by Chris Horst | Aug 17, 2010 | Blog |
Down the road from Joshua Station, where my wife and I live, stands the second worst school in all of Denver. Greenlee Elementary School is failing. Last year, after four years of severe underperformance, Denver Public Schools terminated over half of the staff in an attempt to resuscitate it. The challenge for local families is that for most; Greenlee is their only option. This summer, the balance shifted.
A new school put down roots in our neighborhood. A branch of West Denver Prep, an innovative charter school with higher student growth rates than any other school in Denver, came into the community with a flurry. For this expansion branch to survive, the principal needed to fill the seats. And he refused to circumvent the at-risk families in the community. He came to Joshua Station, a transitional housing program home to two dozen low-income families, multiple times to recruit new families to join West Denver Prep.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/6788567 w=500&h=300]
Maria and her daughter were one of those families. Maria is a spirited and protective mother and she did not go soft on the young principal when he showed up. She pelted him with tough questions: How do you handle school violence? How tough are your teachers? How do you engage parents? Resiliently, he answered each question with candor and compassion. Maria left the meeting impressed and determined to enroll her daughter at West Denver Prep. She shared that with me proudly.
He came to my apartment three times and answered my questions honestly. Greenlee’s leaders only came after I told them I wasn’t enrolling my daughter there. They tried to convince me not to leave, because my daughter is a great student, but they didn’t fight for us like West Denver Prep.
Maria, a single, formerly homeless mom experienced the privilege of influence in a profound way. When Greenlee was her only option, she had no choice. She had no influence. That school, her only choice, was failing and there was very little she could do about it. She was on the receiving end of a bad gift which she was unable to refuse or return. This is a circumstance which plagues under-resourced, low-income families across the globe.
One of the greatest contributions we can make with our charitable efforts occurs when we shift the balance of influence to those who are historically without it. In the context of microfinance, one of the foremost ways we enrich the lives of our clients is through the provision of influence. Because they are customers, rather than recipients, they have a seat at the proverbial, and sometimes literal, bargaining table. If loan sizes are not flexible enough, interest rates are too high or branch offices are too far from their homes; they let us know. HOPE is a gift they can refuse. On the flip side, we are highly motivated to provide the very best services imaginable. Or our clients walk.
Jacqueline Novogratz, a leading voice in international development, describes this concept by comparing the market to a “listening device”:
If I give you a gift…you would be highly unlikely to tell me what was wrong with it. And in fact, when I visited, you might even put it out on the mantelpiece to make me feel good. That same thing happens with traditional charity. If I ask you to buy something from me, you suddenly become a customer with a big attitude as to what’s right about it and what’s wrong about it… So in that way, the market is a listening device.
When this transition happens, we change from the position of informing the poor about what they need, to adapters and listeners, responding to the demands, requests and influence of those we serve. We can empower and equip women, like Maria, when we open up the doors of influence.
by Chris Horst | Aug 4, 2010 | Blog |
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that if you find good people, give them good jobs, and pay them good wages, good things will happen.
– Jim Sinegal, CEO, Costco
Below is a letter I recently sent to Jim Sinegal and Craig Jelinek (CEO and President, respectively) at Costco Corporation, an international chain of membership warehouses. I am publishing this letter publicly because too often the only businesses we hear about are those which are in some way abusive to customers, vendors and/or employees. As you’ll read in the letter and elsewhere, Costco is an absolute world-class business. If you’re a regular on this blog, you’ll know this is a topic I’m enthusiastic about. Despite the refrain of many headlines, Costco is not the only remarkable business!
—-
Dear Mr. Sinegal and Mr. Jelinek,
Throughout the 90s, my older brother Matthew worked part-time at a grocery store. He was punctual, cared for his customers and he completed his work (clearing grocery carts from the parking lot) with excellence. But, the part-time minimum-wage salary, lack of benefits and toxic work environment prevented this job from becoming a career.
When a Costco opened up in our neighborhood (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) in the late 90s; its reputation for treating its employees with dignity preceded it. Matthew applied immediately in hopes of joining the Costco team. A few short months later, Costco took a chance on him. Today, 11 years later, after several promotions, consistent pay increases and with a supportive team around him, Matthew has found his career. The very generous salary and benefits package allow him to enjoy life in a debt-free home in a great neighborhood, within walking distance of Costco.
For his entire life, Matthew has been classified and known by his “special needs”. Since the day he began at Costco, however, his coworkers and customers have valued him because of his unique strengths. There are many companies which “succeed” at the expense of their workers. I am a firsthand witness to a counterintuitive company: Costco succeeds through the flourishing of its employees.
Matthew worked for years in the Costco parking lot (bearing the wind, rain, cold and snow), taking pride when it was free of carts. And, true to the rumors (that Costco promotes from within), he eventually was given the opportunity to work in the warehouse as a cashier’s assistant, supporting customers as they check-out. He absolutely loves his job…and his customers absolutely love him.
Matthew raves about his friends at the eyeglass center, bakery, pharmacy, food court and customer service desk. He always talks about the tire crew members who allow him to park his bike under their watch–and make sure it is tuned and safe to ride. He pays tribute to his many supervisors, each of whom has taken special care to help him succeed. Matthew enthusiastically participates in Costco’s Children’s Miracle Network partnership month, the annual Christmas party, and he recently won an employee Biggest Loser competition (losing over 65 pounds).
Costco has become much, much more than an employer to Matthew. Thank you for giving him a chance. I have always deeply believed that Matthew does not need any handouts — he just needs opportunities to apply his incredibly unique gifts and abilities. The purpose and care with which you approach business has literally changed the course of my brother’s life and has been an unspeakable blessing to him and to our family.
My warmest thanks,
Chris Horst
by Chris Horst | Jul 27, 2010 | Blog |
When our pregnancy was revealed mid-December I wondered if the timing would allow me to engage in Advent to a deeper degree. Sure, we had our pregnancy revealed by six blue lines (2 positive lines x 3 tests = 6) instead of Gabriel, but something was clearly binding me to the emotion of Advent in a new way. While this may have happened to a small degree, I underestimated the way in which my pregnancy would bind my heart to my students and neighbors.
The spring was filled with moments in my classroom that I will always cherish (“Your baby is going to turn out so cute and I know you’re not going to have a miscarriage because you are healthy and clean”) and others that were truly humbling (“Ms Horst, today you don’t look pregnant at all! You just look fat!”). A month after the big announcement was made, this interaction occurred:
Me: You guys are going to have to make more room for this pregnant woman to sit down.
Feliciano: I didn’t know you were pregnant!
Me: Feliciano, you know I’m pregnant… we’ve been talking about it for the last month.
Feliciano: Well, I knew you were going to have a baby, but I thought you were going to be pregnant this summer.
I knew I was beginning to think like a teacher when I was able to appreciate the logical explanation of inferring on Juan’s assessment despite its brutal honesty:
“Inferring is like predicting what is going to happen. You use your prior knowledge and your beliefs. For example, I believe my teacher is having a baby. My evidence is that her tummy is getting fat.”
At Joshua Station, we’ve had a few gut wrenching conversations similar to this one with Fanta:
Fanta: Is your boyfriend going to marry you now?
Me: Chris? We’re already married.
Fanta: But now that you’re pregnant… is he going to marry you?
Me: He already married me before we were pregnant.
Feliciano: Do you have a ring?
Chris and I didn’t fit Fanta’s five-year-old understanding of marriage, so the fact checking continued: Did he get down on a knee? Did he say “Will you marry me?” Are you still wearing the ring? Do you live together?
Now, less than two weeks away from 8.9.10, I’m beginning to infer like Juan… Using my prior knowledge (everyone I know has always stopped being pregnant at some point, usually around that 40th week) and my beliefs (that jab to my ribs felt like a baby is inside of me), I am going to infer that our life is about to get pretty dang sweet.
by Chris Horst | Jul 21, 2010 | Blog |
In a conversation with a friend a few years ago, we began discussing international child sponsorship. We wrestled back-and-forth for some time, discussing both the good and the bad. Since that initial conversation, I have repeated that discussion time-and-again, including a lengthy conversation with a colleague who was himself sponsored as a child in the Dominican Republic. His insights have informed this post significantly. It is a sensitive issue and I pray, even while I write this, that my reflections are gracious and balanced.
Child sponsorship has been a wildly successful in connecting donors with poor children around the world. Billions of dollars are funneled every year to international organizations through child sponsorship programs. Letters are written back-and-forth and funds are given faithfully every month. But, is it doing long-term good? Or could it actually be perpetuating the problems it claims to solve?
I am reminded of Christ’s admonition to us… “Be shrewd as serpents and kind as doves” (Matt 10:16). In that light, I will highlight both the good and the bad of child sponsorship programs and allow you to disseminate accordingly. First, a few strengths of child sponsorship:
- Jesus had a special place in his heart for children (Matt 19:14). Without exception, children are our world’s most vulnerable demographic. Christians are mandated to defend and protect orphans throughout Scripture.
- The majority of people which enter into a relationship with Christ do so before the age of 18. How can we ignore this important demographic? The data supports this as a strategic age upon which the Church should focus.
- Helping children can change the future. As children are educated, equipped and mentored, we have the opportunity to train the next generation of leaders.
- Many organizations are “doing it right” and I am convinced that Compassion International, to be very specific, does child sponsorship better than anyone else. The centrality of the Gospel in their curriculum, their close partnership with local churches, their laser-focused precision on children, and their grounded and principled operations set them a notch above all others.
That being said, not all child sponsorship programs are as effective. While “helping children” is an amiable aim, we need to examine the long-term impacts. Several important considerations:
- These programs can undermine the role of parents. I had a friend who visited a community in Ghana and an angry mother chased him out of her neighborhood saying, “I can take care of my own children!” She thought my friend was with a child sponsorship organization. An extreme example, but worth considering. God’s design includes parents as providers for their children. Only a small percentage of sponsored children are truly orphaned.
- Child sponsorship can have the same impacts of a bad welfare system. In an email I recently received, a friend shared a story which communicated just that. “My sister is a missionary in Chile…She knows of families that live off the money they get from child sponsorship programs. As one child outgrows the sponsorship program, the parents have another child so they can continue to qualify for the funding.” Yikes.
- These programs can pitch wealthy Americans as the “great heroes” to the poor children in the developing world. Are we sending a message which paints a picture of the donor as the healer and the child as the patient? The nature of this type of relationship can be unhealthy.
- Many of these programs are wrought with fraud. A friend who worked in Congo shared that one of the Christian child sponsorship program directors wrote (not translated) the kids’ letters to the donors. She would often come to his office and he would have piles of letters which he authored, pretending to be the sponsored children.
- Jealousy is alive and well. My colleague who was sponsored as a child talked about how it stirred up jealousy among his peers. He would receive special gifts (baseball gloves, toys, etc.), a better education, hot meals, and a chance for college scholarships and the un-sponsored children would not.
- Child sponsorship can encourage dependency. Poorly designed charitable aid can put a choke-hold on ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Our goal should always be to help those on the margins stand on their own feet so that continued support is no longer needed. I have met with countless friends working in orphanages and with sponsorship programs who have expressed concerns about kids who graduate from their programs being unable to fend for themselves.
I’ll end with a suggestion from an expert, Jonathan Martin. Jonathan was a missionary in Asia for over ten years and is currently a missions pastor in Portland Oregon. His fantastic book, Giving Wisely?, devotes a chapter specifically to this issue. He ends with a list of four hard questions which he suggests we all ask the agencies through whom we sponsor children:
- How does this program seek to get the children out of a cycle of dependency?
- How does it encourage work?
- How does it keep the responsibility upon the shoulders of the parents and the society to take care of its own?
- What time frame does the agency have for getting the community to stand on its own feet so sponsorship is no longer needed in a given village?
No intervention or program is perfect (as I’ve written previously) and this is not an indictment of an entire approach, but rather a call to prudence and accountability. Not all child sponsorship is created equal.
by Chris Horst | Jul 6, 2010 | Blog |
On Sunday, the Denver Post featured an article on the expiration of unemployment benefits. Despite unemployment benefits being extended beyond the traditional time frame of six months up to close to two years; nearly ten percent of Americans are still unemployed, with no prospects of that number declining significantly anytime soon.
One quote from the article was especially telling. Dianne, a 47-year old human resources professional, shared of her own challenge in finding a job. She has been searching for a job for nine months and still has not landed a position in human resources:
I’m nervous. It means that maybe I’ll have to go down to the local Taco Bell for a job. Maybe I can get food there too.
I understand her nervousness…and recognize that it can be frustrating to not be able to find a job directly within your professional experience or educational training. But, Diane’s comment continues to hang with me and agitate me for the following reasons:
- The slap-in-the-face she gives to all employees at fast food restaurants, as if their work is “beneath” someone like Diane.
- The pervading cultural shift in our country which refuses to acknowledge that job choice is a luxury.
Reading this comment, I think about my friends in “blue collar” positions, those working in restaurants, construction sites and factories. How would they feel when reading Dianne’s comments? I think about the history of our nation. It is only within the past fifty years that (many) Americans have had the luxury of choosing their career. In the early and mid 20th century, the vast majority of Americans worked wherever they could find a job. The concept of “vocational calling” would have been a reality for only the most elite. If your dad owned a farm — you farmed. If the factory had a job opening — you applied. Job choice in our country has always been a luxury, not a right.
From a global perspective, simply having a stable job, of any sort, is a luxury as well. I think about the hundreds of millions of people around the world who would sacrifice anything for the opportunity to work at Taco Bell. A consistent paycheck, well-lit working conditions, discounted food — that would be one of a highly-coveted job in many places around the world.
Dianne made a simple comment — and one similar to comments I have undoubtedly made in the past. I also recognize I am working in a “dream vocation” currently and I do not want to undermine the challenges job layoffs and unemployment present. It’s brutal. Unemployment is rough and it would be tough for me to leave my cushy office position to go back to working in the concrete business like I did in college. But, I hope that one of the silver linings of this recession is a reminder of what “normal” looks like in the scope of the world and our nation’s history.
