings is no different. Here is a list of five ways that New Beginnings can indeed confirm that they work at this small yet amazing nonprofit organization established to help single mothers.
2. You know exactly where your office is located. Getting lost at New Beginnings is impossible, especially since there’s only one office to choose from. The writer of this blog did petition for an intern-only office space, but that idea was quickly shut down. 3. You are friends with ALL the babies. The program size means that you not only get to know each mother on a very personal level, but that you get to know her baby as well. This is why New Beginnings is known as The Cute Baby Capital of Milwaukee County. 4. Someone getting hired is BIG news. I’ve heard some people complain about being “just another intern” at other internships, but at New Beginnings, everything you do has an impact, even if you’re not a paid member of the staff. If you’re a staff member, the impact is even larger, which means that having someone new join the New Beginnings team is headline-worthy. Let’s have a round of applause for our new Media Design Intern Greta Sievert and our newly-hired case manager Clara Drinkwine! 5. You absolutely love your job! Just like motherhood, there are hard parts, but overall the work is worth it and rewarding in a way that nothing else can possibly be!
Do your impressions change as you get to know someone? Most often, it is the second or third interaction that help us form an opinion of who some one is. I had asked Letisha if her impression of the program at New Beginnings was any different once she started in the program. She honestly said that nothing had changed and that if anything, it had just gotten better and Nayari said that she started to feel more comfortable with the residents and staff. Nayari also said that the program got easier as she started getting into it and that New Beginnings isn't just a program, but a family that eats together and talks together also. So, when does a good relationship actually start? It slowly develops over time through trust and commitment. We all have friends, and even friends that we consider family. These are the people who will take us through our good days, bad days, and accept and love us as if they were family. That is our goal with the mothers who come into the New Beginnings' program. There is a reason why we call it the New Beginnings Family. Letisha has been here over a year and she has developed a great relationship with New Beginnings. She has a good relationship with staff and has proved herself as a positive mentor with the other residents. When I asked her what she thinks of New Beginnings now that she has been here that long and become a Phase 2 resident, she said that it is everything that she wanted and needed and that she "will have something to say if anybody talks bad about New Beginnings." Nayari, who has been here over two months said that she now thinks "that the staff is very supportive and they push us (in a loving way) to do better in life and get goals completed so we can be set for life, our future, and our kids." So what drives us? How do we build that relationship and trust? Is it our doing? No! It is to God's Glory that we help these mothers and their children. It was He who commanded us in His Word. "We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 "Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." - Romans 12:13 God also tells us "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2 This is what drives us and through His Grace, we can help these young women grow closer to Him. First impressions sometimes are not always how they initially seem, but overtime can develop into something beyond what we can imagine! Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch.
Letisha joined the New Beginnings Family in January of 2017 and had her son in May 2017. She is pursuing her education while making God and her children the center of her world. Have you shown kindness to others recently? A few weeks ago, I went through the Starbucks drive-thru for my daily dose of caffeine. When I reached the window to pay, I was told that the woman ahead of me already covered the cost of my coffee! I was so astonished by her kindness that I passed that joy along to the next person in line. I was hoping that the acts of kindness continued in the same way all day.
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Brianne Hansen is the Executive Director at New Beginnings. She grew up in Marshall, WI and graduated from Lakeside Lutheran High School. Brianne has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from UW-Milwaukee and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys singing, camping, spending time with her dog (Bella) and cats (Mufasa & Jasmine), and going on adventures with her husband, Daniel. |
Archives
October 2019
Categories
All
|