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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Vocational Advancement
2 min read
Writing for Their Lives
Union Gospel Mission: July 6, 2017
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...
4 min read
Recovery and Vocational Education Go Hand in Hand
Union Gospel Mission: April 6, 2017
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)...
3 min read
Surviving vs. Thriving
Union Gospel Mission: July 5, 2016
Through partnerships with businesses and the community in general, UGM helps men and women find jobs, jobs that allow them to support themselves,...
1 min read
Imparting Skills and Confidence
James Bishop: July 5, 2016
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...
3 min read
Learning to Get Back up
Union Gospel Mission: June 8, 2016
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...
2 min read
Tim - Not a Meth Head
James Bishop: January 15, 2016
“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...
2 min read
Lose the Label: Not Enough
Merrily Roe, former staff writer: December 3, 2015
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...
2 min read
A Lasting Legacy of Vocational Education
Union Gospel Mission: October 23, 2015
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....
2 min read
Trace - Homeless
Union Gospel Mission: October 5, 2015
Trace spent 15 years intermittently homeless, fluctuating from employed to unemployed, living on the streets or in an RV without heat, running water...
2 min read
Lose the Label: Stupid
Merrily Roe, former staff writer: September 24, 2015
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...
4 min read
A Look into Vocational Advancement
Union Gospel Mission: April 24, 2015
Recovery from addiction takes healing the whole person. Joel Brown works in Vocational Advancement helping men heal both mentally and emotionally. He...
3 min read
I Didn't Have a Job
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: April 1, 2015
Poor work history. Felony record. Long periods of unemployment. Addiction issues. Lack of education. No transportation. No appropriate work attire....
2 min read
Business Partnerships
James Bishop: April 1, 2015
Omega Pacific Omega Pacific, a local manufacturer of climbing gear, has hired two men from UGM’s Employment Ready Program. Here, Director of...
1 min read
Take Action: Give a Hand Up
James Bishop: April 1, 2015
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...
4 min read
I Was Angry
Union Gospel Mission: September 1, 2014
“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,...
3 min read
I Was Ashamed
Union Gospel Mission: July 1, 2014
I was ashamed, and you lifted my head. Christian James was once interviewed for an article in Salon Magazine entitled, “Nazi Family Values: Chewing...
3 min read
I Was in Denial, and You Showed Me the Truth
Union Gospel Mission: January 1, 2014
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...
2 min read
Notes of Thanks and Amazement
Union Gospel Mission: January 1, 2014
Below are two letters of gratitude from individuals experiencing radical life change through UGM’s LIFE Recovery programs. We were encouraged to read...
2 min read
College and Career Dreams Restored
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: October 24, 2013
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...
1 min read
Americorps Adventure
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: October 4, 2013
Next week,* Luke Hauflin, 21, will be headed off to Sacramento, California to join Americorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps). For now, he...
1 min read
Business Practicum: Hospitality
Union Gospel Mission: September 1, 2013
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...
1 min read
Write it out
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: July 22, 2013
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...
1 min read
Real-world work
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: July 9, 2013
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...
1 min read
Back to work
Barbara Comito, former marketing director: February 25, 2013
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...