Read the highlights from our June 13 Announcement Event
 

As I mentioned in my last email, we want to make sure all of our supporters are in the loop regarding our exciting announcement on June 13 regarding our merger with The Well in Pella.  

In case you were unable to attend, or you'd like this for future reference, here's the release we provided to the community to clear up any questions. I'm also including a link to our FAQ document to answer some of the questions you may have along the way.  
Thank you for your continued support of ACTS Ministries.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks & God Bless,

Sig trans

Joel Bennett
Board President, ACTS Ministries of Iowa
www.actsofiowa.org
News Release
June 14, 2017

For Immediate release

For more information contact: Jayson Henry (641) 629-0045 or Joel Bennett (641) 780-7858 

ACTS and The Well to Combine Forces

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Call To Serve (ACTS) Ministries of Iowa announced it has begun merging with the programs of The  Well. These two nonprofit service organizations based in Pella have been exploring a stronger  partnership over the last six months, and now the boards of both have unanimously approved joining  forces to improve the way they serve their local communities.

ACTS matches volunteers who want to help in their community with people who need a hand with home-related projects. It also assists local ministry, youth, and employer groups with service projects and sponsors an annual Service Surge. In the early years, much of its work was construction-related. More recently helping people with property cleanup projects and household moves have become its primary services.

The Well takes a relational approach to meeting the needs of those they serve, empowering people with resource shortages, both long-term and short-term, to use their own gifts and talents as the Well walks alongside and encourages them. The Well provides encouragement and support, training, referrals, and other assistance as its staff and volunteers walk alongside people with mental, emotional, and physical issues that often result in needs. The Well also operates The Well Thrift store which helps fund its ministries.

Combining these two organizations will result in synergy: "When ACTS becomes part of The Well, we will be adding one and one and getting three." said Jayson Henry, executive director of The Well. How? Combining forces enables The Well to add a new service: Well Works, which will provide short-term employment and job training for Well clients. The Well plans to add a staff person to coordinate and manage the Well Works program.

"One of The Well's challenges as we walk alongside people in need is helping them with employment needs," said Henry. "Now we will be better-equipped to do that." Clients will be able to work alongside traditional volunteers of ACTS, being paid for their work and receiving on-the- job training from Well staff."

Henry explained, "A lot of the people we serve don't enjoy the dignity that comes from working. Experiences such as camaraderie, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment are missing from their daily lives. They have skills, and they want to improve their lives, but often need help in doing so."

As part of The Well, ACTS will retain its name, and its current interfaces with the community will continue-its warehouse, the availability of tools and equipment for volunteers, and project opportunities for service groups. After a hiatus in 2017, the ACTS Service Surge will resume in 2018.

Since 2006, ACTS has coordinated the work of nearly 6200 volunteers who have served 680+ families in over 1,120 different projects. The part-time staff position necessary to coordinate this volunteer service will continue as part of the staffing for The Well. ACTS Board President Joel Bennett commented, "Under The Well's umbrella, the work of ACTS will continue and grow, and being part of a larger organization will create economies of scale. We each bring strengths to the table that can be leveraged to serve our communities and volunteers better."

Henry is enthused that bringing ACTS on board will enable the Well to better serve its clients with Well Works. "By working more actively on employment and employment skills for our clients, we can walk alongside them in a more significant way," he said. Client data shows that around 70 percent of the clients seen by the Well could use an improvement in their current work situation.

Henry said he is frequently asked why a Well client with a financial need doesn't just go out and get a job. "It's not quite that simple," he said. "Getting and keeping a job requires emotional stability and physical stability, like reliable housing or transportation. It takes a set of basic work-related skills that some people do not yet have." Well Works will assist them with these issues, as well as walk alongside them in learning the skills they'll need to be successful. In addition to paying clients to assist with ACTS service opportunities, Well Works is exploring expansion of its client-employment assistance to include other kinds of employment such as light manufacturing, food service, and automotive work.

"We want our clients to feel dignity and see themselves through God's eyes," said Henry. "The dignity of work helps them see how God has gifted them and to realize that they can use those gifts to not only help themselves but also to help others."

The organizational changes were announced during a joint meeting of volunteers, supporters, and community partners on June 13.
A Call To Serve Ministries of Iowa
Pella, IA 50219
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