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One year of [XYZ]

A community, a year, and three letters of the alphabet. Since launching our five-year [XYZ] initiative in May 2007, we've been serving together and channeling resources in three key expressions of our mission: housing in Grand Rapids [X], economic opportunity in Grand Rapids [Y], and economic opportunity in Burundi [Z]. In the last year almost 1000 people from our community have been mobilized to serve with [XYZ], and together we've committed over $715,000 to this serving focus. We've made marked progress thus far, yet in many ways we're just getting started. The following is our one-year update on this project: both where we are and where we're heading.

One year of [X]

In the last year, our community members, House Churches, and Neighborhood Networks have rolled up their sleeves together to meet local housing needs. We've been helping develop and provide long-term solutions for those in our community who either lack sufficient housing or are at risk of losing their homes. A number of volunteers have assisted four area housing-insecure families, supporting their efforts to retain housing both through our re-housing program and in partnership with the Coalition to End Homelessness [CEH]. Others have raised roofs and painted walls as part of home builds for six local families in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Still others have provided construction labor and materials for renovation of the United in Christ Community Center in the Black Hills neighborhood.

Moving forward with [X], our next steps include Summer 2008 construction of a quad-plex to house four local families [Habitat Blitz #5]. We also plan to strengthen our volunteer base in support of housing-insecure families, partnering with CEH in helping ten Grand Rapids families reach their goals for long-term housing.

One year of [Y]

This past year, volunteers from our community served with the [Y] initiative to help local low-income female workers and entrepreneurs improve skills in business as a road out of poverty. Steps taken with [Y] helped develop and begin implementation of the SOLO program, a comprehensive employment strategy in partnership with the Women's Resource Center [WRC]. Funding for [Y] has supported the assessment of activities of 60 single mothers in the last year, has provided free "Introduction to Entrepreneurship" classes to over 150 individuals, and has provided 36 scholarships to help local women improve business skills and economic literacy.

The next phase of [Y] includes increasing volunteer involvement and building program capacity. We plan to connect 36 low-income single mothers through the SOLO program, align fifteen Personal Coaches with local entrepreneurs, and pilot a micro-loan program to support local startup businesses. Personal Coach Volunteers will serve with aspiring entrepreneurs, providing administrative help, business mentorship, and marketing plan review through Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women [G.R.O.W.]. In addition, Family Support Volunteers will assist low-income single moms by providing friendship, mentorship, and social connection through the WRC.

One year of [Z]

Our five-year goal at the launch of [Z] was to help build Turame Bank into a sustainable microfinance institution providing high-quality financial services to the poor in Burundi. At the time, Turame had 4,000 clients and an operational self-sufficiency of 40%. During the first year of [Z], our partnership helped Turame grow to over 9,600 clients and 54% self-sufficiency. The bank's outstanding microfinance loans to Burundian entrepreneurs total almost $400,000 now—capital that allows individuals to launch businesses as a way out of poverty. Our Sr. High students and LifeGroup leaders practiced microfinance themselves in support of [Z], using $5 loans to start "businesses" that raised over $5700 for Turame. Additionally, in the summer of 2007, a team of 12 Mars Hill volunteers traveled to Burundi, partnering with World Relief and Turame to facilitate retreats and trainings for counselors, HIV/AIDS caregivers, and Turame loan officers.

What's coming up with [Z] is continued support and development of Turame staff in Burundi. An assessment trip in April 2008 will explore opportunities for Mars Hill mentoring teams to provide training for Turame staff in the areas of human resources, finance systems, board development, IT, management, spiritual formation, and marketing.

Getting Involved With [XYZ]