Each month The Community Outreach seeks to provide as much help and restore as much hope as we can in the lives of those who come to us with a crisis situation.  In addition to the personal care our team provides each person by compassionately listening, providing ideas, and sharing other community resource possibilities;  2011 giving enabled us to provide direct financial assistance of more than $21,500 per month.. THANK YOU for the role you played in making this possible!

Unfortunately, as much as has been offered … we know that the needs are even greater.  Based on just the unmet needs we routinely become of aware of each month, we estimate we are at least $7,000 a month short.  We feel called to bridge this gap … and we need your help!

Starting February 22^nd, Ash Wednesday, The Community Outreach will kick off a very important fundraising campaign.  Our goal is to raise awareness about the unmet needs of this community and the role we can serve in to help.  We will be inviting everyone to help us reach our informational objectives … and we will strive to increase our giving by $84,000- to close the gap on our $7,000 monthly short fall.

If you would be interested in learning how you can get involved and join our efforts, please contact Sean Salyer at sean@thecommunityoutreach.org or by calling 605.331.3935.

Andrew first learned about the Community Outreach through their Genesis program and has had the opportunity to serve as a mentor for the past few months. Andrew says that since graduating in December from USF, he is “glad  to have the opportunity to have an internship at The Community Outreach. I look forward to being able to work with the members of the staff here to affect a positive change on the community around us. I don’t know yet what path God has laid out for me after the duration of this internship, but I am excited to see where I go and I trust that He has a plan for me.”

Andrew will be serving the ministry in a variety of areas including mentor recruitment and upcoming development efforts.  Welcome Andrew!

Our current board is comprised of highly gifted and compassionate friends from our greater community.  The Community Outreach staff works hard on a daily basis to serve the needs of the guests who make their way into our ministry.  I will count it a privilege to partner with each of these persons in striving to “…fulfill the law of Christ.”  This year we will be looking for additional avenues to heighten awareness of The Community Outreach to residents of the Sioux Empire.

In addition to having the privilege of serving on The Community Outreach board, I also have the joy of serving as an assistant pastor at Linwood Wesleyan Church.  My wife Lois and I have been married for thirty-three years and we have three married children and six grandchildren.

In Christ,

Pastor Jeff Heron

Thank you to the all those involved with TCO who remained focused in serving clients while also adjusting to new leadership, developing a long term mission, vision and strategy, making a move to a new facility and constantly incorporating new methods of serving clients.   Persistence and teamwork continued to show through as TCO entered a new period of growth and service.  Thank you to all involved during this fast moving and stressful time.

Ironically though, the accomplishments continued to expose even more that needs to be done in assisting those that have or will experience set-backs that will become permanent without an immediate hand-out and/or mentoring.  The hours and days are long when you don’t have a job, the children are packing a sack of their belongings to move, or you lack transportation even to look for work.

The accomplishments of TCO are worth celebrating, but quickly the focus returns to the need to provide hope to the children of God when hope is difficult for them to see.  Thanks for all your support, and please continue to pray, volunteer and support the work of TCO.

 This year we will care for more than 5000 people by living the shared values we agreed to in 2011:

• Commitment to the Christian faith – Biblical standards for Christian character and conduct will be the guide for all of our work;
• The power of collective outreach – We will act in close partnership with congregations and community groups to identify and address unmet needs of the working poor in the Sioux Empire;
• Acting with integrity and justice – We will treat every individual with respect, compassion, and equality;
• Serving with hopefulness and joy – We will engage each person with a glad heart and an attitude of hope; and
• Accountability – We will establish clear measures of stewardship for the resources we receive and the quality of the services we offer.

While our procedures will often change to meet current needs, our shared values will rarely change.  We will strive to have every aspect of our work guided by these values, including how we interact with you as a church leader, community leader, volunteer mentor, or donor.

Please help us by being in regular prayer that we will be in His will and we will have the knowledge and strength to do so.  We would also appreciate your help as an accountability partner.  If you ever have a question or concern that we are not fully living out our shared values; please give me a call (331-3935) or email (gary@thecommunityoutreach.org) so we can examine our conduct and learn from you.

Thank you for your generous gifts of time, talent, and wealth in 2011 … and thank you for renewing your commitment to this ministry in 2012.  So many lives have been touched by your generosity!

Gary Helder, Executive Director

When Gerry Schlenker, associate professor of media studies, and a group of his students were approached by Korena Keys, a Community Outreach board member, about sharing their promotional talents with the ministry, they agreed to volunteer.

According to Keys, this project is an excellent example of how partnerships make a difference in meeting the needs of our community. The Community Outreach needed assistance in updating their promotional materials, and the students needed a project to hone their skills and complete their class requirements.

Schlenker says projects like this allow students to benefit from USF’s focus on service while the community can benefit from the skills and knowledge students have developed. In addition, students learn that potentially more fulfilling options exist for their career goals.

About The Community Outreach

The Community Outreach is an ecumenical ministry created more than 35 years ago by Sioux Falls area churches to care for the working poor in Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties. Ministry programs focus on financial assistance with housing, utilities and work-related transportation… and are based on the principle that the best way to encourage positive and sustainable life changes is through relationships. This principle is embedded in their Genesis mentoring program that partners volunteer mentors, The Community Outreach staff and families who are searching for a way out of their difficult situation.

About the University of Sioux Falls

The University of Sioux Falls offers a private Christian liberal arts education to students from all walks of life. For information about USF, go to www.usiouxfalls.edu or call 605-331-5000.

I am also so thankful for this Ministry and the impact it is having in people’s lives. Every day, your gifts of prayer, time and money provide our staff the opportunity to share His love by providing people who are struggling, tired, and worried with information, financial assistance, and a message of hope! We are thankful!!!

Thankfulness can be seen … felt … and heard as people leave our doors:

“I can finally sleep through the night knowing I am getting assistance with our mortgage … we should be able to start getting caught up now”.

“Genesis gave me a better outlook on life … My mentor team showed me people do care about me!”

“Genesis gave me a friend!”

Please continue to share The Community Outreach ‘story’ in your congregation, your place of business, and with your family and friends … and THANK YOU for the leadership you are showing by sharing His love by caring for people in dire need!

Blessings,
Gary Helder, Executive Director

Being on the Board of Directors has increased my awareness of the work that it takes to live a life of poverty. Time is your biggest enemy, and no matter how hard someone tries, there never seems to be enough time in the day.

My time with The Community Outreach has also increased my understanding the importance and positive impact of helping a family stay in their home. When a gift is gifted to our ministry, you’re giving the gift of peace, and security. For every family that we are able to help with rent, is one more family with a warm bed this winter, one more child who will know they will be able to sleep in their own bed; and those gifts are priceless.

The Community Outreach would also not be where it is today without our local United Way. Our partnership with the United Way has meant so much to the Sioux Empire Community. Because of their support, families are able to enter into a relationship with mentors and have someone walk along side them in their struggles. A person is there to provide support, ideas, and most importantly… to be a friend. These are things that many of our families have not ever had, and it means the world to them.

For the last 35 years The Community Outreach has worked hard to serve this community, but without the support that we have received, none of it would have been possible. On behalf of everyone who can’t, I would like to say, “Thank you!” and we pray that we will be here for you and this community for another 35 years.

God Bless,

Dave Eiesland

Only 8 years ago, The Community Outreach was giving $5k a month for rental and utility assistance, with a staff of two. Today we are a staff of 6, we have significantly increased the amount of professional care we offer, and we are giving $14k a month of direct assistance to people struggling in our community. Last year, we touched more than 5,000 people struggling to make it with financial assistance, information and referrals, education and with relationships.

While we have a long way to go to fulfill our mission, the growth that The Community Outreach has experienced in recent years has been a great journey. None of it could be done without the continued support of our Church partners. On behalf of those whose lives you have touched; please accept our sincerest gratitude for your generous gifts. You are fulfilling Christ’s command to ‘love each other as yourself’ and you are taking significant steps in building up the people of our community! THANK YOU for all you do!

We would also like to specifically recognize Leah Manzer for her dedication to The Community Outreach. During her time volunteering with us, Leah has partnered with 3 different families and served on the Church Development and Communication committees. Leah recently became engaged and will be moving to Nebraska to start the next chapter in her life. Leah, THANK YOU, for your leadership … and here’s to the very best of life in the years ahead of luck!

THANK YOU also to everyone who has made a difference in someone’s life! God Bless.