The Official Modest Needs Blog

Finding Joy -- Recession or No Recession

"Recession" is an ugly word, a sad word. It's a word that strikes fear in people. It's a word that, unfortunately, has come to summarize our present moment. But a beautiful photograph in the New York Times' special section "Living with Less -- the Human Side of the Recession" put that word into perspective for me this morning.

A slideshow of user-submitted images portrayed boarded-up businesses and streets overflowing with for-sale signs. Among them, however, was a photo of a mother and baby on the child's first birthday. Their faces were positively radiant. Here was a picture of the simplest and most all-consuming kind of human joy, accompanied by the following caption:

"Through a child's eye wonder and possibility are eternal. For adults, we must remember that this too shall pass and that we will be the better for it."

It was a much-appreciated burst of positive energy. So on that note, I'm passing it onto you. Have a wonderful weekend!

Your Money May Not Buy Love...

But in some cases, it can actually buy pain relief.

Imagine being in physical agony -- every day -- and knowing that you could end your suffering if you could just come up with a little bit of cash.

Talk about infuriating.

That's exactly the predicament of hundreds of applicants who've come through Modest Needs' virtual doors over the years. This woman from Northern Virginia, for example, can't afford to pay for the adjustments to her new prosthetic leg. As a result, she's in so much pain that she can't get herself to the grocery store -- let alone anywhere else.

The most unbelievable part about her story isn't even in her application. It's in her voice, according to the Modest Needs staff members who've conversed with her over the past few weeks. In spite of a situation that would make most of us outrageously angry and frustrated -- myself included -- this applicant has been nothing but cooperative, kind, and grateful. I encourage you to take a read of her application and consider sending a few points her way.

Because under no circumstance should pain be a consequence of being financially strapped.

Behind the Scenes... Meet Rebekah

After a brief hiatus, we're back with the next installment of our “Behind the Scenes” blog series. This week you'll meet Rebekah Biehl, our cherished administrative assistant and the first person who most East Coast donors and applicants encounter when they call our office. With her trademark warm phone manner, constant sense of composure (even with 6 phone lines ringing!), and unwavering drive to go above and beyond, I couldn't ask for a better person to make that crucial first impression.

I remember Rebekah's first week in the office last autumn, and the exuberance that filled the air. "She's only been here two days," a staff member said to me, in shock and awe, "and you wouldn't believe how much she has DONE already!" Even at the beginning, we knew we'd landed a star employee.

A native of Seattle, Rebekah worked as a content writer for an online marketing company in Redmond, WA, for close to 3 years before arriving in New York. These days, the writer in her is still strong. You won't find her without her trusty notebook -- just in case she gets a flood of inspiration.

But what makes Rebekah special isn't just her stellar organizational and writing skills and unflappable calm. It's her personal investment in our applicants. Like so many Modest Needs employees, she knows first-hand what financial struggle feels like.  As a child, Rebekah's father left her mother alone to raise enough girls to field a softball team. Her mother took on sometimes up to 5 jobs at once, and Rebekah remembers joining her in many roles, even as a young girl, to help make their rent payments. Thanks to her mother's extraordinary efforts, she and her sisters were never put out onto the street.

"My mother wasn't willing to use government assistance. So this job is especially important to me on another level -- because there were many times when organizations not unlike Modest Needs kept us fed or clothed when my mother came up a little short. I feel like all of my hard times mean something when we tell someone that help is on the way for him/her. I'm so grateful to be part of transforming unimaginable sorrow into joy."

It's no surprise, then, that from the moment Rebekah picks up the phone, our applicants know that someone's on their side. I can't think of any job more important than that.

On Cloud 1,000,000,000

This thank-you note -- from a single mom who was laid off in February and on the verge of being evicted with her three children -- was so stirring that we passed it around the Modest Needs office. I hope it raises your spirits as much as it raised ours.

 

"I have been crying for the past 20 minutes, and I have called everyone I know to tell them how blessed I feel this morning. (Here in Chicago it is 6:30am LOL.) I don't have the correct words to express my gratitude. I will say thank you, but that is nowhere near enough. I never in a million years would have thought that the world we live in today would still produce such loving, kind-hearted, generous individuals who would care for someone else more than for themselves...

 

On May 4, 2009, the University of Chicago Medical Center hired me back to work. I am working in a different department but I am back employed. I won't get my first check until 5-29, but when I do I am going to begin donating to Modest Needs every pay period, no matter what. I prayed so hard for help with my children, and my prayers got answered. I also finished out my last semester with two A's, and I am still on the Dean's List. My children will be overjoyed to know that you can have people whom you don't know love you from great distances. You have given me some of the best news I've ever gotten, and I am on cloud 1,000,000,000.

 

You should be so proud and honored to know you helped save a mother and her children from falling into the hands of debt and possibly poverty. For that you are forever in my prayers and thoughts. I appreciate your time, for reading my application, for your finances, which I know you didn't really have to give up in the first place, and for your kindness, amidst all the pain, suffering,and untruth going on in the world. I am back on my feet, and you are the reason why. "

Make Your Teacher Proud

Mrs. DePhillips. Mr. Loose. Mr. Aderman.

You've surely got them, too -- the teachers who made such an enormous impact on you that you'll remember their names until you're 90. But what you may not have realized is that teachers aren't the larger-than-life super-humans that you put on a pedestal back then. They're people whose cars break down, whose children need daycare, and whose paychecks don't always provide much of a cushion in the bank account. As a former professor myself, I know all too well.

I'm pleased to say that, over the years, our donors have funded dozens of cash-strapped teachers trying to remain self-sufficient. And to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, I thought I'd highlight one particular application from a substitute teacher who's struggling to get back on track.

Teachers do an amazing thing for us. It feels awfully good to return the favor once in a while.

A Haunting Reminder

I've seen a lot of applications, but only a handful that have affected me as much as this one.

This grieving mother needs a few hundred dollars to remove a blood-stained carpet that serves as a constant reminder of her daughter's brutal murder this past January. I encourage you to read her heart-wrenching story and consider a donation.