Presented at the 2017 TEDxUNC event at Memorial Hall: CEF’s Co-Founders / Co-Directors sharing the transformative story of a group of college students and shelter residents who built a community organization and financial tools that support sustained transitions out of homelessness. The CEF Advocacy Choir sings to close out the talk, with an original song about the joy of finding a home after experiencing homelessness.
photographs by TEDxUNC
“CEF helped me find my place in the world. I’ve had the good fortune to leave CEF twice, first when I graduated from UNC and now as I leave the professional staff. Both times I’ve left with a truer understanding of the world, a deeper sense of my own passions and abilities, and a clearer vision for making the biggest impact I possibly can. CEF has exposed, challenged, and stretched me in ways that I cannot imagine happening anywhere else, so I give CEF a lot of credit. I’ll add that I would not have gotten into grad school were it not for CEF Opportunity Class!” — Matt Kauffmann
We are writing to those of you who have volunteered with CEF and who may want stay connected—whether you are still in the area or afar. As a volunteer during CEF’s first 7 years, you are a huge part of founding CEF and making it possible, and you’re invited to join the Founders Circle.
We’re a group of CEF old hands who make a small gift of $10 (or $15 or $20) that is automatically drafted each month as a way to sustain and stay connected to CEF and order to help support CEF’s work and sustain its impact in the Chapel Hill and Durham communities. Since we left and now face new challenges in new cities and new communities—CEF has been frequently on our minds.
Joe: One of the things that memorializes my time there is the quote “we are all recovering from something.” CEF is a real community that continues to grow and learn together – and the real impact that the relationships that are forged in CEF continues to make is incredible. I’m sure many of you all would say the same.
Anne: I remember the shared stories, laughs, and meals at Dove House and with Ricky; being invited to try to understand poverty through a human lens; and the opportunity to shape and build a growing organization
Quinn: I’ll always cherish the long car talks on the way office hours, hugs at the Genesis Home, and Wannamaker Common Room 04 (the site of CEF’s house course, which just wrapped up its fifth semester).
Whatever it is that you find beautiful in CEF, we would like to invite you to continue to be a part of that by joining us in the CEF’s Founders’ Circle. You’ll receive a CEF mug specially crafted for Founders’ Circle members Just click here, enter your info, and start giving!
CEF continues to attract more volunteers, gain more members, add and optimize programs, and make new partnerships. CEF is now serving over 1,000 members in Chapel Hill and Durham, with over 200 active savings accounts, and this year they supported 104 members to secure housing and 155 members to gain employment. In its 7 years of existence, we believe CEF has flourished and exceeded expectations. Let’s stay connected and help them grow.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Joe Sircar (UNC ‘12), Quinn Holmquist (Duke ’16), and Anne Yeung (Duke ’14)
P.S Wondering what’s changed since you graduated? Well, at our core, we’re still the same we think – grounded in the unique relationships between our student Advocates and our Members, and anchored by these consistent Guiding Principles. You can check out these recent Member Stories to see for yourself just how much we’re still the same full-hearted CEF.
Here is a glimpse from then (2012), to now…
Thanks to you, CEF has gone from then to now.
Here are some fun snapshots of how we have changed…
Thanks to you, CEF has grown in so many ways.
P.S. We would love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite or most distinct memories of your time at CEF? What do you remember about your time as an Advocate? What experience still makes you laugh when you think about it, or still breaks your heart? What are you up to nowadays? It would be awesome to stay in touch – please comment below and share or email us at founders@communityef.org!
CEF co-founder and Co-director Maggie West was honored last Thursday night with the Citizen of the Year award by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce! We are so proud and thankful to be inspired by her example each and every day!
From chapelboro.com/
Citizen of the Year: Maggie West, Community Empowerment Fund
Maggie West helped start Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) in 2009 for a more engaged and sustainable way to help the homeless, which is now a life-changing organization that includes a co-working space to generate additional income. She is always positive and always willing to take a risk to try new things. Ms. West routinely utilizes connections with energetic UNC students, and received the 2015 APPLES’ Community Partner Excellence Award for her service as board chair with Farmer Foodshare, an organization that provides fresh, local food to food insecure individuals while building healthy community food systems and create jobs. She empowers UNC students to become the new social justice leaders, both during their time as CEF advocates and once they have graduated from the university. Ms. West is creative in her advocacy, and is known for her volunteerism in a multitude of organizations, including Highlander Research and Education Center, Project Connect, and Point-In-Time Count. For her daily pursuit of social equity and her uplifting leadership, we are proud to honor Maggie West with the 2016 Citizen of the Year Award.
Diiv Sternman joined Chapel Hill team as Member Services Coordinator in May of 2016. And we are so happy to have them!
I was at a point in my career where I had done direct service for 12 years—and it does take its toll. I was reaching a point where I thought I needed to find a way of still doing this work while putting to use all of the things I’ve learned—all of the wisdom that clients and co-workers have shared with me over the years—and find how to put that to good use in the community.
So, I noticed CEF—it was on the list—but there weren’t jobs open. I was watching you all and referred a couple of people from the shelter that I was working at. When I read the job description, I thought, “This is not only an organization that I really believe in, but it’s a way of doing the work that fits what I need.” I feel like I have a lot I can share with student volunteer and a lot of experience with the populations that we’re serving. I now also have a chance to get back to big picture—having a vision and being able to impact structural changes. Continue Reading →
Jean Adler Stean is CEF’s newest hire. She is the Chapel Hill Member Services Coordinator and comes to CEF from the Durham VA Hospital, where she worked as a chaplain. She graduated from Duke Divinity School in 2013 and the University of Virginia in 2009.
She was kind enough to sit down for an interview on her first few months of work with CEF.
Tell me about your background
I grew up in Virginia Beach, but was born in New York and lived a whole bunch of different places. Virginia Beach is home though. I love the beach, and I love the ocean — it’s my soul place.
I’m married to John Stean, who works for the North Carolina NAACP.
How did you end up in divinity school?
I felt a calling to ministry and then worked during and after college for a community development nonprofit. The organization was called “Abundant Life Ministries” in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the idea was that you lived in and served in the neighborhood. It was less about programming and more about cultivating the resources that are already abundant in communities, and that community members really have the knowledge and power to help their community thrive.
Through that experience and through the experiences of college I was very interested in justice and community development and how that could work as a ministry. I realized that I didn’t know much of anything about ministry, so I should probably learn more about it.
So it was a combination of experience and wanting to learn more and keep doing that work.
What did you do after divinity school?
For two years, I worked at the VA Hospital in Durham as a Chaplain. The first year was my general residency, and then they had a new position open up for a mental health chaplain, working with folks who suffer from severe mental illness. I’ve always been very interested in mental health and found myself really drawn to it in chaplaincy work. It was pretty intense, but I think it’s another one of those callings. I think there are some people who just love to work in mental health, and I guess I’m one of those people.
It was challenging for a lot of the same reasons our work is challenging. You get people cycling in and out, who can’t really ever get well or heal, people who are struggling day in and day out, who have countless other circumstances on top of everything that trigger their mental health. I heard and saw the effects of oppression and poverty on health — mentally, physically and spiritually.
Why were you interested in working at CEF?
I was interested in CEF as an organization because of a lot of what I’d heard and knew from Janet (Durham Program Coordinator). It seemed like CEF was an organization that really cares about looking holistically at why people are in poverty. So, for example, we look at systemic injustices and systemic reasons for how people find themselves in the situations that they do, and we work to support both individuals in the moment and also work towards systemic change.
Why were you interested in being the Member Services Coordinator, in particular?
As you can probably tell from past experience, I like direct interaction with people. I love people, I love getting to know them, hearing their stories, and hearing about who they are. For the past two and a half years, I’ve been learning how to listen well to people. I was excited about the opportunity to keep that focus on working with individuals and supporting their unique needs and goals while also working to build partnerships and relationships to help the community as a whole. That’s what most intrigued me with the Integrated Services Center model. I was very much interested in how we can work to build connections and relationships across people and groups and institutions, in a way that can alter the landscape of our community for the better. It’s kind of like community development in a very specific kind of way.
Now that you’ve been on the job for a few months, how has it been different than you expected it would be?
Well, I found out very quickly that I have a whole lot to learn! The amount of information and resources y’all have collected in the database is incredible, and it’s a lot to know. I’m also discovering that resources and people and other organizations are constantly changing — that our community is constantly changing. So there’s always new information and people to learn about. It’s exciting in many ways, even if it can be quite confusing!
What I really appreciate about CEF is that we do talk about systemic issues, both within our community and within our organization. We’re self-reflective, and always willing to grow, even if it’s painful and tough. It’s not like CEF is saying, “we’ve got it all figured out, we know how to not oppress people with systems,” that’s near impossible. CEF is continually asking the questions and working to figure out how to better our services and improve ourselves as an organization.
What do you think is the biggest challenge this work will present to you?
I think sustainability. If I’m honest, some days can be very exhausting when you’re continually running up against systems and powers that you’re pretty powerless against when you’re working with Members. And you run into those a lot. Being in it for the long haul or sustaining oneself through that kind of work is tough, but doable.
What project are you most excited about in the new year?
I’m excited about continuing to get to know Members. I’d love to, in a general sense, really get more Members involved in more inner workings at CEF. They are so much the heart and soul of CEF, and I’d love for them to be involved in our community and continue to teach and shape us.
On a very specific point, I’m really hoping to get us some more robust legal resources. I think there’s been a gap here that was made apparent early on to me by some of our Advocates. So I’ve been following the connections as they come, and it seems like there are people in our community who are super excited about it as well. The resources are there, and we just have to tap into them. I’m tapping!
Tell me about a memorable Member meeting
In general, I think it’s just fun to get to know Members and to be able to call them by name, hear about their weekends, and know a little bit more about who they are and what they’re doing in the world.
One of my more memorable Member meetings was actually during a situation where I felt pretty powerless to offer tangible support. I met with a couple when they first came to Chapel Hill and they were homeless and didn’t have anywhere to stay that night. At that moment, I didn’t have many resources to offer them, which obviously is difficult, frustrating, and sad. But, I got to learn more about them in that hour and hear their story about how they got married and more about their family. I got to meet with them again recently, and it had been a while and they remembered me and I remembered them, and we were just kind of catching up about their holidays and getting to share about all the things that humans want connections with.
So, even though there are these monstrous barriers that can limit us in giving support to Members, sometimes I just have to say, “Whatever, barriers! We’re going to be human today.” That feels important to me. A lot of our hard work doesn’t always have the results that we want, but at the end of the day we can connect to someone meaningfully and that’s important to me.
Why do you think connecting with people is so important to you?
I really, truly love people. I think what all of us most want is to feel connected with and to feel loved by others. And in my work, I see how powerful it can be to have connections for myself and for other people — that a lot of healing takes place in that connection. And I’m really about healing, that’s what I want to be about in the world — for myself and for others. We could all use a lot of healing and I want to be a person who offers that, and I think connection is the way that I can offer that.
Interview conducted by Ayana Sadler, CEF Summer Intern
Anne Yeung was a one-year Community Engagement Fellow working full-time out of the CEF Durham Office, helping foster CEF’s relationship with the Duke Office of Durham and Regional Affairs, building CEF programs, and supporting volunteer advocates. She chose to work with CEF because she was seeking a professional experience that ethically and impactfully addressed systemic problems in the community.
How long have you been with CEF?
I’ve been with CEF for about three years now — two years as a volunteer while I was at Duke and this past year working as full-time staff.
What did you study at Duke?
I graduated from Duke in 2014. I was a public policy major, pre-med, with an interest in public health and social medicine.
What are your job responsibilities with CEF?
I work full-time as the Durham Program Coordinator. I would say the work is like three “buckets,” though they aren’t really buckets because they all kind of work together. The three categories are advocate support — supporting our wonderful student volunteers to do both the direct service work that they do and the administrative back end support they do to make CEF run; community partnerships — being out in the community and talking to other partners out in the area and getting CEF’s name out there and figuring out how we can best work together to support our members; and then the third category is program development — putting the previous two things together and thinking about, what do our programs need to be, where do they need to be to best support our members. How do we improve them? How do we grow them?
How has your position evolved since you first started?
I would say that the biggest difference about my position is that I really don’t support students as much anymore. The reason is that they’re all supporting themselves, they’re all supporting each other. And, they have grown tremendously our capacity for leadership and the structure where people have their purview of responsibility and decision-making, then take it and run with it. So, I kind of find myself sitting back and watching a lot more, which is really awesome.
What are some challenges you faced while working for CEF?
The biggest challenges are probably moments of helplessness. We all live within these systems and we are subject to the faults and failures of these systems; so, despite people’s incredible resilience and resourcefulness and creativity, sometimes you just bump up against the system and there’s not much you can do about it. Whether it’s lack of affordable housing or the way our criminal justice system works or something else…just moments where you are just one person and no matter how amazing you are as a person, you are just one little person in this giant system and that can feel very helpless and really hard.
What is your most memorable moment with CEF?
My most memorable moment with CEF is the first time we had “House Course,” which is our Duke for-credit, semester-long, academic course that is our training for all of our advocates in Durham. That was fall 2014, and it was the end of the semester and we were doing reflections, so everyone was going around talking about some high or low that they had or a memorable moment during the semester, working with a member, or during Office Hours. And, I felt like I heard 30 times what had happened for me, and I was watching it happen for 30 other member-advocate pairs. That was just astounding and so awesome, and I almost cried — I didn’t cry, but I almost cried — because I think the coming together of two people and the magic that can happen there where you learn about yourself and you learn about somebody else’s story and where you help each other in different ways is really beautiful. And I will never forget that moment.
How has CEF inspired you? Either a member, advocate, peer, co-worker, etc.
This is a hard one because there’s a lot you could say. There’s two things I would say. I’m inspired by people’s enormous capacity for growth: just watching someone be over here, and then a semester later, or a year later, or even a few weeks later be totally over there, and just have changed fundamental parts of themselves. And I think the second thing that really ties into that is people’s commitment to wanting to learn and grow continuously, and to always evolve and not be complacent about where you are. I’ve seen that in our members, our advocates, staff around me — that has definitely been really inspirational.
What’s next for you?
I’ll be going to Georgetown School of Medicine in August. Actually, my first day of classes is August 10th. I’ll be going into medicine, and I hope to practice for some of my time and spend the rest of my time leveraging the direct physician caretaker perspective to work on more of a systems level.
I don’t know if that will mean working for a non-profit, or working in medical academia, or working as medical director of a state health department, or something like that. I’m not sure yet, but I look forward to it whatever it is. And, one thing that CEF has taught me is that life can change dramatically in a very short amount of time; so, that’s my answer for now, but who knows?
– By CEF Advocates Yasmine Miao & Emma Caudle
The past six weeks at CEF have been an incredible learning experience and have given me a new outlook on the world that many members face. Before this summer I had never stepped foot in a CEF office and only had the slightest idea of what it even was, however it did not take long for me to realize that CEF was much more than the typical nonprofit seeking to alleviate poverty and homelessness. Perhaps the aspect of CEF that stuck out most to me was how committed advocates and staff were to be more than just teachers or mentors to the members, but rather friends and companions along the journey towards financial freedom.
Member meetings have been one of the highlights of my time at CEF this summer. I have enjoyed building relationships with other members of the Durham community and have appreciated the experiences they have shared with me. I have been able to work with members as they applied for jobs, created budgets, started saving, and so much more. Although 6 weeks is too short of a time to see big changes I was able to see little ones week to week with many members. Moments as simple as a members enthusiasm for depositing money into their safe savings account or a member working diligently to figure out a new budgeting technique assured me that CEF was in fact helping members reach financial stability.
Aside from the more concrete ways I saw CEF make a difference in the lives of many members, it is evident to me how much CEF means on a more emotional level. CEF is one of the first places many members go in times of crisis and advocates often become trusted confidants. This was one of the most incredible parts of CEF to me because it showed me how successful an organization can be when it cares for an entire person rather than just aspects of their life.
I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to spend a part of my summer with CEF this year. I learned more from the other advocates and staff as well as members than I ever could have expected and gained a newfound appreciation for the kind of work that CEF does. CEF makes a great investment in members who do not always benefit from investments made by the community or government. Therefore, the work CEF does is critical for the lives of so many in the Durham and Chapel Hill communities. Thank you CEF for all you do!
Before I came to CEF, I was more anxious than excited.I had no idea what my daily routine would be like for the next six weeks. I had no idea what was expected of me. I simply felt like I was wandering into the known.
I had the vague impression that at CEF, I’d be helping people who are experiencing homelessness or poverty, but again, I had no idea as to how.
First day at CEF was the orientation. CEF rented a nice conference room at the American Tobacco Campus, and offered us a full-day “crash course” of CEF, which introduced CEF and its core programs, gave us detailed training on how to be a CEF advocate, and began planning some weekly projects.
I was a bit overwhelmed by all the information thrown to me, some of which I knew little of, such as the differences between banks and credit unions. As to the core programs, one of them would become the main part of our daily work- the “Member Advocates” program.
At the orientation, we were given some examples of what advocates do. In the past, advocates have helped members write a resume or a cover letter, apply for jobs, find housing, figure out future career path, deal with welfare programs, etc.
But after hearing all these examples, I was even more worried. I myself didn’t even know how to do some of those things. For example, if a member wants to attain a certain certificate, how should I distinguish among the dozens of ads of related training programs that would pop up at once on the Internet? How could I find the one that’s best for the member? I’ve never searched for housing in Durham, and so how could I find the best match for a member seeking help with housing? Thinking about all these, I was simply afraid that I wouldn’t have the extent of expertise that members tend to see in me as they walk into the office.
Now it’s been 6 weeks. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed working at CEF. Most of my worries proved to be unnecessary and it’s been a great experience of learning while helping members. It’s always been very rewarding to know that things that might’ve taken others much time and effort could now be done easily with my help. At non-profits like CEF, the accomplishments are always very real and tangible, in the sense that they could be seen directly.
CEF has also given me the chance to see issues I would’ve never thought about otherwise. I’ve been able to see the struggles people face, as well as how much they’re doing to improve their lives. It’s also been a great way to know Durham (outside Duke) in the most direct way.
Working at CEF, I’ve been given a lot of trust even on the first day of work. CEF is a great place where everyone feels useful and can actually contribute. I’ve been very lucky to co-work with a group of tightly knit and absolutely amazing people. CEF provides the friendliest environment to advocates as well as members, and I’ve received just as much help as I’ve been giving.
It’s crazy that my program here has come to an end and that I’m leaving this week. I’ll definitely miss everyone here!
Christine Costello is a senior at Duke University planning to attend graduate school for social work next year. She has been a CEF Advocate for almost two years, and we are thrilled to share her reflections on her experience here!
By: Christine Costello, Duke University Class of 2015
I began what has extended into a long relationship with the Community Empowerment Fund the summer after my sophomore year. As a summer intern, I was able to immerse myself in the day-to-day of this organization; an opportunity that taught me not only an incredible amount about the non-profit world but also about the members I worked with and about myself.
From one-on-one meetings with members, my eyes were opened to the harsh realities and institutionalized marginalization that members faced. For example, several members that I worked with had been encouraged to attend for-profit colleges in their adolescence, believing that this would be the route to a better salary and life. Since our society constantly touts that hard work and education are the way to self-improvement, it isn’t hard to see how enticing the possibility of school was and is for these members. However, these for-profit college businesses often trapped members in debt they were still accruing dozens of years later. Looking at the hefty debt that one member had hanging over his head from this attempt at education, it was hard to not feel helpless and duped. This meeting made me realize how integral a well-informed support system can be for individuals, support that (due to my situation in society) I have received my whole life. Meeting with this member also revealed how devastating the consequences can be when an individual is excluded from these forms of support. Working with this member towards a solution to this debt crisis, and simply spending time with him, showed me that I wanted to dedicate my life to contributing to such support systems.
On a different occasion, Janet – knowing my enthusiasm for gender equality – paired me with a new CEF member who had recently fled an abusive relationship. Now severed from her bank account, home, and social connections, which had all been controlled by her partner, she was seeking a sense of security and independence that had so vehemently been denied her in the past. Her situation was dire, as the time period following fleeing an abuser can be particularly perilous from physical, emotional, and financial standpoints. Feeling the weight of this member’s upward battle served as my impetus to meet with the Durham Crisis Response Center, Durham’s comprehensive shelter and support provider for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. This meeting, due to enthusiasm on both parts, has given way to a partnership that will provide financial literacy coaching to those seeking asylum at the Center.
It is through meetings with members such as the two I have mentioned that I have come to decide to pursue an education in social work. CEF’s mindful approach to collaborating with members and meeting them where they are at has shown me how effective compassionate care can be. CEF also continuously reminds its staff, advocates, and members of the purpose of the organization, words that lie in its very name. To be a community for all involved that offers empowerment through practical services. The community and experiences that CEF has supplied me with have certainly empowered me towards my dream of becoming a social worker.
Hear from Stephanie Colorado, a junior at Duke University majoring in Public Policy and Psychology who began volunteering as a CEF Advocate in September of 2013. Stephanie has been an amazing student leader in CEF, and we are delighted to share her reflections on her experience here…
By: Stephanie Colorado, Duke University Class of 2016
When I began volunteering with CEF, I was immediately captivated by the organization’s focus on forming meaningful relationships to empower individuals to take control of their own financial and life goals. Being a CEF advocate developed me personally and professionally, and has been a priceless experience.
As an advocate for CEF, I form memorable friendships with my members as we partner together in forming goals and finding ways to reach financial independence. One of my best memories was working with my member, Linda. Every Monday night, I would head over with other advocates to the women’s transitional home in Durham and worked with Linda in finding employment and creating a budgeting plan. Her sense of humor and motherly personality was something I looked forward to every week. As I taught her how to write a resume, she taught me how to cook! Forming friendships with individuals outside of my college campus has been a refreshing experience, as it allows me to look beyond momentary troubles, such as exams and essay due dates, and put value on more important life issues, such as health and economic security.
In addition to giving me the opportunity to form relationships and contribute creatively, CEF gives me a perspective on real policy affecting real people. As a Public Policy major, I get a watered-down academic understanding of social policy, but while working with CEF, I witness policies and their consequences in action. I see how food stamp cuts, health care opportunities, and the availability of Housing Choice Vouchers influence my members’ ability to transition out of poverty. Working with CEF fortified my interest in social justice and it forces me to think critically of the effects of public policy in a community. Thanks to my experiences being an advocate, I hope to find a career in the non-profit sector working with people experiencing a disadvantage. I love working with people and would like to be of service through public interest law.
