Siloam Mission Accomplished

Wow!

Every one in a while, a person has a chance to be involved in something rather magical. A win-win-win situation. A chance to witness something that’s special, not only because of the end result, but because of the journey to get there. Something that warms a person’s soul with a “feel good” feeling, cuz so very much of it feels “right”.

Sometimes we are blessed because we get a chance to get up close and personal with that sort of experience..and I received just such a blessing.

Let me back up a little.Like many people, I have multiple interests…more interests than time unfortunately. So when I can multitask I take the opportunity.

• I believe in “paying it forward” to students, in appreciation to all the therapist supervisors who invested in my education as I pursued my dream of becoming a therapist—but it’s been years since I’ve had an Occupational Therapy student.It’s actually a bit of a professional expectation/obligation that I have been delinquent on.
• I also believe in those of us who have been fortunate to have much to share with those who have less in a way that challenges stereotypes, and encourages growth for all involved. And when it’s done in away that is respectful and enhances the dignity of all—well, that’s the kind of organization I’d like to be involved with.Siloam Mission is one such place.

So, in January, two second year Master’s level Occupational Therapy students started working at Siloam Mission full time for eight weeks.As their “Offsite Fieldwork Educator”, I got to meet with Craig and Nadine weekly and ask a few questions, give a little guidance, be a cheerleader…but mostly, enjoy hearing of the adventure they had.And what an adventure.Vicki Olatundun, the fabulously energetic director of the Saul Sair Health Care Center at Siloam, challenged them to “leave a legacy”…a passion they grabbed onto, and a challenge they held up for themselves for the last 2 months.

They started their experience getting to know the patrons and the mission.A crash course in what it’s like to be homeless, an immersion of sorts in a homeless shelter.Sorting donated clothes. They sliced and diced for hours in the kitchen.They spent a night in the shelter on a cold and blustery winter night.They played cribbage and scrabble in the drop in center, hanging out and getting to know many of the patrons and their stories of courage and resilience.They experienced the kindness and generosity of staff and patrons alike.They leave as changed people having an up close and personal encounter with an important group of people they had never before rubbed shoulders with.

As they got to know the Mission, they saw things that needed doing…and they listened to what the dreams and hopes and needs were…and got to work.They were challenged to create a gym out of an ugly. empty space and a few odd pieces of equipment stuck in a pile in a corner.Fitness is important to us all—helpful for our bodies, our emotions, our state of mind.We all know that people who are physically fit by getting proper exercise are better off. People with no home still benefit from exercise, but typically don’t have access to physical fitness facilities. So, with the help of the staff and the larger community, Nadine and Craig have established the first gym in a homeless shelter in Canada.Cool, eh?

Guess what the final budget cost was? The timeline?

Zero.Yup. Zero dollars and zero sense.Done and in place in 6 weeks.

Shapes donated. Curves donated. Diamond Athletics

donated.3M donated.Johnsonite donated.The Floor Show donated.And on and on. Members of the community
catching the vision and wanting to be a part of it.How COOL is that!

Other samples of the moments of “magic”:

• Nadine gets to the Mission early one cold wintry morning and has to wait a few minutes with the others to get in.The waiting patrons invite her over and share their precious space by the warm exhaust vent as they shiver together.They have nothing, and yet they share.
• Special power is needed for treadmills.The staff at Siloam said to students who are only around for 8 weeks: “Draw on the wall where you need the outlets, and we’ll get it done”. Just. like. that.
• The flooring company sent out a guy to do the flooring installation.Figured he’d take two days.But the people at Siloam prepped the floor, clear it off, cleaning it.The guy only needed a half day to install because of the advance cooperation of Siloam staff…wanting to show appreciation and consideration of donated resources.
• The clothing department setting aside shorts and T shirts for gym use.Staff and patrons alike will be in shorts and T shirts in the Siloam Mission Gym.The line between those-that-have-homes and those-that-don’t will disappear in the gym.And the lighter the line becomes over time, the closer the homeless can become to being “homed” people.Isn’t that a beautiful image to think of?
• Nadine and Craig gave a final report to staff at Siloam, discussing their work and experience at the Mission.People adjusted their busy and tireless schedules to attend to the presentation of 2 students, including the executive director, Floyd Perras.The presentation was sprinkled with laughter and good natured teasing amongst the team.After many expressions of gratitude all around, Floyd asks these students, “You have fresh eyes, and valuable insight. So if you were Executive Director of Siloam, what would you do to make this a better place?”He asked them completely seriously, and even though he was 15 minutes late to his next meeting, waited for a response that he clearly valued.

Of course, Nadine and Craig did other projects, helping out the staff make their jobs safer and more effective by evaluating their work stations.They ran a “Live Healthy” program for patrons, reviewing fitness and nutrition strategies, and trying out the new gym space. And then there was the library project.

The Winnipeg Public Library partnered with Siloam Mission and Craig and Nadine to have a local sign up for public library cards.They allowed the patrons of Siloam to use Siloam Mission’s address as their Winnipeg address (something that’s required for a WPL card) and signed’em up.That’s one small but important step of becoming part of a community…a library card. And the Winnipeg Public Library folk want to come back to sign up more people. Isn’t that cool?

So…because of the work of Craig and Nadine, the patrons of Siloam Mission now have access to fitness facilities and literature…important components of being a healthy member of society.Valuable building blocks that were previously unavailable to Winnipeg’s homeless, but have long been recognized as important parts of being a citizen of a community.

Staff at Siloam Mission live an attitude of “Why not?” rather than “Why?”.While their focus is serving patrons of the Mission in a respectful manner, they also serve each other.Nadine and Craig were welcomed with respect and open arms.It was a full scale love-in at their final report presentation.They live their mission all the time with everyone around. The warmth of the place exudes to staff and volunteers, not just the patrons.

I suspect the place isn’t perfect, and the world’s problems, even the problems of homelessness have not been resolved through this. Yup, this is a drop in the bucket compared to what needs to be done.

But each drop is an important drop.

Siloam Mission has a gym they didn’t have before. The patrons have opportunities they didn’t have before.Craig and Nadine have valuable experiences they will carry with them always.

And I had the privilege of having a front row seat.How cool is that?