Giving and Receiving Both Feel Great

Employee Assistance Fund remains absolutely essential

by Jake Ten Pas

For people around the world, the old saying, “May you live in interesting times,” has never been more troublingly true than in 2020. Back in April, Multnomah Athletic Club made the difficult decision to lay off more than 600 employees, and last month, due to the state’s COVID freeze, a new round of furloughs were announced.

Taking the best possible care of MAC’s community continues to be of paramount importance to not just the reduced crew of employees who remain, but a huge group of members, as well. What came out of that concern was the Emergency and Employee Assistance Fund (EEAF), a grant-based program — meaning it doesn’t affect unemployment benefits — administered by the nonprofit America’s Charities.

Since the EEAF’s inception on May 1, 581 people have donated more than $270,000, resulting in grants of $500 or $1,000 going to 233 employees. To get beyond the numbers, and find out what this generosity has meant to the people who’ve given and received, The Winged M reached out to members and employees alike. What follows are their stories and motivations, and a small inkling of what it means to be part of the MAC community.

One last note. Since these interviews were conducted, Carpenter and Gill both were furloughed following the club’s mandate to close for four weeks. Both agreed to keeping their stories in the piece as powerful examples of the fact that member generosity means more now than ever before.

Jen Carpenter

The former Fourth Floor Entrance attendant officially moved to At Your Service in 2019, a position that allowed her to welcome and assist members in an even deeper capacity. However, when the club closed down, Carpenter and other key MAC faces found themselves without duties to perform. In a time when COVID was creating unprecedented uncertainty, she found herself without both her daily routine and income. At first, after hearing about the EEAF, Carpenter wasn’t sure it was for her. “I was embarrassed that I had to ask for help, but when I wasn’t getting my full weekly hours, and I couldn’t get unemployment either, I was really scared about making ends meet. I figured I’d give it a try, and am glad I did. I was being extremely frugal, trying to not eat my savings, but I needed extensive dental work. It was a huge relief when I got approved. In addition to funding a grueling, three-hour session in a dental chair, Carpenter says that she applied funds from her grant to help with rent. The process wasn’t without its hiccups, some caused by her bank’s website not being set up to provide key information America’s Charities needed, after a week or so she was able to get it sorted.

Now, she would advise fellow employees to take advantage of the program. “Being laid off was awful, and if they need help, I would definitely recommend it.”

Jay Maxwell

The day that the call went out to Winged M readers asking for stories of those impacted by the EEAF, Jay Maxwell was the first person to respond. “When you have friends who work at your second home and greet you by name with a warm, genuine smile, and their jobs and families are threatened, you have to help,” his message said.

When asked to expand upon this succinct response, Maxwell had no trouble whatsoever:

“I have belonged to four very strong communities at MAC over my 50-plus years of membership: Handball, The Balladeers, the committee system, and restaurant and bar staff. “Many of my best friends are in the Handball community, and MAC is where I see, play and hang out with them. Club support staff, past and present, have become friends, especially Renee Ferguson, Pete Greer and Hank Marcus.

“The Balladeers are much like handball players — welcoming, fun, social and loyal. Additionally, we make wonderful music together. Mandy Beasley Chase, who has gone on to other adventures, and Abby DenUyl always smile and say hello with genuine enthusiasm.

“The committee system welcomed me to contribute to both athletics and social programs. Many members with whom I served have become lasting friends, as have employees who’ve facilitated those interactions. “Socializing at MAC is as important to me as exercising. Over the years, the restaurant and bar staff has made me feel welcome and at home with their friendly greetings and excellent service. With the restaurants closed, it was this group, Nellie, Carlos, Curt, Sasha, Jorge and others, and their families, that I worried about most.

“Now that I am able, I get the same pleasure from giving to others as I got when I was young and was amazed when people were generous to me. I felt confident in the giving program MAC set up, and it was easy to participate. I feel good to have helped friends. It is my hope that there has been enough support that I will see my friends again soon at my second home.”

Jay Maxwell

Molly Gill

One downside of having a club roster so full of experts and passionate professionals is that there’s very little fat to trim when the going gets tough. After the initial round of layoffs, and the shifting of responsibilities to cover new virtual engagement initiatives, only two folks remained to oversee MAC’s robust Dance and Gymnastics programs. Unfortunately, that meant that longtime employee and current Gymnastics and Dance Rec Supervisor Molly Gill found herself on the outside looking in. In her time of need, the EEAF provided a much-needed vault.

“It was such a big relief and left me feeling less anxious about getting through the next months,” she says. Specifically, she used the funds from her EEAF grant to pay the bills.

“Unfortunately, when the whole layoff happened, we did not have much in savings, and what was there was being saved to pay our taxes. The extra money we normally make in the spring with side jobs — my husband coaching high school and myself judging — just did not happen, so we were down both basic income and the additional money we make to be able to afford any extras in life.”

She says the process of applying for her grant was “extremely easy,” and that she received approval in accordance with the exact timeline they gave. Gill describes the whole experience as so positive that she’s already suggested other employees follow suit.

Member Generosity

Neither of these employee’s stories would have been possible without the contributions of MAC’s thoughtful membership. Many would probably prefer to remain anonymous, but thankfully a few more stepped forward to sound off about why they chose to give.

“I gave to the fund during this challenging time because I wanted to support the kind, friendly people who make my MAC experience so warm and enjoyable, and who were job insecure,” says Jenny Todenhagen. “I had made a promise to myself to do this when the insecurity of my employment was alleviated, and I felt a tremendous amount of gratitude to have secure employment.”

Regular committee member Ann Blume put it quite simply: “I donated to thank the employees for all they do to create and enhance the member experience.”

Former club president, amateur historian and Multnomah Athletic Foundation co-founder George Spencer brings more than 50 years of membership insight to his response, submitted only shortly after Maxwell’s.

“I contributed to the fund for two reasons: It’s the appropriate vehicle for this assistance; and these employees, who make the club run and who are, to many, like family, now are in need of our financial help. Remember, it is usually the employees who help the members in good times.”

When pressed for elaboration, Spencer pointed out that it shouldn’t require too much explanation. “Contributing is simply a matter of common sense. End of story.”

Molly Gill