blog

the diversity panel

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 13:36

A departure from one of our regular house meetings was the event of a wonderful evening celebrating our diversity. A panel of four very powerful women came to meet with us, not only to describe the joys of their culture but also to talk about the many difficulties of being seen as ‘different’ in our society. A Latina, Philippina, an African American, and a paraplegic woman; all let us in to hear some very personal experiences they have encountered in their lives, and were inspiring in their descriptions of how they cope, what they’ve learned and how they see themselves as unique and happy with who they are.

A very lively discussion came out of their willingness to talk about things people usually don’t talk about. It gave our residents the opportunity to disclose their own experiences and to open a dialogue with one another that might not otherwise have occurred.

Several residents came up to me at the end of the evening to say that they hope we have more of these gatherings. One of the women connected with a panelist who works at Seattle Art Museum, and she gave her a lead on a job at the museum.

Another talked privately with a panelist and learned more of her story, which was very similar to her own life. Many others talked about loving the laughter and candid conversation we all enjoyed. A great evening!

Kathy Lewis
Care Manager

“Thank you for being.”

Wednesday, 25 November 2009 16:17

This expression is one that has gained prominence in recent years, and it is an expression that I find relevant to working with the residents of Jubilee Women’s Center.

We live in a culture that places significant emphasis and value upon personal accomplishment. But when a woman finds herself homeless, when she finds herself unable to earn adequate income or sustain sufficient employment, unable to maintain family and support networks, unable to sustain the life that she has always dreamed of, she can enter a place of intense self-condemnation. Statements of self-negation are plentiful in these moments as women can perceive homelessness and residing in transitional housing as a badge of failure and worthlessness.

I believe that there is nothing more punishing to the human spirit than self-negation, and there is nothing more heartbreaking than to watch someone that you care for and believe in pummel herself with punishing self-criticism that does not allow her the capacity to see her amazing resilience, her inner fire and beauty, her exceptional skills, savvy, and strength, her brilliant courage, her innate power, and most importantly, her gift of self. It is my deep wish that in this holiday season, each woman who comes through the doors of Jubilee Women’s Center--be it a new program applicant, a current resident, a volunteer, donor, staff or community member--recognizes the gift that she is just by being who she is.

Dannette Allen
Care Manager

breakfast, bikes, and more . . .

Tuesday, 24 November 2009 10:04

A lot of exciting things have happened in the past few weeks…

We had an immensely successful Benefit Breakfast on October 6th, bringing in over $250,000!! Thank you to all the volunteers who helped to make the event run so smoothly; we couldn’t have done it without you!

On October 17th, a group of Seattle Works volunteers came to Jubilee for a fall house cleaning. They left the place sparkling, providing our residents with a clean and comfortable place to live. Thank you Seattle Works volunteers!!

10 lucky residents are receiving free bikes! The Bicycle Alliance donated 10 used bikes to our residents and The City of Seattle put in a bike rack in front of JWC for free. Along with these generous gifts, other local agencies and stores have donated their time and products: Free Range Cycles has been donating repair work on all the bikes to ensure they are safe and rideable for the women, Cascade Bicycle Club donated helmets and city bike maps, and Recycled Cycles donated heavy duty U-locks. We’re still working on getting lights for all 10 bikes, especially since it’s getting dark so early. Thank you to all of those who have made it possible for 10 residents to have this wonderful source of transportation – what a gift!

Bryn Cowgill
Volunteer & Resource Coordinator

welcome Lisa Chin!

Monday, 26 October 2009 09:29

This week we welcome a new executive director to Jubilee, Lisa Chin. The staff, board and residents are very excited about this new chapter.

Since the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded Jubilee in 1983, several Sisters have directed the operations. We’ve also had several other directors including: Judy Mladineo, Nicki Coyote, Sherry Riva – who put Jubilee on the map with the Learning and Technology Center. And most recently, Susan Fox - who took Jubilee to a whole new level renovating the building and expanding the program to serve even more women.

Leadership transitions, while occasionally difficult, allows an organization to grow and meet new challenges with enthusiasm and fresh perspective. Transitions might not be easy, but they are part of life.

We owe a debt of gratitude to all of the leaders of Jubilee who have laid this path for Lisa. We open our doors and hearts to Lisa and know that she will walk a path of deep respect, compassion and support for the women of Jubilee. I am grateful for the unique vision Lisa brings to Jubilee, and look forward to where she’ll take us!

Andrea Johnson
Director of Development

a shout of joy

Tuesday, 22 September 2009 07:59

As a Jubilee Women’s Center care manager, I have the honor of working with residents to develop their Individual Success Plans. These plans allow residents to identify short and long-term goals in such areas as permanent housing, physical and mental health, spiritual well-being, employment, education, financial freedom, and healthy relationships. The Individual Success Plan also provides the opportunity for residents and care managers to work collaboratively to develop achievable action steps for attaining life goals.

The work of identifying life goals and action steps is one that can be challenging for Jubilee residents because sometimes, the harshness of life’s realities have not afforded these truly resilient women with a safe and inviting space to seriously contemplate the direction of their lives. Sometimes, the harshness of life’s realities strip residents of belief that the dreams dearest to their heart are within their reach. And sometimes, residents struggle to maintain a belief in themselves—to maintain a belief in their inner capacity to not just survive adversity, but to create full and vibrant lives.

But this is what is so wonderful about Jubilee Women’s Center: volunteers, donors, neighbors, human service providers, area businesses, and Jubilee staff come together as a community to support each resident’s efforts to bring her life goals to fruition. Poet David Whyte writes, “Inside everyone is a great shout of joy waiting to be born.” It is thrilling to know that the residents of Jubilee have a community passionately committed to the amazing act of birthing the new lives of Jubilee residents.