8 min read
Union Gospel Mission: February 6, 2019
"Change" is one of UGM's distinctives. It defines our piece of the pie. We are here for people currently living in addiction or homelessness who are ready to change their lives, and we believe that life transformation is possible for everyone. But,...
Read More
2 min read
Union Gospel Mission: January 30, 2019
We talk a lot about the impact of volunteers across our ministries. Here’s a group of partners we don’t often refer to as “volunteers,” but they...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: January 24, 2019
...and not always just the people you think. “In the interviewing process for potential staff, I always communicate that if they choose to accept...
5 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: January 17, 2019
“It’s not like I’m doing anything special, because I love it so much.” Ask Jenny Gasperino why she volunteers at the Union Gospel Mission, and you’ll...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: January 8, 2019
Words to Direct Our Paths There's something about a new notebook, a blank calendar, a freshly tilled plot of soil that beckons us. It's a fresh...
5 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: January 1, 2019
I’ve never been big on making new year’s resolutions. It’s partly because of a general fear of failure with which I’ve struggled most of my life – I...
4 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: December 28, 2018
My dad died on December 12 of this year. His death was by no means a tragedy. He was 89 years old, had lived a full, meaningful life and died...
6 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: December 19, 2018
“Stay consistent in their lives, even when they’re the hardest to love.” That, in a nutshell, is the key to caring for the children living with their...
5 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: December 11, 2018
Kari had been walking for four days. Literally. She wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t need the exercise. She was walking because her life had come to...
3 min read
Union Gospel Mission: December 5, 2018
By Kamee Bissell, former Counselor in Women’s Recovery at Anna Ogden Hall - Many of the women who apply for our LIFE Recovery Program at Anna Ogden...
3 min read
Union Gospel Mission: November 28, 2018
By JoAnn Zajicek, Director, Center for Women and Children - Not yet two years old, the girl consistently wakes up with night terrors. She’s been in...
3 min read
Union Gospel Mission: November 21, 2018
By Diane Hutton, Director, Crisis Shelter for Women and Children - Women often come into the shelter for the first time very fearful, broken and...
5 min read
Sonny Westbrook, UGM Staff Chaplain: November 14, 2018
All of God’s ways are perfect. One of His ways for life on planet Earth was to create the family unit. As we see in the Scriptures, the original...
11 min read
Union Gospel Mission: November 8, 2018
Teria Kelley is Resident Services Coordinator at the UGM Center for Women and Children in Coeur d'Alene. But in her own words, her job title is,...
3 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: October 31, 2018
Caleb Unruh is not your typical used car salesman, for several reasons. His background, for one: When it became clear that his initial dream of being...
10 min read
Union Gospel Mission: October 18, 2018
Kimmi (Halbrook) Lane arrived at the UGM Crisis Shelter nine and a half years ago as a guest. Little did she know it was the beginning of a journey...
6 min read
Union Gospel Mission: October 9, 2018
Editor's note: For World Homeless Day, 10.10.18, we’re turning the keyboard over to a few of our current and former residents. Who better to explain...
8 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: October 3, 2018
Food service partners provide the bulk of the ingredients for the meals served at the Union Gospel Mission, which added up to more than 310,000 in...
8 min read
Union Gospel Mission: September 27, 2018
Matt Lewis has worked with the guests at the Men’s Shelter a little more than a year – first as a resident advisor and now as day desk supervisor....
2 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: September 21, 2018
On the surface, Mike, Debra, Justin and Samantha have seemingly nothing in common. Justin was born in Chicago with alcohol and meth in his system....
4 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: September 19, 2018
Being homeless can make you physically dirty. Its harsh realities can dull your senses and thicken your skin. It can drive you to do things you swore...
5 min read
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: September 12, 2018
I came to Anna Ogden Hall in May 2017, just so broken. I didn’t think I could get more broken. I was like no smile at all. I would cry all the time...
3 min read
Lynn Yount, UGM Volunteer: September 11, 2018
“All my needs were met when I got here. The food, the shelter, and the fellowship. … I tried to do it on my own, and I couldn’t do it.” - Mike Mike...
1 min read
Phil Altmeyer, Executive Director: September 11, 2018
What better phrase to describe one’s life than the one God used to describe David, “a man after my own heart.” What do we know about God’s heart? How...
6 min read
Union Gospel Mission: September 5, 2018
UGM Aftercare Manager Mike Doggett walks with residents as they transition out of our programs and back into society. He knows that if they can...
