Sometimes the Job You Love is a Non-Profit

Usually, my posts are advice to you on how to love a job that you currently don't. This post is a little different. It's an example of a man who took his skill from his job and his own personal life experience and turned it into a successful non-profit.

Glen was a licensed social worker, employed by my employer at the time: Wake County, NC. He came to my presentation skills class to get advice and feedback on a presentation that would launch and promote an idea he had to start a non-profit for wayward or absentee fathers. Being a single father of three, and working with men in our community who were struggling with this role (and those that were impacted by these men's choices: their former partners and children), Glen saw a way to actually SOLVE the problem of fatherlessness in our community, not just penalize it.

His idea? Was to bring these men in and TEACH them the skills needed to live and be fathers. He saw the generational trickling-down of decades of fatherlessness and knew theses men weren't going to change by just being judged or financially penalized (or sometimes imprisoned). He wanted to teach the life skills these men never saw--the skills they never witnessed first-hand growing up. And that's exactly what he did.

His presentation blew me away. Just like on my site, and in my training classes, I'm not interested in treating symptoms or learning how to "fake it." I'm interested in changing your mind and therefore your whole experience and reaction. His plan was the same. He created training classes on everything from anger management to financial planning. He provided these men with resources and fundamentals like interview clothing. I was so excited about this, I couldn't wait one more minute before I picked up the phone and contacted the director of child support enforcement. I didn't really think she would say "yes," but she did. And she was so blown away, she contacted a judge that worked most of the child support cases---and that judge loved it so much, she made Glen's program a regular "penalty" as part of the sentencing phase!

Today this non-profit is a success (see the new website and please consider a donation: http://www.afatherforever.com #healingempoweringandrestoringmen). Can you take this story and maybe even take it one step further: ask yourself what can YOU do to set up such a foundation? Maybe your ideal career isn't working for a big corporation or having a consulting business, but to put your time and heart into a non-profit?





Like them on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Fathers-Forever-235821653121/?fref=nf

See Stephanie's site Work Stress Solutions for more information like this.