Week 8: A Tale of Two Worlds

Hi everybody! I am just settling down after a whirlwind week in which I reached a southern suburb of DC, the Chesapeake Bay area, and the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachian Mountains in western Virginia. Besides a week of extreme adventure and fun, it was a time where the world of Boaz & Ruth and the surrounding community was particularly contrasted with the world of privilege and comfort outside of B&R.

For the most part, the week at Boaz & Ruth was enjoyable and filled with learning opportunities. I kicked off the week on Monday morning by teaching my second class ever. The class was centered around evaluating the performance of a recent move performed by the moving company which was a 440 mile round trip and required 4 separate truckloads. We particularly wanted to evaluate the move from a business and financial standpoint. It was great to see everybody thinking from a business perspective and apply the lessons of this case study to their own businesses. This was the first step in what will hopefully be a few intense weeks of working with all the different businesses on improving their business practices. More classes and meetings will follow in the weeks ahead.

Boaz & Ruth witnessed another casualty, so to speak, in its manpower over the last week. Randy, who was an intern/volunteer from VCU and was working on developing the job placement capabilities of B&R, resigned midweek. Randy, in his 50’s, was himself an ex-felon and was deeply passionate about the B&R mission, or so it seemed. Therefore, his resignation came as a surprise to me as he never would show frustration or anger with his work situation. At the weekly intern meeting later in the week, we described the high turnover of personnel at B&R as “God’s way of pruning the Boaz & Ruth tree.” To me, this seemed like a convenient explanation to sidestep a growing problem within the organization. The turnover will be even more remarkable when a group of six interns leave over the next month. So far, only one intern replacement is committed; he will start this Wednesday. This means that of the 16-or-so staff and interns that were at B&R when I started, only about 8 will be left when I leave. This is both a great challenge and opportunity for the organization!

I also experienced the personal struggle of an apprentice at B&R in a more real way then ever before. Jerome, who has been at B&R for a little over 6 months, had started to relapse into an alcohol addition that he had avoided since being out of prison. My first impression of Jerome was a man who had a very hard shell- who was set in his ways and invincible to the temptations of society. As I have gotten to know Jerome better, I have found him to be more of an honest, even innocent individual than I originally thought. He has struggled through a number of different things since being at B&R- a housing transition, the lack of money for basic necessities, and not getting along with fellow program participants. For this reason, my roommate Kevin, and myself to a lesser extent, had befriended Jerome like no one else except for maybe his immediate family. Therefore, I was concerned when Jerome looked very distressed on Wednesday. Later, he told me that some of his problems with alcoholism had returned and he was afraid it would lead him on a path back to jail. His psychological condition became so tumultuous that Kevin & I had to drive him to the Richmond Crisis Center for a counseling session on Thursday afternoon. It was difficult to see a man who had already gone through so much hardship to struggle like that. In a way, I felt helpless because I am not a psychologist and I had no way of understanding his situation, but at the same time, by Kevin & I being there for him and just listening was a big difference maker for him.

During the week, I also made a few journeys outside the office to learn from experts in the nonprofit sector. I always love taking advantage of these opportunities to network with others who work in the sector and to hear experts talk about Board governance and nonprofit accountability (I know, I’m special). On Wednesday, I made the journey up to Falls Church, VA (just south of DC) with fellow interns Josh & Kevin to a luncheon on social entrepreneurship. The event was hosted by the formed governor of Virginia Mark Warner and included a panelist discussion with some locally revered nonprofit icons. At $150/plate (paid for, thankfully, by Boaz & Ruth), the event was definitely a high-profile one. However, the price tags on made-for-nonprofit events like that really get me wondering. When nonprofits are already scrapping for money, is it just to charge so much, even if the event is professionally catered and includes individuals whose time is worth a lot of money? I’d like to think that sometimes everybody could agree to put on a cheaper event for the betterment of the nonprofit sector, but I have come to learn that the world does not always work that way.

Another issue the event brought up in my mind was the great contrast events like these bring about in the nonprofit sector- one minute we are whining and dining in an elegant ballroom, the next we are listening to Jerome talk about his fear of returning back to jail. This contrast of a world of struggle and service with a world of privilege and elegance was made even more apparent as I enjoyed a weekend of luxury and relaxation back out at the river near the Chesapeake Bay with friends.

While I had been out to this house back on my third weekend in Richmond, this time it seemed even more luxurious and foreign, probably because the everyday battles at Boaz & Ruth were now more entrenched in my mind. Regardless, I was grateful to spend two nights out at the river in the company of friends as we boated, tubed, and wakeboarded by day and conversed and gazed at the stars by night. Even as things seemed so carefree and relaxing, there was still a bit of guilt in the back of my mind knowing that many of my friends back at Boaz & Ruth never have or ever will experience this.

Blaine is the new intern at Boaz & Ruth

That is NOT me

That IS

Barefoot races around the house were part of the festivities

On Sunday morning, I went from the Bay Area (1.5 hours east of Richmond) all the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Humpback Rocks (2 hours west of Richmond). This hiking excursion was with Eternity Church, my roommate’s home church which I have been attending off-and-on. The hike was short but strenuous because of its rapid decent. However, the 270 degree view from the summit was well worth all the effort expended to reach the top. I will let the pictures do the describing of the majesty atop this mountain.

Laura & I

Landon & Kevin

As we came back from the hike, I was felt the need to bring the experience of hiking to the folks of Boaz & Ruth, much as we had done the previous weekend with the beach. With my time running out in Richmond, though, it may have to be an idea I entrust with someone else to make happen. Only God knows the remaining opportunities I will have over my last three weeks in Richmond. All I know is that it will be over before I realize it!

Week 7: Anticipation

I find myself on an emotional high while writing this week’s post, coming of another fun-packed weekend and having just learned of some friends plans to visit toward the end of my stint in Richmond. Along with anticipating their visit, I have many other things to look forward before leaving Richmond. It seems like every week goes by faster, and of this I have mixed emotions. Part of me wants to make the most of this time and continue to experience as much as I can, but another part of me is satisfied with what I have accomplished so far and eager to get home to see friends and family before moving on to Ecuador!

My friends Timmy and Kari were initially scheduled to visit this upcoming Friday the 27th, but car troubles forced us to come up with an alternate plan. I am very happy with the alternative, as they will be flying out on the weekend before I leave and then road-tripping back with me to Minneapolis. Having some company will sure make those car rides go by a lot faster, and they will still be able to see Richmond and visit Boaz & Ruth. Their plans have helped me solidify my final date at Boaz & Ruth as Monday, August 20, and my date of arrival in the Twin Cities as Thursday, August 23.

After seven weeks at Boaz & Ruth, I am finally gaining a clearer vision of what purpose my work will serve the organization. I had several more conversations with Martha, the CEO, about the need for teaching apprentices on the importance of understanding the financial operations of the businesses they work in. I believe these conversations have led me to being less intimidated by and critical of Martha. Since I had so little interaction with her in the first few weeks at Boaz & Ruth, I had to rely on others to form an opinion of her. Even though everybody had mostly positive things to say, I tended to focus on the few negative aspects. Now I realize this reasoning was due to my own need to place the shortcoming of Boaz & Ruth on somebody’s shoulders, and Martha was the obvious choice as the Founder and President. I must admit her constant cheerleading and loving style has made an impact on me and put a lot of criticisms to rest in my mind.

Still, I am somewhat frustrated that these conversations could not have happened a few weeks ago. The entire communication process surrounding my role has seemed counter-productive. At times, I have done a certain project in a way that seemed logical to me, only to find that some of the work was unnecessary and unwanted. Some of these observations have led me to proposing to add some structure to the internship program, which Martha has agreed to. An invaluable component of a B&R internship is the autonomy and self-discovery, and the growth and learning this fosters. Adding structure would only mean bolstering the communication lines to interns and having sample job descriptions to give to prospective interns. Ironically, I have struggled with not having a supervisor this summer, whom could have provided me answers to questions much faster and allowed me to learn about that person’s role, strategies, and approach in a more in-depth fashion.

I am definitely becoming more accustomed to the culture and way-of-life at B&R. Some of the observations I initially found unique and fascinating are now becoming more commonplace. Yet, I still continue to be amazed by the amount of conflict between people. Not a day goes by that there is some kind of confrontation or interpersonal issue among program participants that may or may not involve staff. The most extreme case that I have witnessed to date occurred on Friday afternoon in the Organizational Meeting, a time where everybody gathers to discuss issues facing the organizations. Two females in the program, both of whom have been at B&R for more than 8 months, got into a very heated argument. Essentially, the conflict arose over whose role within the organization held more responsibility and pressure, and therefore would merit missing ‘mandatory’ B&R gatherings that occurred within the workday. As both women stood up, their words may have escalated into physical confrontation had not one of the staff members stepped in. Even with the seriousness of conflicts like these, I can’t help but laughing to myself in disbelief. It is unlike anything I have ever witnessed before in my life.

The undisputed highlight of the week happened on Saturday, when Polly, a Boaz & Ruth volunteer, and myself took seven people from the program to Virginia Beach for the day. Not only was this my first trip to VA Beach; it was the first time for many of them going to the beach in their life! (Virginia Beach is only 1 ½ hours from Richmond.) Therefore, it was a great joy for me to see everybody enjoying themselves and spending some much needed time just relaxing. It was another reminder of how precious our freedom is, and how being in prison can bring one to appreciate our liberties in this country even more. I think the effect of a trip like this also shows the importance of travelling and experiencing life outside of the little bubble we often find ourselves trapped in. This is especially the case for residents of the inner-city, who often don’t have the resources to take such trips on their own account.

Definitely the most crowded beach I have visited

It was CT's first time at the beach

Catchin' some afternoon Z's

The Boardwalk that runs along the beach

I will end this week with a very interesting story of a series of events that unfolded late Saturday night. After getting back from the beach, I went out to a downtown Irish pub with my buddy Dan to watch David Beckham’s American soccer debut. We left about 1:00am and just as we were getting into my car we were approached by a man asking for our help. He was a middle-aged, cleanly dressed black male and did not fit the stereotype of a bum at all. He started telling us of how his semi-truck had broke down on the interstate and the trooper had brought him into downtown. Apparently, he owned his own construction business of some type based out of Charlotte and was in Richmond working for a few days. He spoke very fast and his story was difficult to follow, but what he needed from us was a ride just a mile or two down the road to one of his construction suppliers so he could secure some of the materials on his truck. Even though it was in the middle of the night, I didn’t doubt his type of work would have him working this late at night.

Ironically, this came the weekend after I led a staff Bible study at Boaz & Ruth on the importance of supporting spiritual words with physical deeds. I talked more in depth about this last week, and only one other person showed up this week, for the record. Anyways, I digress. I felt that this was an opportunity given to me by God to do a good deed and affirm what I had been examining earlier that week. As we gave him a ride, I couldn’t help but speculate whether his was telling the truth, even though his story seemed very elaborate and his dress was very clean.

In any case, when we arrived at the site, there was nobody present. Apparently they had grown tired of waiting for him and had gone home. He then wanted us to take him a hotel where he could sit in the lobby and make some phone calls to his co-workers to come help him. Along the way, he mentioned needing $25 in cash to help pay for his tow since his credit card was maxed out and he only had $40-some in cash on him. My friend Dan was too skeptical and untrusting to help out, but I had the cash on me and decided to give it to him. Again I reflected back to my studies on scripture dealing with this topic and figured the benefit of this help to him was worth the slight risk of his story being fake. I thought, “that was a lot of work to go through to scam somebody out of their money.” He insisted in getting my phone number so he could call back and pay me back; and while I gave him my money I told him I wasn’t interested in getting paid back. Rather, I told him to ‘pay it forward,’ but he insisted he would call me the next day (Sunday). For the record, I never did hear from him on Sunday. Regardless, I was grateful to have the opportunity to at least apparently help somebody in a time of crisis.

Thanks again for reading and enjoy y’alls weeks. I am anticipating speaking with you again next week.

Week 6: Faith, History, and Natural Beauty of the South

Overall, another enjoyable week filled with a few new adventures has passed here in Richmond. Mainly, it was highlighted by faith, history, and natural beauty that can be experienced in the South like no other place. Just as predicted, it was also a week of renewed energy and excitement at Boaz & Ruth.

To review, in last week’s post I committed to writing one or two anonymous notes of kindness to staff, interns, program participants, and volunteers at Boaz & Ruth. It was a strategy to make myself recognize more of the positive things happening at the organization along with affirm people anonymously, which is often more powerful than signing one’s name. Well, I excitedly followed through with my plan, using a distinctly pattered note pad with a little puppy on the top. Trying to remain as mysterious as possible, I also wrote all of them in sloppy cursive so it looks nothing like my own handwriting. I would leave the notes mainly on people’s desks in places I knew they would find them, but where they wouldn’t be obvious to someone walking by. I dropped six throughout the week. In picking people to write them to, I would try to identify somebody who was having a rough day so they could serve as a pick-me-up.

I was wondering how long it would take before one of my ‘victims’ would mention something about the notes. I had no idea if it would be mid-week or never. Well, during the affirmation circle on Friday afternoon, my question was answered (the affirmation circle is the daily closing routine at B&R where everybody holds hands in a circle to recognize the positive things that happened throughout the day). In the circle, Claude pulled out a note I had dropped to him earlier that morning and read it aloud. He asked if anybody knew who had written it, but I of course kept my mouth shut and tried to look as least suspecting as possible. The most remarkable thing, though, was that none of the other five people I had left notes with were present at the circle! Therefore, there was no realization that other people had received notes, which I prefer. I think the notes will lose a bit of effectiveness once people realize they are not the only one’s receiving them.

The other topic I found coming up a lot this week at Boaz & Ruth was the role that faith plays in the workplace of a faith-based organization such as B&R. I had never really experienced a faith-based program or organization besides church before coming to Richmond, so needless to say I was intrigued from day one on what role faith would play on me personally and on the organization as a whole.

Personally, I have found the integration of faith in work as rewarding to my personal spirituality. The change I’ve experienced has gradual rather than dramatic, but nonetheless noticeable. Meetings and classes are typically opened and closed with prayer. We will also pray to close out the day in the affirmation circle, and there is a 30 minute staff prayer/bible study each week. Even though most of the prayers are short, I find the act of praying on a regular basis to be beneficial. It helps me reflect on different aspects of the day and remain grateful for the many blessing God has given me. It has also challenged me to be a better Christian in my everyday actions.

Organizationally, the situation is a bit more interesting and complex. This was highlighted by a few particular examples that happened in the past week. Besides praying in the ways I mentioned above, the is another daily prayer for staff and interns at B&R called ‘daily renunciations.’ Every morning at 8:15, the staff will gather to renounce the major issues facing the organization, announce the desired outcomes in their place, affirm the statement with scripture, and then state desired action steps. There is a set list of 9 major issues for which the renunciations, annunciations, affirmations, and outcomes are repeated every day. We will go through the same routine for 40 straight work days with the hope that daily repletion with influence our behaviors and lead to improvement.

This week, we were reaching the midpoint in the 40-day journey, and more and more staff were failing to show up. On Thursday, when only four people showed up, we went through the usual routine and were about to depart when Wendy, the Finance & HR person, asked, “Do any of you think this is actually doing any good?” What ensued was an hour-long discussion about the effectiveness of this routine and similar practices. The reality that was apparent to all of us was few of these issues were actually seeing improvement. We were trying to get the most out of these sessions and apply them into our daily actions, but we were frustrated that others didn’t feel the same sense of urgency. I think we all realized that proclaiming scripture and praying for intervention from God is useful, but only if one uses the scripture and prayer as motivation for action.

The other incident directly involved me and my preparation to lead the weekly staff prayer/Bible study on Tuesday morning. Like I mentioned above, I along with others felt many issues at B&R could improve if people showed through their actions what they spoke and prayed about. As many others besides me have noted, there seems to be an air of hypocrisy hanging around B&R. My Bible study was going to revolve around the importance of spiritual words AND physical deeds. I was going to model my message after a sermon I had heard at a church back in Minnesota. To demonstrate the importance of doing good deeds, I had even purchased some basic needs items- deodorant, shampoo, etc- to give to some members of staff so they could seize the opportunity to do good deeds to others. I felt this was going to be a rather powerful message. Therefore, I was disheartened when nobody showed up for the session! With this and the daily affirmations, it seemed as though staff was getting bogged down with daily tasks and forgetting the importance, especially in a faith-based nonprofit, or stepping back to reflect and explore Christianity. I will be leading the session again next week, so hopefully I’ll have a captive audience this time!

These were the views from our back porch on Wednesday evening!

During the week, I had the realization that I have passed the halfway point in my journey, and now only five weeks remain. When I made a list of things I wanted to see and places I wanted to go, it signaled to me that I had better take advantage of my weekends if I was to check off everything on my list. For the record, here is my list:
· Philly
· DC
· Charlottesville (University of Virginia)
· Virginia Beach
· Williamsburg/Jamestown
· Chapel Hill/Duke
· Richmond museums (Museum of the Confederacy, Edgar Allen Poe, etc)

Well, this weekend I got to check one off my list. Over the last few weeks, I heard many people raving about the Williamsburg area and what’s dubbed “America’s Historic Triangle.” The three cities of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown are within 30 miles of each other and signify the first permanent English settlements and essentially the birthplace of America. So I recruited one of my new friends Laura, a nurse at VCU and an ’07 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill to spend Saturday enjoying the area.

Everything about the area was beautiful and historic, yet my experience somehow left something more to be desired. Trees, rivers, bays, and beaches were around every corner, and seemingly every building or plot of land had a piece of history behind it. Without a doubt, it is a place that every nature lover and American history buff should spend some time. Yet at the same time, to truly experience and learn the history comes at a cost- a monetary cost that is. It seemed every major historic site had a major entry fee posted to it. Even though I have been willing to spend more freely than usual to experience things while I’m out here, it seemed unnecessary to spend $10-20 at multiple places just to see some historic buildings or walk on the land where John Smith and his crew first landed. For this journey, just saying I had been there, along with enjoying the landscapes of the area would suffice. Maybe I am taking this too far, but I thought it unjust for these places to be profiting off American history, and Laura & I didn’t feel the need to support that. Luckily, there was still plenty to enjoy about the towns outside of the major historic landmarks. I will briefly explain each of the three towns below.

Our first and most forgettable stop in the journey was Yorktown. This place is famous for being the site of final battle of the Revolutionary War and has a Battlefield Museum and monument dedicated to this. And while the small white sanded beaches along the York River and the historic riverfront are welcoming, but the rest of the town was dead. There was just no excitement or energy, and it felt as though the legend of the Ghosts of Yorktown was actually true.

Laura & I did not have the chance to visit the Watermen's Museum...

The monument commemorating liberty won in the Revolutionary War

Next was Williamsburg, which was definitely the highlight of the trip. Right away, I noticed a distinctly different feel than Yorktown, with a bustling Merchant’s Square filled with historic shops and restaurants. We also strolled through the historic campus of William & Mary, which is the second oldest university in the country. Finally, the main attraction of Williamsburg is ‘Colonial Williamsburg,’ a 6-block by 4-block living history museum at the heart of town that recreates the life of colonial times. You can interact with people dressed up as blacksmiths, merchants, and other townspeople, along with meet George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and other colonial legends. While a ticket for the museum is $36, we accidently found ourselves enjoying some of the town without a ticket because there is no gate at the entrance. We didn’t push our luck too far though…

A statue of Jefferson on the campus of William & Mary

We stumbled upon a Publick Auction while strolling through Colonial Williamsburg

Finally there was Jamestown, which is famously known as the site of the first permanent English settlement way back in 1607. In fact, this year is officially known as “America’s 400-Year Anniversary” in the Historic Triangle. We didn’t get to see much in Jamestown, but apparently there are some ruins from the original settlement along with a reconstruction of the ships used by John Smith and his crew. There was also a flag and plaque commemorating every state in the Union…

Keeping loyal to my roots!

We arrived back in Richmond in the early evening, and, as I said, the day still left something to be desired. That gap was filled when I explored Belle Island in Richmond. I would describe the island as a haven of natural beauty within just a few minutes’ walk of downtown! The island was used as a Union POW camp during the Civil War and also the site of steel mills after the war, but now is preserved as a city park. The island offers amazing access to the unique landscape of the James River, along with scenic view of the river and the skyline. It was a fitting way to close out the day and recharge for another exciting week!

It was a fine evening to relax and enjoy a book!

Views of the skyline

The James is known for its rapids

Quite a sunset!

Week 5: Good Frustrations

Another week has passed here in Richmond, and I feel as though I have reached a low point of sorts in my journey here. It wasn’t a low point of being depressed or sad, but rather of feelings of frustration and insignificance complicated by my own overactive mind. Many moments later in the week, however, gave me renewed determination and perseverance to mark this as a turning point, especially with my experiences at Boaz & Ruth.


Many of my frustrations stem from the very nature of Boaz & Ruth and are a natural occurrence for anyone who chooses to be involved with the organization. Unlike any other nonprofit I have worked with or witnessed, it is extremely difficult to see positive progress and results from your efforts over a short time period. It takes months and even years sometimes to observe noticeable personal growth and development of the people we are working with. I was speaking with Tony, one of the staff members and teacher of the anger management and conflict resolution classes, about these frustrations and he reiterated this point. He says that the age and background of the typical B&R apprentice leads to growth in baby steps. He considers it an accomplishment when a given person is only cussing other people out 2 times a week, for example, instead of five.


Even with daily positive affirmations at the end of each day, which is a tradition at Boaz & Ruth, it becomes surprisingly easy to get caught up in the negativity and criticism that are a part of the daily course of events. I came to Boaz & Ruth a huge supporter and believer in their work, but find myself growing ever more skeptical of the effectiveness of such a program because of all the criticisms coming from the program participants. I continually need to remind myself that those in the program have many frustrations and obstacles in their recovery back into society, and are often unrealistic and irrational in their evaluation of the program.


Another source of frustration and difficultly was the resignation of a member of the ‘leadership team,’ a man who had been involved with the organization nearly from the beginning and who filled a lot of holes and responsibilities that others simply wouldn’t take on. Bill was the manager of all the Life Labs, which are the different businesses that teach job skills. Apparently, the stresses of the job had become too hazardous to his health. His wife also worked at Boaz & Ruth, managing an antique store in a different neighborhood of Richmond, but decided to quit on the same day. Needless to say, their resignation was unexpected and left many holes to fill within the organization.


Even more surprising to me was the way the situation was handled by the organization. I learned of the news in a brief announcement at the end of class on Monday along with most everybody else in the organization, staff, interns, and apprentices alike. I figured that a special meeting would be held to discuss the fallout from the situation later in the day or the next, but no such communication occurred. I felt as though a very significant event in the organization’s operations had been swept under the rug, so to speak, although I’m sure the upper management of the organization had more internal discussions on how to handle the situation.


While I’m at it, I may as well vent about my personal role within B&R. As I mentioned last week, I spent much of the week driving the Mountain Movers truck for the moving business, which I enjoyed but was looking forward to being done with this week. Unfortunately, the resignation of Bill had left some confusion within the Life Labs, since he determined the manpower assigned to each business on a daily basis. That, coupled with the fact that the regular driver was still having health problems, meant I was back out on the truck for Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Finally on Friday, when I was relieved of my duties, I thought I would be ready to tackle many of the projects I had put to the side. Instead, I struggled to find motivation to work on anything, bogged down by some of the frustrations listed above along with problems installing the accounting software Quickbooks on my laptop. Instead I found myself researching post-graduation opportunities, particularly the AmeriCorps NCCC program, which (for the record) allows you to travel in a team of ten and serve the greatest needs of the country.


One highlight of the week was class on Friday morning, where my roommate Kevin facilitated a discussion on the documentary Invisible Children. For those who haven’t seen it, IC is the story of three guys from California on their journey to Sudan and Uganda, and the untold story of the outrageous humanitarian crisis and 17-year war happening in Northern Uganda. Having seen the documentary before and participated in an Invisible Children rally earlier in the year, I was very interested to see how the folks at Boaz & Ruth would react to this film. In the discussion that followed the film, a few people said the situation was unfortunate, but felt they couldn’t do anything about it. Others likened the situation of the refugees of Northern Uganda to slavery in the United States, explaining that the people of Uganda were having their ancestry erased just as decedents of slaves can only trace their ancestry back to America. Most were moved by what they saw and were inquiring into ways they could support the movement that was happening in the United States. It was uplifting to me that even those with less than the majority of Americans were willing to donate time or money to such a cause. I’m excited to see what comes of showing the film.


Other events in the closing on Friday helped turn around my mood and planted some ideas in my mind that I hope will help me turn my frustrations and struggles into opportunities for improvement, learning, and growth. Starting at 4pm on every Friday, we have what’s called an Organizational Meeting involving everybody at Boaz & Ruth. It is a time for people to bring up any concerns they have about the organization, including suggestions for improvement or criticisms. However, because of the time of day, it is usually attending sparingly and little comes of it. I didn’t show up at the meeting until a few minutes before 5 because I was helping a co-working with a last-minute project, but this time I was glad I showed up when I did.


I walked in when Mike, a graduate of the program and now on staff at Boaz & Ruth, was talking about the importance for him of just acknowledging the simple pleasures in life, and hearing other people recognize them. In particular, he spoke of Tommy, who was simply enjoying the freedom of being to stand out in the rain after being incarcerated for 26 years. I felt as though he was speaking directly to me with this message. Here I was, getting caught up in all the negativity and frustrations of the daily grind; I suddenly realized I need to take more pleasures in the simple successes that happen on a daily basis at B&R and in other areas of my life.


This message was reinforced yet again when Melvin, of whom I’ve mentioned many times before, closed with words of prayer and thankfulness. He mentioned how touched he was by watching Invisible Children earlier that morning because it made him realize how grateful he was to have the basic necessities in his life. Here was a man who had sold drugs, probably paid an unnecessarily high price for his decisions, and been released back into society with little support, yet he was still grateful to God for all He has given. I was suddenly humbled because of how fortunate and lucky have been to be surrounded by supportive and loving friends and family.


At that point I knew I had to do something to show my gratitude and appreciation, and at the same time recognize the simple victories happening every day at Boaz & Ruth. After pondering on this, I figured it would be best to start simple by leaving anonymous notes of appreciation to co-workers and the apprentices of Boaz & Ruth. To keep it anonymous I will have to be sneaky and strategic. I plan to write a couple simple notes per day. If you have any more suggestions on anonymous kindness please let me know.


Of course, over the last week was the 4th of July. I had aspirations to go all-out patriotic with Mount Vernon and Washington DC, but I couldn’t find anybody to make the journey with me. On Tuesday, I went out to a horse track called Colonial Downs and saw a horse race and some fireworks. Wednesday was a lazy and relaxing day filled with napping and reading. In the evening, Kevin & I went to a huge park in Richmond along with the other half of Richmond to watch the city concert band and more fireworks. I also met one of his college friends who attended the Breck School in Minneapolis, and other who participated in the Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID) program in India while at the University of Richmond. MSID is based out of the U of M and only about 100 people participate per year, so this was quite the coincidence. Even crazier is that I will be participating in MSID when I go to Ecuador in the fall!

The view of the fireworks from our back porch



Richmond City Concert Band

On Saturday I helped celebrate the 40th birthday of somebody I didn’t even know at a 1700 acre ranch with a private 25 acre lake about ½ hour west of Richmond. There were probably about 150 people there and plenty of food for everybody with a 100 lb. pig! It was refreshing to finally spend some time in a natural, freshwater lake as well.










So, I am entering the week with renewed energy and determination at work. I am looking forward to dropping random notes of kindness on multiple people this week. Stay tuned for updates!

Week 4: Building Relationships

As I sit down to write this entry, I am still having trouble believing the month of July has arrived! It seems like I have been in Richmond for four days rather than four weeks. Even as the time has flown by, I seem to be “settling in,” so to speak, in my new home. The past week was not highlighted by any spectacular events or revolutionary realizations, but rather by subtle daily lessons, an increased familiarity with the city, and most importantly the development of personal relationships with friends and co-workers.

At Boaz & Ruth, I experienced a nice change in pace of work by getting out on the “front lines,” if you will. I spent Tuesday – Friday filling in as a driver for one of the moving trucks for the Mountain Movers business. It was quite relieving to step outside the commotion and unpredictability of the Boaz & Ruth headquarters and have a routine schedule with some good physical labor. It’s not every day you get to cruise around town, windows down, wind in the face, AC on low, and the hip-hop of “Power 92 Jams” blaring.

The best part of the job, though, was getting to spend some quality time with some of the guys in the program- Jasper, Jerome, and CT (Charles Thomas). Even though we didn’t engage in much conversation, I still feel closer with these guys simply because we shared a good day’s work together. As I’m learning, respect, patience, and the willingness to listen are the keys to laying a good foundation in these types of relationships. After these things have been established, there is more of a willingness on their part to open up. For example, on Thursday, Jasper spoke openly about the death of one of his good friends of which happened earlier that morning. While he didn’t show a lot of emotion, I don’t think this exchange would have happened if we hadn’t spent the previous two days working together.

As much fun as I had out on the moving truck, I am hoping to get back in the office next week. While I will willingly help out when there is a shortage of manpower, I didn’t come to B&R to be a Teamster driver. The lessons I’ve learned from Boaz & Ruth are not clear yet, and I feel as though a lot more interaction with co-workers and trainees is needed before I am satisfied with my internship experience.

Since I did spend a good part of my week exploring the city of Richmond, I feel now would be a good time to describe in detail the different neighborhoods of the city. One of the differences I’ve found between the South and Midwest, and specifically from Richmond to Minneapolis, is the distinct flavor of each neighborhood. As surprising as it may sound, one can really tell a lot about a person just based on what part of town they are from.

The part of the city where I live is dubbed “The Fan” because of the way the streets fan out from Monroe Park. This is a purely residential part of town filled mostly with young professionals and college students. It also includes most of the campus of VCU. I have enjoyed living in this part of town because of its close proximity to downtown and other city attractions.

Further west of The Fan is the West End, an affluent and predominately white part of the city. Here, churches appear more like historical landmarks or important government buildings. Beautiful brick houses with enormous front lawns appear fit for celebrities or plantation owners rather than everyday citizens. Shops and malls spring up like tulips in the spring.

Then there is the North side and the Highland Park neighborhood where Boaz & Ruth is located. In the old business district, commercial businesses in operation equal the number boarded up and shut down. Houses are more modest, often needing repair. Outside of the walls of Boaz & Ruth, you would be hard-pressed to find a white person roaming the streets of this neighborhood.

On the east end of Richmond is the Churchill area, fittingly named because of the large hill one must ascend to get there. This neighborhood is covered in churches, with one on almost every street corner. None are as famous as St. John’s Church, where Patrick Henry gave his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. Churchill is a neighborhood in transition, with the city recently embarking on a revitalization project that is forcing businesses and homes to be fixed up or taken over. While improvements are being made, the area is still notoriously known for crime and poverty once you get a couple blocks off the main road.

Finally, there is the south side, which constitutes everything south of the James River. I have only explored the south side once, but from what I hear it is as diverse a neighborhood as Richmond has. Many Asians and Latinos mix with whites and blacks in this area to create an eclectic part of town.

The point of this was not to say that other cities do not have their distinct neighborhoods of which they can take pride in; it’s just that in Richmond I have experienced a difference not only in demographics or appearance in these communities, but a difference in the way people think and act. This is something I never noticed while living in Minneapolis.


To finish this week’s entry, I want to highlight another major difference I have noticed between the South and the Midwest. Ever since I have been here, it has been apparent that Richmond is in what many would call the “Bible Belt.” From my experiences, people down here speak more openly about their faith and feel it is their calling to help other people “see the light of Christ.” As I think I already touched on in another post, religion does play a more prominent role in people’s everyday actions. I would say prayer is more commonly used by most people for guidance on making decisions, and people tend to explain their path in life primarily as a ‘calling from God’ or because it was ‘where God led them.’ Of course, I am not condoning this mentality or even saying that people don’t do this in the Midwest, I’m just pointing out that it is something I’ve noticed a lot more since being in Richmond.

As I’ve become integrated into more social groups, I’ve also noticed that these social networks are based primarily around a church or church-related activity of some sort. From what I can tell, churches are the foundations of communities and people’s primary way of making friends. In fact, the first few weeks I was out here I noticed that after introducing myself as new to the area, people would often ask if I had found a church. Churches do a wonderful job of keeping people connected throughout the week by holding Bible studies, small groups, meal gatherings, etc. Now more than ever, as I have relied on my social skills to make friends, I continue to be fascinated by the ways people interact socially. I will be keeping a close observation on this as my relationships continue to strengthen.


In the end, it may be my social skills and knowledge, not my organization and nonprofit experience, that will benefit most from this journey to Richmond.