Colorado Workforce by the Colo. Dept. of Labor and Employment


Labor of Love Article written by Bill Thoennes You don’t have to be wealthy to make a meaningful difference. What you need is compassion and an understanding that your time and money are going toward something worthwhile and effective. That’s the philosophy shared by hundreds of staff at the Department of Labor and Employment’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. It’s a philosophy they put into action each year during the holidays when they select a charity to assist. In 2007, the charity they chose was Samaritan House, a unique shelter for homeless men, women and children that provides residents with employment counseling and resources, job training, and family and children services. The shelter serves all the populations that are homeless – single men, single women and families. There are 21 rooms on the family floor where anywhere from 50 to 75 children sleep each night. Separate dormitories are established for 125 male and 75 female residents. Offering 250 beds, the place is always at capacity. It would be easy to simply put out the call for monetary donations and then write a check to Samaritan House. But that’s not the way they roll in UI. Staff contribute their time and energy in a way that is meaningful and memorable. Pam Harris took the lead in organizing the project. She started the drive in November when she contacted Lydia Walstein, the Director of Social Programs at Samaritan House. Together, they compiled a list of all the essential things that resident families needed (things like hats, gloves, toothbrushes and clothes) as well as a variety of small gifts that could be stuffed into stockings. Pam called it the “Labor of Love Stocking Drive” and her coworkers delivered. Debra Michela designed posters to promote the drive; the staff in UI Appeals provided the big stockings in which the gifts were placed; the team in Master Files donated coloring books and Gary Shaw in UI Operations/Technical Services supplied a collection of Matchbox miniature cars. Virtually everyone in the building got involved. Staff throughout the Unemployment Insurance program and Facilities brought in clothing, baby supplies, small stuffed animals and candies. Money poured in as well, almost $600 which was used to purchase twenty nine $20 gift cards and assemble 85 stockings brimming with gifts. So much was raised, in fact, that the project expanded from the Samaritan House Family Shelter to include residents at the St. Jude Single Mothers Shelter. It was a lot of work. Stockings had to be assembled and sorted by age group and gender so that each child at Samaritan House would receive appropriate gifts. Pam also pulled together a portfolio of resource information for the twenty nine families at the shelter. The packages contained information about filing for unemployment benefits as well as a directory of services designed to help them get through the tough times. On Friday afternoon, December 21, with the temperature dropping and snow falling on the city, several employees loaded up cars with the gifts and drove to Samaritan House. Executive Director Don Mares had also made a donation and he joined Pam Harris, Bonnie Smith, David Kimball and UI Director of Operations Bill Beveridge at Samaritan House as the gifts were delivered. “What I witnessed was incredible,” Mares told the team, “and I don’t mean just the smiles on the faces of the children and families who received the stockings and gift cards you all helped put together. What I saw was how a group of dedicated and caring people, whom I am proud to say work in my own department, came together and showed an amazing amount of love and compassion.” The “Labor of Love Stocking Drive” may have been a small gesture for everyone who made a donation … but for the families who were assisted, those small gestures did indeed show an amazing amount of love and compassion. It put smiles of children’s faces – and that alone makes a big difference. “You’re getting presents and you’re not asking for them,” one parent told a child who held tightly to a stocking almost as big as he was. “They’re just giving it to you because they care.” One gift may not change the world overnight. But it’s a start.