EDITOR’S NOTE — For 21 years, Peninsula Daily News readers in Jefferson and Clallam counties have supported the “hand up, not a handout” Peninsula Home Fund.
Today, we feature another in a series of articles on how the Home Fund operates and who benefits from our readers’ generosity.
The next article will appear Sunday along with a list of new donors.
For 21 years, the Peninsula Daily News’ “hand up, not a handout” Peninsula Home Fund has provided a unique lifeline on the North Olympic Peninsula.
All the money collected for the Home Fund goes — without any deductions for overhead or administration — for hot meals for seniors, warm winter coats for kids, home repairs for the low-income, needed eyeglasses and prescription drugs, dental work, safe, drug-free temporary housing . . .
The list goes on and on.
The Home Fund is a safety net for local residents when there is nowhere else to turn.
As the fund has grown, so has the OlyCAP work force that administers it — many of whom are big-hearted volunteers.
OlyCAP is the nonprofit Olympic Community Action Programs, the No. 1 emergency care agency in Jefferson and Clallam counties.
OlyCAP oversees the Peninsula Home Fund for the PDN, screening the applicants and distributing the funds.
Here is an interview with Rich Ciccarone, a retired corporate executive from New York City who volunteers with OlyCAP in the agency’s Port Townsend office.
The interview was conducted by Sheila Ramsey, AmeriCorps volunteer coordinator stationed at OlyCAP.
Q, What is your work at OlyCAP?
A. I provide help from the Home Fund, interviewing clients to determine their needs and eligibility for our services.
In the course of any interview, I can offer the client financial assistance, a referral to an agency that can provide the support they need or, simply, encouragement if we are unable to assist.
For example, when a woman came into the office, she wanted to “walk away” from her mortgage.
We discussed what that would mean for her future, and I suggested she speak with someone on the mortgage-crisis hot line.
Q. What is rewarding about this volunteer position?
A. There is a sense of accomplishment knowing that you can help people in crisis.
In addition, I have the ability to offer immediate assistance if possible.
Unfortunately, there are circumstances where I can only offer a listening ear and genuine empathy.
My minimum goal is to help people smile.
When I leave OlyCAP, I feel fulfilled; like walking a foot above the ground.
Q. What are the challenges?
A. The biggest challenge is assessing each individual’s needs to best determine the most helpful approach.
Every individual has a unique set of circumstances.
Q. How did you get involved in volunteer service at OlyCAP?
A. I was working with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program when it was dissolved on the Peninsula.
Another OlyCAP volunteer, Bill James, introduced me to the emergency services program at OlyCAP, which provides assistance by means of the Home Fund.
When I initially observed what was involved, I was emotionally overwhelmed by the scope of how deeply affected all people are in these difficult times.
Q. How long have you been on the North Olympic Peninsula?
A. I retired from the corporate world in Manhattan three years ago.
My wife and I loved the area and bought property in Jefferson County because the area suited our old hippie roots.
After a year of settling in and getting our home in order, we looked at each other and asked, “Now what are we going to do?”
We both decided to volunteer so that we could make a difference.
Q. How would you describe OlyCAP’s impact on the communities of Jefferson and Clallam counties?
A. I know that OlyCAP has many programs throughout the area, including Working Image and the food bank among many others.
But, the most important impact I see is the OlyCAP mindset.
The attitude throughout the organization is to help people in need, and they all go to great lengths to accomplish this goal.
Q. What is your advice to prospective volunteers at OlyCAP?
A. So many people are experiencing financial crisis, home loss, job loss and low self-esteem that it is important to have strong people skills to volunteer and help people with the Home Fund.
It is paramount to leave your preconceived notions of poverty at the door.
A genuine interest in people, commitment to the OlyCAP organization and empathetic listening are needed attributes.
There also are many other diversified volunteer programs within the OlyCAP organization if emergency services doesn’t suit your volunteer desires.
Port Angeles created a well-run program called “All About You and Your Potential.”
My wife and I have brought this workshop to Port Townsend and have expanded this skills- and confidence-building workshop to include job preparation interview skills.
After 35 years in the corporate world, I have never experienced the satisfaction that I have encountered volunteering at OlyCAP.
I am grateful for the opportunity to assist the OlyCAP staff.
Always remember, “There, but for the grace of God go I.”
————
So far this year, from Jan. 1 through last Friday, the PDN’s Peninsula Home Fund has helped more than 2,040 individuals and families in Jefferson and Clallam counties.
Since Thanksgiving and through Dec. 31, Home Fund is seeking contributions for its annual holiday season fundraising campaign.
From Port Townsend to Forks, from Quilcene and Brinnon to LaPush, it’s a “hand up, not a handout” for children, teens, families and the elderly.
• No money is deducted for administration or other overhead.
Your entire donation — 100 percent, every penny — goes to help those who are facing times of crisis.
• All contributions are fully IRS tax-deductible.
• Your personal information is kept confidential.
Peninsula Daily News does not rent, sell, give or otherwise share your address or other information with anyone or make any other use of the information.
• Instances of help are designed to get an individual or family through the crisis — and every effort is made to put them back on the path to self-sufficiency.
That’s the “hand up, not a handout” focus of the fund.
In many instances, Peninsula Home Fund case managers at OlyCAP work with individuals or families to develop a plan to become financially stable — and avoid a recurrence of the emergency that prompted aid from the fund.
• Begun in 1989, the fund is supported entirely by Jefferson and Clallam residents.
Individuals, couples, businesses, churches, service organizations and school groups set a record for contributions in 2009 — $230,806.95.
With heavy demand this year, the carefully rationed fund is being rapidly depleted.
So far, $199,000 had been spent. The last $30,000 of the money collected in 2009 is expected to be exhausted before Dec. 31.
• Money is usually distributed in small amounts, usually up to $150.
• Assistance is limited to one time in a 12-month period.
• Peninsula Home Fund contributions are also used in conjunction with money from other agencies, enabling OlyCAP to stretch the value of the contribution.
Applying to the Home Fund
To apply for a grant from the fund, phone OlyCAP at 360-452-4726 (Port Angeles and Sequim) or 360-385-2571 (Jefferson County).
There’s also an OlyCAP office in Forks — 360-374-6193.
If you have any questions about the fund, phone John Brewer, Peninsula Daily News editor and publisher, at 360-417-3500.
Or e-mail him at john.brewer@peninsuladailynews.com.
Peninsula Daily News publishes stories every Sunday and Wednesday during the fundraising campaign listing contributors and reporting on how the fund works.
