Brief with less details than past reports. – A sign of the times.

Planning and Operations / Program Development

We really need a part time person. I wrote up a budget for 1 more staff member, 24 hours a week. We utilized 22 different volunteers last month, but in the end – I am still working 3 nights, on average, per week. 1 part time person would cost approximately $21,000 per year.

I am trying to focus on some larger projects including:

1. Basic Homeless Assistance Program grant and Emergency Services Grant
   1. due February 12
   2. ~ $176,000.00 + $23,000. in ESG funding
2. PIT, or Point In Time count for the Fairbanks Homeless & Housing Coalition
   1. 1/26 day event + evening event
3. Larger picture – staffing plan – Missionary House Parents + ???

Shelter Report:
16 different youth, ages 15-21, accessed the shelter last month for a total of 85 different bed nights. 22 volunteers volunteered 367.5 hours.

138 Tenth:
The ongoing GVEA Saga – to my knowledge – the electric has not been re-connected yet. I am under the impression that it should be soon. Part of the delay is due to the fact that to reconnect it – GVEA wanted to see upgrades on the building to meet current code guidelines. There has been quite a bit of negotiating. I’m starting to wonder if we still should pursue this. What if they hook it up – and the lines are all frozen ? Aaaahhhh!

Public Relations & Communications
I was able to connect both with Channel 13 folks and Daily News Miner in December for connecting with community. These were not planned but proved to be so timely! They were both divinely appointed (I did not initiate the contacts) but both yielded donations and encouraging calls and messages left on the phones “Thank you for doing this” “Bless you for doing this,” etc.

Also, the church agreed, Praise God, to allow folks to drop off donations directly to the church. This has yielded DAILY DROPS of clothing, food, hygiene items, and more. I think in the entire month of Dec. there was 1 or 2 days when something was NOT dropped off. We even received a package from Anchorage with a brand new North Face Jacket in it.

We are pursuing interior bus advertising. It was more expensive than originally thought, but the FNSB Transportation Dept. is negotiating on our behalf for a good deal (favor!)

The new brochures have arrived. I will bring some to the next meeting.

Finances / Fiscal Oversight / Grant and Contract Management
Brad and I are working to submit our first AHFC reimbursement for the months of November and December. I hope to send it early on this week.

Fundraising / Donor Development
December exploded. Look forward to Brad’s report at the next board meeting and see the growth that happened this year compared to how we ended 2011.

• A number of checks go to First Presbyterian. Depending on who it is written to – we divide them up to see who can deposit it. If FPC deposits it, then they write a check to us.
• Item for next board meeting: do we do anything different for the agencies or individuals who give significant funds? What is significant? Do we call? or ??

Human Resources / Staff and Volunteer Development
We hired two awesome ladies and Sarah is back from England so we are working through all that comes with transitions and growth. It looks like our staff meetings are going to move to Thursday nights, when all 3 of us are at the shelter for the early part of the evening.

Please read on to learn a little about both women:

Niki is our new Shelter Supervisor:
Hello Everyone! I’m sending this email out, because I wanted to introduce myself a little to all of you…..So here it goes.My name is Nicole Merriweather. I will respond to Nicole or Niki. I am 29 years old. I have lived in Fairbanks for five winters, yes I count by winters because for me they are undesirable  You may ask than why am I still here, well I am here because this is where God has chosen for me to be,and this is where my family began. I have one beautiful 7 month old baby girl, named Isabella Alexandria. She is such a precious gem in my life, and a true blessing from God.

Professionally now. I have worked in the social service field for years plus years plus years.I began in Iowa in daycare’s and quickly moved into youth counselor roles. I have worked at an emergency shelter, a residential treatment centers, as a youth counselor and supervisor. I have also done in-home work and after school programs. I have worked with youth ages 6 to 19. I have worked in a wide range of programs from sexual offenders to substance abuse programs, to gang and aggression to conduct and behavioral programs, to sexual abuse victims to victims of domestic violence programs, to cognitive and developmentally delayed programs and surprisingly the list can go on, but I’m sure you get the gist.  I have gained a lot of experience along the way, but it’s still just a small wave in the ocean and I have more waves to make.

With that being said, I am very passionate about the youth of today, they are the future and they need positive God fearing role models to guide them, which ultimately brings us all to this organization today, and reminds me of this verse,
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants.
Isaiah 44:3.

Now to come to an end, I am here for support, ask me questions, and share your ideas – your voice will not fall on deaf ears. I look forward to slowly meeting each and everyone of you. Until then please feel free to email me nicole@fairbanksyouthadvocates.org , or call/ text me 712-204-8103 (FYI texting is better for me, gets to the point and doesn’t take a lot of time away from family time to respond to a text.)

PS. All of you continue to keep doing a great job!!

Karalee Spear is our Shelter Manager:
As a longtime Alaskan, raised here since 1978, I have had the pleasure of experiencing firsthand the generous spirit of many in the Fairbanks community. I love this community’s heart to help people in time of need and it’s that same generous spirit that I hope to exemplify myself in everyday living, my volunteer jobs, as well as in my regular jobs.

I have accepted the FYA Shelter Manager position because I understand, firsthand, the challenges faced as a homeless youth and just as I have been helped, I consider it a great privilege to help others.  People who didn’t know me accepted me, provided a safe place to live and helped me get a job.  They helped to arrange transportation to school and work so I could graduate high school on time. Because of their help I not only finished high school but was able to move on to college afterwards.
My dream has been since I was very young to have my own home to welcome in youth who for whatever reasons needed a place to stay, and help them see they are valuable human beings, worthy of love and respect, and capable of accomplishing anything they set their minds to. I don’t have my own home yet but I believe this is the next best thing. I am excited to work with such amazing quality people as Marylee Bates,  Nicole Merriweather, and Sarah Smith who exemplify loving  and celebrating people where they are at and are very passionate about reaching our at-risk vulnerable youth. I consider myself very fortunate to be a part of this team!

I have spent my life working thus far working in various Human Services fields from the medical field, to working with children, youth, elderly, people with disabilities, people who experience addictions with drugs and alcohol and now to providing homeless youth a safe place to sleep at night. I consider the latter a great honor I don’t take lightly. It’s a privilege to be able to serve others in very real practical ways.

Dick : We sent Dick away with $200.00 in his pocket that he was not expecting. He was blown away and it meant a lot to him.  He and I text periodically, he is doing 5 mile day hikes in preparation for the Appalachian Trail.

Sarah: Had a great vacation but is happy to be home. I will give her a card and $$ gift (its not too late to provide a small donation if you haven’t yet) soon, and call it the “welcome home gift” – since she is anti-gifts and anti-Christmas.

Volunteers:
As mentioned earlier, we utilized 22 volunteers out of a total list of about 45. So that is pretty good I think. We received approximately 30 applications from folks in December – while Sarah was gone. So she has begun to work through that batch. We are also planning quarterly training sessions and have designed ongoing monthly trainings that volunteers can access here at the shelter.

Board Development / Relations / Governance
I will bring the bank paperwork we need for Jeff to become a signer, at the next board meeting.