To Serve and Lift | Ripple effect | Susan Walker

Ripple effect

The image of a drop of water hitting the middle of a

pond or a lake, and creating ripples that reach the edge, is a visual reminder to us that every experience we have, every act of kindness or every threat of harm, impacts us. Those effects can be long-lasting and even span generations. This is especially true for families who are experiencing poverty. One seemingly small event can spiral into instability that threatens health and safety in ways that may not be immediately apparent. On the other hand, help that arrives at the right time can stabilize and uplift families, breaking the cycle of poverty for generations to come.

By Susan Beth (not her real name) is a perfect example. Walker The “drop of water” that disrupted life for her and her two small children was an abusive relationship. After years of verbal berating and threats of physical violence from her husband, she gathered her children and fled to Kansas City, hoping for a new start. With just enough money for a deposit on a small apartment, she accepted the first job she could find: a contract position with low pay and unreliable hours. At times, she had to be at work at 6 a.m.; other days she would be required to work on the weekend. Finding day care was challenging enough, and the expense of after-hours care was eating up most of her earnings. The basics of feeding herself and her children and keeping up with rent left absolutely no money in the bank at the end of the month. She knew the ripple effects were taking a toll on her children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) labels situations such as witnessing domestic violence or being hungry and neglected as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — which are well documented to have lasting, negative effects on health, well-being and life opportunities such as education and job potential. These living conditions would have a substantial impact on her children as they grew: their social-emotional development, their academic achievements, their health into adulthood. She worried about them but was exhausted from frantically trying to make ends meet. When the shut-off notice arrived from the gas company, she had no money to bring her account up to date and no idea of how to avoid the shut-off and the eviction that would inevitably follow. The “ripples” in the water of her life felt like

WE MAY FEEL THAT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS JUST A DROP IN THE OCEAN. BUT THE OCEAN WOULD BE LESS BECAUSE OF THAT MISSING DROP.” — MOTHER TERESA

massive ocean waves, drowning her in insurmountable obstacles.

That’s when she called Catholic Charities.

Larry, one of our Welcome Center staff, met with Beth and made arrangements to bring her utility bills up to date. As they talked about all the challenges that Beth was having to overcome, they identified child care as a major impact to her budget, and a source of worry for her. Larry called Kaydee, an employment specialist, to join the conversation. Kaydee and Beth explored ways to address her work situation — the low pay, the unreliable hours. A new job was obviously needed, and Kaydee asked if Beth had ever considered working with children. Day cares can offer child care for their employees at a discounted rate — with the added bonus of having their children with the parents during their working hours, whatever those hours might be. Beth immediately embraced that idea: she loved working with children but had never considered it as a career. Within a week, Beth had secured a position with a child-care facility only minutes from her home. Her new employer offered free preschool for her two children. She found sustainable employment plus stable, positive care for her children at her new job. No more worries about locating someone last minute to watch her children. Regular hours and sufficient pay allow her to make and meet a budget that assures her family’s shelter and safety. Her conversation with Larry and Kaydee became the “drop of water” that disrupted the chaos of her life: creating positive ripples of a job she loves, adequate financial resources, stability and good care for her children. Beth noted, “There’s a lot of opportunities out there, sometimes you just have to meet the right people that are willing to help! I am so glad to have met Kaydee!”

This change in her life is counteracting the Adverse Childhood Experiences her children suffered in the life she fled when she escaped her abusive spouse and the challenges of establishing her family in a new city. No longer buffeted by a chaotic and toxic home life, now her children will grow up in a stable environment. The CDC lists strengthening household financial security and family friendly workplaces and policies as critical ways to reverse the effects of ACE’s. Beth has found both, and now her children — and years from now, their children — will reap the ripple effects of their new, supportive and self-sufficient life.

There are thousands of men and women facing poverty’s barriers in our 27 counties. And while helping one person, with one bill or one new job seems like just a drop in the ocean, as Mother Saint Teresa notes, it is how we address the larger problem of poverty. No act is too small to change a life.

One by one, we do make the ocean rise, and help our at-risk neighbors to a better life.