The Sailing accident that made Community Development come to light

Jim and I have a 21 foot San Juan sailboat – Amada (Beloved) and we are learning to sail. During the last few years we had to get rescued several times as we learned to move with the wind. Yesterday we were able to help someone!

Lake Yosemite was beautiful, a nice wind, warm temperatures and really cold water…. Just about perfect! We were excited to be on the lake. We usually turn our cellphones off, void of all distractions we have time to talk, think, pray and just enjoy the event while we move back and forth on the lake.

While Jim was waiting for me he helped a dad and his two preteen boys get his small sailboat ready. Dad had grown up on boats and having much experience with sailing he wanted his boys to experience it as well. While we were on the lake we looked around for them but didn’t see a sailboat.

Instead we saw a capsized boat with 3 people stranded on top of it. As we made our way toward the family we devised a plan to get the boys into our boat. We used our cellphone to call the Sheriff to come and help with the overturned boat.

We had to make several passes to get the boys, but in the end they were with us. Dad stayed and waited for the Sheriff to turn his boat right-side-up so that he could get back to shore as we circled and talked with the boys about the steps dad was taking to turn his boat over. They were able to save a few things but much of their snacks, shoes and drinks were lost at sea.

The wind on the lake is unpredictable and a gust of wind had blown his boat over and the mast had gotten stuck in the sand. There was nothing dad could do than wait for someone to move him out of the mud.

The sheriff came and it took several maneuvers and at one time they pulled too hard and the boat went over on the other side….. but conversations and cooperation made it possible for the boat to come loose and dad was able to sail his boat safely into the harbor and was reunited with his boys.

As I was reflecting on this encounter I thought that community development is a little like this:

• Everyone has amazing gifts and experiences and wants to share them.

• Sometimes all the best planning just does not keep things from going sideways.

• Sometimes the winds of life can move us to a point where we can’t help ourselves.

• When we get stuck in the sand it is worth asking for help – sometimes we need others.

• Sometimes it takes several approaches to get out of the mud and right side up again.

• Even when we need help, we oftentimes already know what needs to be done, but need additional resources.

• When we accept the help it does not mean we are helpless. We are part of the solution.

• When the ‘crisis’ is over, the person can move ahead and ‘steer the boat’ themselves.

• It does not have to be an embarrassment; it can be a learning experience.

But too often this is not the picture we get to see; imagine it another way, not as a community effort, but as a program -

Dad takes his kids out for a boat ride. He is prepared but the unimaginable happens and the boat capsizes. A ‘rescue crew’ comes along and thinks that dad is very irresponsible (because they don’t know the whole picture – they don’t know how experienced he is, how he prepared the kids, and that they are wearing their lifejackets). They only see a father putting his children in danger…and so they come to the rescue. They take the kids in their boat, care for them, feed them, and send them to a ‘better family’. Dad on the other hand is waiting to get some help in turning his boat right side up, but authorities realize that it is a ‘bad’ boat and should not be used any longer since it caused this problem in the first place. Dad is being punished for his neglect and loses his resources (boat) as well as the respect of his children.

As all pictures this is not perfect, but you get the idea!

As the boys reunited with dad we complimented dad on his handling of the boat, his great ideas to turn it, and his wisdom in being prepared. Crisis in life happens, how we respond to it makes all the difference!

We called it a successful day!

A former drug addict, a single mom, a homeless couple, 3 undocumented women, a man who has not received a paycheck in years, and a person with dementia.....you put these men and women together on a task and you have a beautiful picture of community.

We have a saying that "everyone no matter how rich has a need and everyone no matter how poor has a gift" and last week that once again became evident.
Every one of the people who helped with the Bus Boutique this weekend used their amazing gifts, passions and dreams: organizational skills, ability to drive the big bus, a sense and purpose that makes the bus look like an upscale boutique, a servant heart, a deep understanding of the homeless issue, and a very unbiased care for people. These people helped dozens of homeless people receive good clothing, a smile and a little bit of heaven.

There are two ways to look at people: you can either see the needs, the inabilities, the dysfunctions, or you can see their gifts and skills that make them so unique and so powerful.

At LifeLine CDC we want to focus on the glass half full! We want to see people with their potential. We want to give them opportunities to be part of making their community a better place, to change their lives as well as the lives of people around them.

So, bring it on! Because when you see broken pieces, we will look for the mosaic God can build using them!

As for my friends: well done!!!! Thank you for using your gifts.

Would Winton LifeLine Community Center be missed?

Would Winton LifeLine Community Center be missed? Many activities are flowing out of the Winton LifeLine Community Center and if this service is something YOU want, then YOU need to help! During the last year over 500 families received emergency food, all graffiti abatement was handled through the center. Senior citizens have received help with moving, fixing, and cleaning up back yards, Kid's Time kept the children safe, people have come to write resumes and look for jobs or do research on the computer. We helped connect people with resources and assistance they needed. Over $30,000 came back into the community through the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program, Workers through the Human Service Agency learn new skills and young men were being mentored, A community garden is planted and ready to bring fresh fruits and vegetables. Goods were being exchanged (e.g. clothing and furniture) and people are always welcome to come and visit and just have a conversation. The building is used for the USDA distribution and NA meetings as well as other community oriented groups.

So my question is: would you miss it if is disappeared?
We know these are difficult economic times, but that seems like one more reason to have a community focused place where people not only receive services but give services. Where people can use the gifts they have to help someone else. Where people can not just receive a hand-out but a hand-up. Where we know that "Everyone no matter how rich has a need and everyone no matter how poor has a gift."
Over the last few years the Community Center had a slogan "Putting Winton on the map for something good." and the team still is committed to it... but we can't do it alone!
Will you join us! The cost to run the Center with 2 part time staff is $25,000. But we not only need money, we need volunteers. Will you use your gifts and passions and dreams to keep the Center open so that it can continue in the work of making Winton the best place to live for everyone?

For more information please contact Monika Grasley at 209-201-2905. LifeLine Community Center is located at 7081 Winton Way near Walnut.

From drug dealer to community organizer

Ernie is not shy about his colorful life but that makes him one of the best community organizers. His heart for the community of Winton makes him go the extra mile, his passion to 'put Winton on the map for something good' keeps him busy during his off hours. He understands the struggle the community members are going through, he knows the temptations and he has lived in the community for years.

Recently Ernie and Adrian, our AmeriCorps member, were approached by the Merced County Public Defenders office to share at their luncheon about the work that they are doing in Winton with the at-risk youth and a relationship developed.

Here is an article that was in the Merced SunStar that makes all of us proud!

Vincent Andrade: Quite a LifeLine in Winton

A free legal clinic is planned for Winton on July 9. The Free Winton Legal Clinic is a product of the collaboration between Winton LifeLine Community Center, Merced County Public Defender, Central California Legal Services and UC Merced Law Clinic. The purpose of the clinic is to make free legal services and information available to Winton residents.

Winton LifeLine Community Center has been part of the community for several years. LifeLine has become a force for improving the community by engaging in graffiti abatement, involving the local youth in this project and working on other projects.

I first met LifeLine representative Ernie Solis several months ago. I learned about him from a story that appeared in the Sun-Star. Getting to know Ernie, I have come to appreciate both his compelling life story as well as his commitment to his hometown of Winton. He is a force for improvement and change in Winton. There are undoubtedly equally committed individuals in Winton as well as other Merced County communities.

The needs of the residents of these communities take many forms. One area that Ernie identified is legal services. A free legal clinic is a way to improve the lives of indigent and working people in ways that those who have access to legal services may not consider.

Imagine the senior who wants control over her estate but who cannot read or write, the hard-working father with a criminal record who does not know he can clean his record and thereby get a better job, the mother with three children facing eviction who will end up on the street if she does not know how to defend against the eviction in court.

To help people with these needs and similar problems, Winton LifeLine Community Center is hosting, and Merced County Public Defender and Central California Legal Services along with UC Merced Law Clinic are sponsoring, this free clinic.

Teaming up with Central California Legal Services staff attorneys Pahoua Lor and Safiya Morgan, we have embarked on an ambitious alliance to deliver legal information and basic services at the clinic, which will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Crookham Elementary, 7160 W. Walnut Ave.

University students active with the UC Merced Law Clinic will volunteer their time at the clinic.

Presentations are scheduled in the areas of juvenile justice in Merced County, the eviction process, gang intervention, wills, health care directives and power of attorney and the immigration application process. Participants will include Merced County Superior Court Self-Help Center as well as a number of other organizations and groups that want to contact and help Winton-area residents.

As a supervising attorney in the office of the Merced County Public Defender, I am interested in improving the service my department provides to residents who live in the various Merced County communities. Increasing the level of service outlying communities receive will help to improve the lives of Merced County residents -- no matter where they live.

The organizations that have collaborated to develop the Free Winton Legal Clinic have planned and worked for its success. Based on the level of community support and response, it's hoped that free legal clinics can be planned in other communities....

To learn more about Ernie's story go our website at www.lifelinecdc.org