Jun
15
So I started my new job with The Salvation Army this past Monday at the Divisional Headquarters in Portland. My official title is Service Extension and Emergency Disaster Director (two jobs in one = standard non-profit policy). Here's a summary of what I do:1. Service Extension Director - Service Extensions basically give assistance through vouchers in smaller communities and are administered by volunteers. So, my job is to raise money throughout Oregon to give to those in need, visit our volunteers in these communities, make sure they are following Salvation Army policies when writing vouchers, build relationships with them to make sure they feel equiped to perform their job, and network with other organizations who also provide services to make sure we're not duplicating services and really are serving a need. I oversee 120 of these extensions and have 3 staff that help to monitor them. I will be traveling quite a bit to visit these extensions all over Oregon and a few in southern Idaho.
2. Emergency Disaster Director - I'm responsible for making sure our division which includes all of Oregon and Southern Idaho is prepared to respond in the event of a disaster. This includes ensuring Salvation Army officers, staff, and volunteers are trained to handle all different types of disasters, creating policies for communication in the midst of disasters, and building relationships with other emergency management organizations such as the local cities, Red Cross, etc. So for anyone that lives in Oregon and wants to respond with The Salvation Army during a disaster, let me know and we'll get you trained!
This job is pretty overwhelming. I don't have any disaster experience to speak of, so I'll be traveling a lot this next year in order to get trained and become a trainer myself. They might even send me to a real life disaster!!
I'm loving the change so far. I love that my commute is only 15 minutes. I love that we're in a new building. I even don't mind my cubicle. I love that I get to travel all over Oregon and discover its amazing beauty over and over again. I love the flexibility and responsibility I have with this job. I love that my assistant is so encouraging and empowering. In fact, I have been warmly welcomed and enthusiastly accepted into my new position. In spite of my lack of experience in this specific area, the higher ups seem to be confident in me for which I'm incredibly grateful. Thank you God for answered prayer.
The added bonus is that Dustin gets to travel with me this summer while he isn't in class regularly. While I'm working he'll be preparing sermons, doing homework, reading etc. At night we can venture out to new places and discover Oregon together. This is probably the last summer that we won't be pregnant/ have a kid, so we're excited to "live it up" so to speak!
I will try to post about our adventures, but we all know what an inconsistent poster I am.
Hi Kelli, I found your blog through the convergence website. Would you be interested in joining the Emergent Village Portland Cohort? If so, go to
http://groups.google.com/group/EmergentPDX
Thanks, Ken