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Jim and Ken

Vocational Advancement

3 min read

Employment Readiness: Waking up with purpose

UGM offers hope to those in need of support in various areas of life, including employment and the issues that may hinder it. Individuals in the...

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2 min read

Writing for Their Lives

Writing is one of the key subjects we work on in our Vocational Education classes. We want to prepare our residents to communicate well in their...

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Trevor in Vocational Education

4 min read

Recovery and Vocational Education Go Hand in Hand

When trauma and schoolwork intersect By Joel Brown, UGM Director of Ministries It is 9:25 in the morning and Billy (named changed to protect privacy)...

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3 min read

Surviving vs. Thriving

Through partnerships with businesses and the community in general, UGM helps men and women find jobs, jobs that allow them to support themselves,...

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1 min read

Imparting Skills and Confidence

As a volunteer job coach at the Men’s Shelter, Randy Crews recognizes the importance of building confidence and preparing men to re-enter the...

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3 min read

Learning to Get Back up

By Joel Brown, Vocational Education Manger Recently, I began teaching my 7-year-old daughter how to ride a two-wheel bike. She was extremely excited...

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tim-5

2 min read

Tim - Not a Meth Head

“I was in a constant cycle of me, me, me, and that’s all it consisted of. I didn’t care who I hurt, who I stole from in order to get high.” Tim...

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2 min read

Lose the Label: Not Enough

Growing up, Stefani Martin was bombarded with the message, "you are not enough." Not cool enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough. It didn’t take...

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2 min read

A Lasting Legacy of Vocational Education

On Tuesday, October 20, UGM held an open house and dedication for the new DeRuwe Center, an annex to the Men’s Shelter and administration building....

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Trace-Rockwood

2 min read

Trace - Homeless

Trace spent 15 years intermittently homeless, fluctuating from employed to unemployed, living on the streets or in an RV without heat, running water...

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2 min read

Lose the Label: Stupid

By Merrily Brast, Staff Writer Jeff LeBlanc believed he was stupid. “I just couldn’t get stuff and nobody could tell me why other than that I’m...

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Joel.Voced.sm

4 min read

A Look into Vocational Advancement

Recovery from addiction takes healing the whole person. Joel Brown works in Vocational Advancement helping men heal both mentally and emotionally. He...

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Dean-Lynch

3 min read

I Didn't Have a Job

Poor work history. Felony record. Long periods of unemployment. Addiction issues. Lack of education. No transportation. No appropriate work attire....

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2 min read

Business Partnerships

Omega Pacific Omega Pacific, a local manufacturer of climbing gear, has hired two men from UGM’s Employment Ready Program. Here, Director of...

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1 min read

Take Action: Give a Hand Up

Here are a few of the ways your gifts to UGM are helping people get back to work: Vocational Education: In our learning centers, men and women are...

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4 min read

I Was Angry

“I was a negative, angry, violent, depressed individual.” Dean Lynch, 45, came to the UGM Men’s Shelter on December 27, 2011 after losing his job,...

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Christian3

3 min read

I Was Ashamed

I was ashamed, and you lifted my head. Christian was once interviewed for an article in Salon Magazine entitled, “Nazi Family Values: Chewing the fat...

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3 min read

I Was in Denial, and You Showed Me the Truth

Recovery is impossible... if you don’t believe you have a problem if you refuse to look at the problem if you blame someone else for the problem or...

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2 min read

Notes of Thanks and Amazement

Below are two letters of gratitude from individuals experiencing radical life change through UGM’s LIFE Recovery programs. We were encouraged to read...

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2 min read

College and Career Dreams Restored

Roxanne and Doreen Roxanne and Doreen are bright, articulate women whose lives got off track. “In high school,” Roxanne said, “I just wanted to be a...

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1 min read

Americorps Adventure

Next week,* Luke Hauflin, 21, will be headed off to Sacramento, California to join Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). For now, he...

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1 min read

Business Practicum: Hospitality

As part of her recovery, Dionne Varney needed to find a new career. Before coming to Anna Ogden Hall, she spent 14 years in the adult entertainment...

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1 min read

Write it out

I thought this day would never come. Recently, I interviewed for my business practicum at The Spokesman Review. As I sat in the human resource...

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1 min read

Real-world work

Robert Lewis turned to drugs and alcohol partly in response to frustrations in the work place. “My addiction came from always trying to be a...

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Robert Miller - Columbia Medical

1 min read

Back to work

Robert Miller, medical records at Columbia Medical One in Ten: Odds that a person who has been out of work for more than 27 weeks will find a job...

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