Christian HELP assists the unemployed, hurting, and hungry. In its 18 years, it has produced astounding results for job seekers, with over 71,000 people connected with jobs. The need is still great, with unemployment in Florida at 11.9 percent and poverty rising.
Christian HELP has also distributed 6.8 million pounds of food. The center's 2,000-square-foot food pantry prevents people from choosing between paying their bills and feeding their families.
Christian HELP is a safe place for all job seekers regardless of faith. Its volunteers give Bibles to any job seeker who wants one.
Recognized as a model faith-based organization by the White House in 2003, Christian HELP and its Central Florida Employment Council Division help people get jobs in the following ways:
One on one employment counseling
Job skills classes
An online job board
Six major job fairs
Employment seminars
Consider supporting this ministry by volunteering, by donating to its food pantry, or by donating to the Bible fund.
To learn more, contact chamber member Sandi Vidal (407) 497-3329. She can also provide you with a DVD of this video:
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Every manager should read this book
Among the authors' key points:
- The Number One reason people leave their jobs is they don't feel appreciated.
- Praise must be meaningful and specific.
- Recognition is most appreciated and effective when it is individualized, specific, and deserved.
- We are at our best when our buckets are full, and at our worst when they are empty.
- Every interaction is an opportunity to fill someone's bucket — or drain it.
- When we fill other people's buckets, we simultaneously fill our own.
Like parents who focus on the F's on a report card rather than the A's, many managers focus on critiquing weaknesses rather than developing strengths.
Mind you, it's not possible to simply offer groundless praise. As the authors note, "positivity must be grounded in reality." They cite the pointlessness of "Employee of the Month" programs, because inevitably — in the interests of "fairness" — every employee gets one. I've also seen workplaces where the award just moves about between a select few high performers, which may be more honest but doesn't do anything to lift up the mid-level performers.
Every worker has room for improvement. But consider a method used by many writers' groups, including the one I belong to. It's called the "sandwich method," though being a bookish person, I prefer to think of it as bookends.
Start with a genuine compliment, then give constructive feedback on what needs fixing, then end with more praise for strong points. Employees, like students, and writers, need to build on their strengths in addition to improving their weaknesses.
Individualization is important, because while one worker may appreciate a plaque to hang on the wall, another might prefer some extra time off to spend with family. To aid in this, the book includes a "Bucket Filling Interview," which can help managers learn about what really motivates each employee.
How Full is Your Bucket? will not only help managers encourage employees, it will help anyone see where they've been missing opportunities to fill other people's buckets.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Called to restore a historic Jamaican church
By Jim Whitten
On the north coast of Jamaica, cruise lines are building a mammoth new terminal at Falmouth Harbor, just 20 miles from the tourist haven of Montego Bay. When the terminal is completed, probably by November, cruise ships will unload passengers by the thousands. Time had passed by Falmouth, despite its deep-water harbor on the Atlantic Ocean. Now it will be a tourist destination.
Falmouth was founded in 1790, but the Anglican Church designated a site for a sanctuary as early as 1771. Some tombstones in the site's graveyard predate even that.
Trelawny Parish Church of St. Peter the Apostle, with its classic Georgian architecture, was completed in 1796. The bell tower, containing three carillon bells, stands 60 feet tall - still the tallest structure in Falmouth.
The church's three-foot-thick walls are made of local limestone. The floors, altar, pews and decorative interior woodwork are native mahogany. Intricate stained-glass windows were dedicated at various times to adorn the church.
But many locals have moved away, to jobs in Montego Bay or elsewhere, and now this 214-year-old church is vacant and in disrepair. The altar area cannot be used because of wood rot. Stucco is falling off the walls. The grounds are overgrown with weeds, and the graveyard is turning into a briar patch.
But there is always hope. Joyce Ledbetter worked for the cruise lines in Jamaica for several years before retiring to Orlando. She was asked to return to Jamaica to help complete the Falmouth cruise terminal. When she discovered Trelawny Parish Church, she felt called to help restore it. "I knew this was a holy place," she said, "and I could feel the prayers of the faithful that had permeated the church. I have stopped at that old church so many times and prayed there. It has a comfortable feeling."
Joyce learned that the Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the Rt. Rev. Alfred C. Reid, sent a yearly stipend for maintenance, but it was very small and did not go far.
When those boatloads of cruise passengers disembark at Falmouth, the main road will take them right past the church. Joyce has a vision to restore that historic holy place, giving it new life and giving future generations new hope. We should not forget the past for the sake of the future. We must treasure our religious heritage and preserve landmarks that honor religious freedom and our Christian way of life.
Joyce contacted chamber member Jim Whitten to bring the plight of Trelawny Parish Church to the attention of her friends in Central Florida. With the help from Steadman White and Joseph Nunes, a "Save The Church" committee was formed. Nunes contacted the bishop, who approved sprucing up the church grounds and painting the interior. The Episcopal Jamaican community is supporting Ledbetter's dream with bake sales and fundraisers.
Donations in support of this effort may be made to Joyce Ledbetter, for the Trelawny Parish Church of Falmouth, Jamaica. Send your donations to the attention of Jim Whitten, St. Mary of the Angels Episcopal Church, 6316 Matchett Road, Orlando FL 42809.
For additional information, contact Jim Whitten
A longer version of this article appeared in the July 2010 issue of Episcopalian Central Florida.
On the north coast of Jamaica, cruise lines are building a mammoth new terminal at Falmouth Harbor, just 20 miles from the tourist haven of Montego Bay. When the terminal is completed, probably by November, cruise ships will unload passengers by the thousands. Time had passed by Falmouth, despite its deep-water harbor on the Atlantic Ocean. Now it will be a tourist destination.
Falmouth was founded in 1790, but the Anglican Church designated a site for a sanctuary as early as 1771. Some tombstones in the site's graveyard predate even that.
Trelawny Parish Church of St. Peter the Apostle, with its classic Georgian architecture, was completed in 1796. The bell tower, containing three carillon bells, stands 60 feet tall - still the tallest structure in Falmouth.
 |
If this church looks familiar, it may be because it was seen in the 1973 movie "Papillion." |
But many locals have moved away, to jobs in Montego Bay or elsewhere, and now this 214-year-old church is vacant and in disrepair. The altar area cannot be used because of wood rot. Stucco is falling off the walls. The grounds are overgrown with weeds, and the graveyard is turning into a briar patch.
But there is always hope. Joyce Ledbetter worked for the cruise lines in Jamaica for several years before retiring to Orlando. She was asked to return to Jamaica to help complete the Falmouth cruise terminal. When she discovered Trelawny Parish Church, she felt called to help restore it. "I knew this was a holy place," she said, "and I could feel the prayers of the faithful that had permeated the church. I have stopped at that old church so many times and prayed there. It has a comfortable feeling."
Joyce learned that the Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, the Rt. Rev. Alfred C. Reid, sent a yearly stipend for maintenance, but it was very small and did not go far.
When those boatloads of cruise passengers disembark at Falmouth, the main road will take them right past the church. Joyce has a vision to restore that historic holy place, giving it new life and giving future generations new hope. We should not forget the past for the sake of the future. We must treasure our religious heritage and preserve landmarks that honor religious freedom and our Christian way of life.
Joyce contacted chamber member Jim Whitten to bring the plight of Trelawny Parish Church to the attention of her friends in Central Florida. With the help from Steadman White and Joseph Nunes, a "Save The Church" committee was formed. Nunes contacted the bishop, who approved sprucing up the church grounds and painting the interior. The Episcopal Jamaican community is supporting Ledbetter's dream with bake sales and fundraisers.
Donations in support of this effort may be made to Joyce Ledbetter, for the Trelawny Parish Church of Falmouth, Jamaica. Send your donations to the attention of Jim Whitten, St. Mary of the Angels Episcopal Church, 6316 Matchett Road, Orlando FL 42809.
For additional information, contact Jim Whitten
A longer version of this article appeared in the July 2010 issue of Episcopalian Central Florida.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
In the dark
About a dozen of us had the opportunity to visit the staff of Lighthouse Central Florida the other day for their "Blink of an Eye" session.
Lighthouse is a nonprofit that serves people with severe or total vision loss, providing life skills training for adults and children, along with instruction for parents of children who have vision loss.
Lighthouse serves 1,000 people a year, a number restricted only by available resources. The need for Lighthouse's services is growing, because of Florida's large population of elder citizens. The math is staggering. Half of people over the age of 65 are at risk for one of the three most common causes of vision loss: diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. A study by myregion.org projects that by 2030 Central Florida will have 3 million citizens over age 65, giving Lighthouse potentially 1.5 million people needing services.
As part of the session we went, as they say, "under blindfold," to learn what it's like to attend Lighthouse training. It was unnerving, going instantly from a bright conference room to utter darkness. I bumped into the doorjamb.
We were led, each with a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us, down the hall and around a corner and into another room. Someone took my arm and guided me to a chair. The compulsion to lift the blindfold, just long enough to orient myself, was fierce. I resisted.
I put out my hand, discerned the upholstered front of the chair from the metal back, felt around for the seat. I lowered myself cautiously, and probably even more awkwardly than usual, into the chair.
An instructor told someone near me to write a check. "Make it out to Lighthouse..." There was laughter, then an explanation. The checkbook, my unseen fellow traveler was told, was on the table.
There was a table? I put out my hand. Yep. Table.
My task was to write a shopping list. Uh-oh. My notoriously bad handwriting was about to get a workout. The instructor explained that the paper was in a folder with windows cut out. All I had to do was feel for the windows and write inside them. This I could do only by keeping my left fingers right up against the tip of the pen. I think I misspelled "Mojo Criollo," but then, I often do.
Once we had finished our varied tasks, we were allowed to come out from under the blindfolds. My grocery list was only slightly more illegible than usual. The checkbook got passed around. It was oversize, printed in a heavy ink that gives high contrast, for those with low vision. The printing is also raised, so a person with no vision can feel the lines.
Lighthouse has many needs, including volunteers, new chairs for its boardroom, flash drives, laptop computers, and gardening supplies for classes. They are also looking for grounds maintenance, pressure washing, and carpet cleaning services, and a marketing agency to help spread their message. For a complete list, visit the Lighthouse Central Florida website.
There's a great deal more to see at Lighthouse, including computers equipped with screen readers. I urge you to visit sometime. "Blink of an Eye" tours are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m., with bagels and lots of coffee. The decaf is in the pot with a patch of Velcro on top.
Lighthouse is a nonprofit that serves people with severe or total vision loss, providing life skills training for adults and children, along with instruction for parents of children who have vision loss.
Lighthouse serves 1,000 people a year, a number restricted only by available resources. The need for Lighthouse's services is growing, because of Florida's large population of elder citizens. The math is staggering. Half of people over the age of 65 are at risk for one of the three most common causes of vision loss: diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. A study by myregion.org projects that by 2030 Central Florida will have 3 million citizens over age 65, giving Lighthouse potentially 1.5 million people needing services.
As part of the session we went, as they say, "under blindfold," to learn what it's like to attend Lighthouse training. It was unnerving, going instantly from a bright conference room to utter darkness. I bumped into the doorjamb.
We were led, each with a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us, down the hall and around a corner and into another room. Someone took my arm and guided me to a chair. The compulsion to lift the blindfold, just long enough to orient myself, was fierce. I resisted.
I put out my hand, discerned the upholstered front of the chair from the metal back, felt around for the seat. I lowered myself cautiously, and probably even more awkwardly than usual, into the chair.
An instructor told someone near me to write a check. "Make it out to Lighthouse..." There was laughter, then an explanation. The checkbook, my unseen fellow traveler was told, was on the table.
There was a table? I put out my hand. Yep. Table.
My task was to write a shopping list. Uh-oh. My notoriously bad handwriting was about to get a workout. The instructor explained that the paper was in a folder with windows cut out. All I had to do was feel for the windows and write inside them. This I could do only by keeping my left fingers right up against the tip of the pen. I think I misspelled "Mojo Criollo," but then, I often do.
Once we had finished our varied tasks, we were allowed to come out from under the blindfolds. My grocery list was only slightly more illegible than usual. The checkbook got passed around. It was oversize, printed in a heavy ink that gives high contrast, for those with low vision. The printing is also raised, so a person with no vision can feel the lines.
Lighthouse has many needs, including volunteers, new chairs for its boardroom, flash drives, laptop computers, and gardening supplies for classes. They are also looking for grounds maintenance, pressure washing, and carpet cleaning services, and a marketing agency to help spread their message. For a complete list, visit the Lighthouse Central Florida website.
There's a great deal more to see at Lighthouse, including computers equipped with screen readers. I urge you to visit sometime. "Blink of an Eye" tours are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 a.m., with bagels and lots of coffee. The decaf is in the pot with a patch of Velcro on top.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pulling through
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke added his voice to those who say we are not facing a “double-dip” recession. Gross Domestic Product is increasing, albeit slowly. Bernanke said, though, that the recovery “won't feel terrific."
Among those in agreement is investment advisor Barry Ritzholz, who said on his blog Monday wrote, “Following the initial surge in data off of the lows, we have entered a slowing phase of the recovery.”
Ritzholz discredits those who forecast a “double-dip” recession by pointing out that although some economic indicators are slowing, “none of it is consistent with past double dip recessions.”
But we are in, as he puts it, “a soft patch.” And Bernanke warns us that the recovery is not “going to be fast enough to put back eight million people who lost their jobs within a few years.”
Of course, we know that small business is a great driver of employment. According to the Small Business Administration, businesses with fewer than 500 employees account for more than half of American workers. Also, “While small firms create a majority of the net new jobs, their share of employment remains steady since some firms grow into large firms as they create new jobs.”
Your chamber is here to help you through this soft patch. Through the events and courses we offer, our goal is to help you build the relationships you need to succeed. That’s why Monica Wofford will be talking to us Thursday about leadership. That’s why we’ve lined up teachers to help you build your business and claim your place in the Seven Mountains of Culture. And that’s why, on any given Friday, you can meet with your peers to brainstorm answers to the challenges you face in your business.
As Christian businesspeople, we don’t face these tough times alone. We are part of a family of faith that serves a mighty God. So when the stock market wavers and nonfarm payrolls are down and the European debt situation starts looking pretty bleak, take heart. He has overcome the world.
Among those in agreement is investment advisor Barry Ritzholz, who said on his blog Monday wrote, “Following the initial surge in data off of the lows, we have entered a slowing phase of the recovery.”
Ritzholz discredits those who forecast a “double-dip” recession by pointing out that although some economic indicators are slowing, “none of it is consistent with past double dip recessions.”
But we are in, as he puts it, “a soft patch.” And Bernanke warns us that the recovery is not “going to be fast enough to put back eight million people who lost their jobs within a few years.”
Of course, we know that small business is a great driver of employment. According to the Small Business Administration, businesses with fewer than 500 employees account for more than half of American workers. Also, “While small firms create a majority of the net new jobs, their share of employment remains steady since some firms grow into large firms as they create new jobs.”
Your chamber is here to help you through this soft patch. Through the events and courses we offer, our goal is to help you build the relationships you need to succeed. That’s why Monica Wofford will be talking to us Thursday about leadership. That’s why we’ve lined up teachers to help you build your business and claim your place in the Seven Mountains of Culture. And that’s why, on any given Friday, you can meet with your peers to brainstorm answers to the challenges you face in your business.
As Christian businesspeople, we don’t face these tough times alone. We are part of a family of faith that serves a mighty God. So when the stock market wavers and nonfarm payrolls are down and the European debt situation starts looking pretty bleak, take heart. He has overcome the world.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Business-Building Summer Seminar Series
Join us for four seminars designed to help your bottom line. Each seminar will be held twice — in the morning in East Orlando on a different day at midday in the Millenia Mall area. The total price for the entire series is only $25 for chamber members and $45 for nonmembers.
Classroom sizes are limited, so make your reservations now. Here’s the schedule:
Effectively Starting Your Business (Building Businesses That Last)
June 17, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Ron Wilkinson
July 15, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Ron Wilkinson
With companies downsizing, the best way to secure your future may be to start and build your own business. This seminar will give you the basics for a solid business structure and will help you get started on a firm foundation. You will learn:
June 17, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Bill Webster
July 15, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Bill Webster
Many products and services can be rapidly identified just by their logo. Getting potential customers or clients to easily and effectively know your brand builds loyalty and increases your bottom line. In this seminar you will learn:
July 29, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Bill Webster
August 19, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Bill Webster
We have become a global cyber-community. People increasingly communicate via the Internet. While there is much clutter in many of these social media channels, the potential to develop and implement effective marketing strategies is huge. In this seminar you will learn:
July 29, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Judy Boyce
August 19, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Judy Boyce
Relationships are at the core of every business -- with employees, clients, vendors, and yourself. Knowing people’s preferences and methods of learning increases your understanding of how best to relate to those around you. In this seminar you will learn how to:
Note that all morning classes are at Asbury University and all midday classes are at Belhaven University.
Click here to purchase online or call the chamber office at (407) 814-1124.
Reminder: the deadline to register for the June 10 Business-Building Lunch with Monica Wofford of Contagious Companies is noon on Tuesday, June 8.
Classroom sizes are limited, so make your reservations now. Here’s the schedule:
Effectively Starting Your Business (Building Businesses That Last)
June 17, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Ron Wilkinson
July 15, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Ron Wilkinson
With companies downsizing, the best way to secure your future may be to start and build your own business. This seminar will give you the basics for a solid business structure and will help you get started on a firm foundation. You will learn:
- Writing and monitoring a business plan
- Determining proper business structure (Sole Proprietorship, LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp)
- Securing Funding
- Identifying HR needs
June 17, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Bill Webster
July 15, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Bill Webster
Many products and services can be rapidly identified just by their logo. Getting potential customers or clients to easily and effectively know your brand builds loyalty and increases your bottom line. In this seminar you will learn:
- How to develop your brand for traditional and online marketing
- How to communicate your brand traditionally and online
- How to extend your brand through Social Media
July 29, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Bill Webster
August 19, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Bill Webster
We have become a global cyber-community. People increasingly communicate via the Internet. While there is much clutter in many of these social media channels, the potential to develop and implement effective marketing strategies is huge. In this seminar you will learn:
- How to develop, maintain and protect your online message
- How to build and leverage social capital to take action
- The Social Media "must use" tools
July 29, 7:30 AM, Asbury University, Judy Boyce
August 19, 11:30 AM, Belhaven University, Judy Boyce
Relationships are at the core of every business -- with employees, clients, vendors, and yourself. Knowing people’s preferences and methods of learning increases your understanding of how best to relate to those around you. In this seminar you will learn how to:
- Hire the right people
- Manage correctly
- Serve your clients effectively
Note that all morning classes are at Asbury University and all midday classes are at Belhaven University.
Click here to purchase online or call the chamber office at (407) 814-1124.
Reminder: the deadline to register for the June 10 Business-Building Lunch with Monica Wofford of Contagious Companies is noon on Tuesday, June 8.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Last week we wrapped up the first round of the Seven Mountains Mandate with an awesome, spirit-filled time of fellowship and prayer. Seven Mountains 2.0 will begin in the middle of next, with kickoff currently planned for June 14.
The Seven Mountains of Cultural Influence are
All chamber members are operating in the Business mountain, and we are all probably in the Family and Religion mountains also. Through our connections, each of us has the potential to indirectly touch every mountain at one time or another. But each of us is called to one primary mountain focus.
The goal of Seven Mountains training is to help you identify which of these is your mountain and to equip you to stake God's claim on it. We hope you'll plan on joining us in this kingdom-building work.
This video explains more about the Seven Mountains Mandate.
Please keep our program leaders, Julie and Dennis Matula, in your prayers as they foster this growing program. Also, be in prayer about the role God has for you in the Seven Mountains Mandate and how He might use you to make a difference in your community and culture.
The Seven Mountains of Cultural Influence are
- Arts & Entertainment
- Business
- Education
- Family
- Government
- Media
- Religion
All chamber members are operating in the Business mountain, and we are all probably in the Family and Religion mountains also. Through our connections, each of us has the potential to indirectly touch every mountain at one time or another. But each of us is called to one primary mountain focus.
The goal of Seven Mountains training is to help you identify which of these is your mountain and to equip you to stake God's claim on it. We hope you'll plan on joining us in this kingdom-building work.
This video explains more about the Seven Mountains Mandate.
Please keep our program leaders, Julie and Dennis Matula, in your prayers as they foster this growing program. Also, be in prayer about the role God has for you in the Seven Mountains Mandate and how He might use you to make a difference in your community and culture.
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