Mar 31, 2014 | Being a Social Worker, Blog
Happy Social Work Month to my colleagues! From time to time, we need to be reminded of why we choose to work in this industry and “Beth” did that for me last summer… I guess it was second grade when I realized that we were poor. One of the snotty...
Mar 2, 2014 | Blog, Having a Home, Inspiration
“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe I am disappointed with myself that I fall into the cliché of starting writings with the use of quotes. I tend to start there for inspiration and then feel that I...
Feb 12, 2014 | Blog, Homeless Outreach, Inspiration
The past three months have been one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences of my life. It has made me realize just how truly blessed I am. The term “homeless” has now taken on new meanings for me. From the conversations I’ve had on the phone...
Nov 20, 2013 | Blog, Having a Home, Homeless Outreach, Inspiration
“What and who is Aurora and why were they speaking at my church’s Alter Society meeting????” Little did I know, the big Man upstairs had it all planned out. That night changed my life. I lived in my own little world and I thought that we only had a few...
Oct 10, 2013 | Blog, Inspiration
Before coming to Aurora I had been a stay at home mom for 15 years. I had cleaned houses most of that time to supplement my husband’s income. My kids were big enough that I thought it was time to get a regular part time job. I had done several different jobs prior to...
Sep 23, 2013 | Being a Social Worker, Inspiration, News, Social Work Education
It is with no exaggeration that I explain my emotions and difficulties in writing this letter to you. There are knots in my stomach making me feel ill, lumps ink my throat making it hard to swallow and talk, there is heaviness in my heart that doesn’t want to...
Aug 27, 2013 | Blog, Community Change, Homeless Prevention
Unlike most of my coworkers, my major in college was not social work, but urban planning. I have a passion for community change, but one of the lessons I learned very quickly was that the work of community change is not fast work. I still remember being shown the...
Jul 18, 2013 | Being a Social Worker, Blog, Having a Home
One morning I returned to the office after attending a lease signing with a client. The receptionist, who knew where I was, asked me, “One less, huh?” “What?” I asked. I was confused. Theresa, the volunteer receptionist who was new to her position said, “You...
Jun 27, 2013 | Blog, Having a Home, Homeless Outreach
I grew up on a farm in Western Kentucky in a very self-sufficient lifestyle. We raised our own vegetables that we either canned or were frozen for future use. My Dad raised cattle and hogs and at least one of each of them was processed for our freezer. We were...
Jun 14, 2013 | Blog, Having a Home, Inspiration
How does it feel when you land a great job? What is it like to work with people whose charge in life is to help those who are in need? As I ponder the answer to these two questions, I can’t help but to think back to where I was less than two years ago. But before I...
May 9, 2013 | Blog, Homeless Outreach, Inspiration, Social Work Education
A client asked me this question as we spent 6 hours together moving his things out of storage. He had commented a couple times about how I was making time and a half helping him move. Then he asked, “Are you getting paid time and a half, or are you salary?” I...
Apr 24, 2013 | Blog, Inspiration, Social Work Education, Volunteers
(Ashley Hilton was a Social Work intern from University of Southern Indiana. She will be graduating in a few weeks, and she will receive the President’s Medal, the highest honor presented to a graduate in the Class of 2013 — and the first USI Social Work student...
