The vision of this project is simple—equip recovering men with practical skills that will give them a marketable edge before reentering the work force. In the form of a two to three week workshops, it is my intent to organize a program that will feature intensive blocks of instruction that focus on specific TRADES and SKILLS necessary on the CONTRUCTION SITE.

Agenda

1) Examine the overarching idea behind this program
a) Putting the blessing of work in perspective. (“six days you shall labor…”)
2) Breakdown of the curriculum’s structure
a) List of workshop classes
b) Representatives/instructors for each trade
3) Talk about major and minor constraints
a) Time, Finances, Inexperience…
b) Coordination with the WCRM recovery program
4) Resources required to field operations
a) Construction site
b) Materials and tools
c) Transportation
5) Collaboration outside of WCRM
a) Habitat for Humanity
b) Public Relations with Construction Companies
6) Conclusion



A common falsehood that we often fall into is believing that our jobs, whatever they may be, are a tiresome duties that we have to do. Living for the weekends is completely against the way we need to view labor. “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work.” This is not merely a compulsion; it is a gift and an honor. This is the end state of my goal—that these men would view work from this perspective.

Western Carolina Rescue Ministries not only has a heart for the poor and needy, it has a Christ-centered commitment to the poor and the needy. More than promoting my project ideas, I want to help continue the vision that WCRM committed itself to 28 years ago.
The basic idea behind this project is threefold. The first priority is to put valuable, dignity-gaining skills in the hands of men who have devoted themselves to transforming both body and mind.

The second, overarching idea behind this project is to give experienced Christian builders the opportunity to share the practical knowledge of their trade while simultaneously teaching them how to be a Christian in a work setting. I have worked several different construction jobs over the last five years—mainly under Christian management. There is something simple, yet extremely effective about receiving hands-on job skills and spiritual training all at once.

The third and final side of this equation is fund-raising. Bottom line, I want to plug WCRM into the social media network that is rapidly becoming the most prolific mode of sharing information and conversing in the United States. I am convinced that opening WCRM to social networks like “facebook,” “twitter,” “Youtube,” and “Flickr” will succeed in allowing more people who are earnestly looking for ways to help Christian ministries like WCRM. By increasing and diversifying publicity coverage many things can happen, namely, growing the donor base to include a younger demographic of people.



The Workshops will feature an instructor who preferably offers his services freely and any number of “apprentices.” I do not know the process that residents of WCRM go through to become eligible for reentry into society, but, for the sake of this proposal, I will assume that during the last phase of the restoration program, members of the program will be connected to various employers and begin working. I understand that I know next to nothing about the process of rehabilitation, but I want this program to work. Whether it is feasible or not, this is how I want the program to run:

- find a group of Christian men who are eager to teach one of the six workshops
- coordinate with Habitat for Humanity and set up a project house that will be built from the ground up. My vision is to simultaneously provide a home to someone in need and teach hands-on skills to the workshop members.
- provide a list of available workshops to WCRM.
- based on who is eligible, residents of WCRM will be able to choose the workshop that interests them the most.
- begin two to three week workshops. These will begin in classrooms and slowly transition into a real work setting.

Business and Technical Coorespondence

Although the medium has changed from paper to electronic, the fact that memos and letters require careful, precise writing remains the same. It is dangerous to assume that a simple follow up corrective memo or letter will fix the situation (on paper or electronic)--this only creates new problems. Bottom line up front, don't blow off the structure and format of a business letter or memo. Memos need to have the same font, size, heading, format, and concise manner in order to ensure that the guy reading 100 of them a day skims over the right information.

Letters: Reflect attitude/the art of writing letters is a rare commodity in the business world. (Note to self: put yourself ahead of the game now). The principle of "writing for him, not to him" brings into

Proposal Outlines

Big Picture "Proposal"

Big Picture Goals:

Develop a unique, fresh approach to raising support and reaching new donors, sponsors, etc. To do this, I would like to propose to the Western Carolina Rescue Ministry a couple different ideas that will push them into a more up to date social network. My main goal is to create a website that will have multimedia capabilities to include a live video feed of the ministry members and their testimonies about the mission, a highly aesthetic video presentation which encapsulates the vision and purpose of the ministry. As of now, I am still waiting to hear back from my contact, Mr. Wood. I understand that my goal for the mission might not agree with them, making flexibility on my behalf a very important component of this project. I’m convinced that I can help them reach completely new spheres of influence by broadcasting their message and ethos on things like facebook, twitter, etc. By doing this, I can put links to their website on more frequented online resources, and simultaneously get people on board with the Mission’s vision and get people talking and spreading the word.

Another idea that I have for the rescue mission is to develop a program that promotes skilled labor among homeless or needy people. The mission could facilitate the “classes” or “seminars” that would be necessary to teach the individuals that want to make themselves more marketable in a weak economy. In order to broadcast this idea, I would have to revert back to paper media. My audience would be without the internet and not at a specific location. How do I reach homeless people in a broad scale? Flyers and handouts would be the primary source of spreading the news, but the more desired method would be word of mouth. The structure of this program would be supported by donors and sponsors who want to see the homeless off the streets and in the work force. Every contractor and subcontractor needs assistance at some point in time but the problem with organizations like Labor Ready and Hired Labor organizations is that the skill set of the laborers being hired is limited to grunt work and manual labor. My program, run by the ministry, would offer two week, two day, or whatever it takes to give an individual a specific skill set—make them a specialized worker, rather than another rent-a-grunt without marketable assets. This idea would keep my hands full and getting it off the ground would be a long process. My goal would be to consolidate a portfolio of ideas, to include a visual presentation and literature explaining the process and ethos of the project.