By MARY NADER
We are always pleased and proud when our clients stop by to tell us good news about their circumstances. Whether it is a new job, improving health or some other forward momentum, we celebrate together and cherish these successes.
We are often tickled to hear clients almost apologize for not needing our services any more — perhaps they feel as we do, that in many ways we become friends and family, and we will miss each other!
Sam and Trisha found themselves in this situation recently. Sam had lost his well-paying job a couple of years back and wasn’t able to replace it. So he and Trisha got full-time, lower-paying jobs that weren’t enough to pay all the bills every month.
Our help allowed them to hold onto their home and to provide food for their family during the years it took to improve their income. Now, both have better-paying jobs, and they stopped by to say goodbye and to thank us for helping them through “the hardest time of our lives.”
“We never needed help before, and it was hard to ask for it, but you helped us feel safe and didn’t judge us. We will never be able to repay you for all you have done.”
But they are trying. Trisha now includes an automatic donation to Fishline from her paycheck, and Sam wants to volunteer when he can.
Many of our clients, like our seniors, our disabled and working poor, might find they need services for many years, and we’re glad they have the options that Fishline offers. But for those who are in between jobs or managing a temporary crisis, are in school or otherwise in the process of finding their footing, Fishline can serve as a bridge to the better times that are ahead. Perhaps it would surprise you to learn that 40 percent of our clients who needed our services last year have not returned this year. That is a remarkable rebound rate and proof that people don’t want to stay dependent — their determination to recover self-sufficiency and independence is very strong.
Fishline’s goals are now concentrated on increasing that rebound percentage. Through a better understanding of what brings about lasting prosperity, providing education and resources to identify new directions while assisting people as they pursue them and being a source of encouragement along the way, we believe many clients’ long-term need for Fishline services can diminish. We can instead become a launch pad to the possibilities that await. Then we can concentrate on the 600 or so new households who register for services each year, because we know that the cycles of life will mean an organization like Fishline will always be needed.
When previous clients become donors, volunteers or advocates, we know the impact we have had is enduring. It is a great privilege to witness the transformations of these courageous neighbors, to be inspired by their resiliency, to watch as they rise again. The ability of the human spirit to remain strong in crisis, to see the stubborn resolve that surfaces, is a marvel to behold.
Confucius once said, “A gem cannot be polished without friction nor man without trials.” The person who emerges on the other side of adversity is tougher, wiser and an asset to any community. To be a part of that story is one of the great rewards for Fishline and the supporters who have banded together to create this soft place to fall that can also become part of the help needed to bounce back.
Our community can be very proud of its decision to care for each other in this way, and we will collectively reap the benefits for many years to come.
— Mary Nader is executive director of North Kitsap Fishline. Contact her at director@nkfishline.org.
