Helping Others to Stand in The Community

                Life is unexpected.  As we go about our daily routines issues arise which need to be addressed.  We often must stop, take an inventory of what is happening around us and then take care of the hiccups that get in our way from time to time.  However, for some individuals life is full of more than just hiccups.  Some have experiences that will knock them off their feet and make it difficult, if not impossible, for them to stand on their own.  It requires others to step in and help lift them to their feet and then provide continued support until they are able to stand again; on their own. (The image of the Twelve Stones of Pentre Ifan comes into mind here).   It is for these individuals that my emphases focused on. 

                I am working on an Integrated Studies degree with an emphasis in Accounting and Community Health.  There are several ways that these emphases can resemble standing.  In accounting you must take a stand for what is ethical as opposed to what is desired.  You provide reports and financial statements that stand for the financial status of the company.  You can even assist in making financial decisions that help a company to continue standing and remain stable.  Community Health can help people in their ability to stand on their own literally, as issues of health are resolved and individuals are able to overcome illness and health issues that had them down in bed.  People are also assisted in their education of health risks and needs through community education programs that teach us how to care for our bodies and become healthier.  There are health centers which provide vaccinations to avoid disease and testing for possible infection.  The community also has programs that help people to stand on their own through food stamps, WIC, CHIP, and other programs that provide nourishment, health assistance, insurance, and basic necessities for individuals who have fallen on hard times.

                In 2010 Deseret Media Companies (DMC) started an initiative to help individuals in the community to be able to stand on their own financially, focusing mainly on women, to gain financial independence and the ability to manage and control their finances better.  DMC started the “Imagine A Happier You” campaign with the following:

“Weighted down by debt or worried that your retirement planning has fallen flat?  We’d like to help.  The Deseret Media Companies – Deseret News, Deseret Book and KSL-TV and Radio – are looking for three Wasatch Front women who’d like a financial makeover.  You open your books and show us your struggles and we’ll connect you to expert mentors who, for a year, will help you figure out how to get back on track and brighten your future.  You’ll blog as you learn and we’ll also feature your story periodically as you tackle your money dilemmas.  It’s a chance to straighten out your finances and also help other women worldwide figure out what to do.” (Collins, 2010)

DMC partnered with AAA Fair Credit, Merrill Lynch, and Zions Bank to help in the process of educating these women.  Each of the 3 partners provided one representative who spent a year with the woman assigned to them, in helping get them back on their feet financially and in providing a stable financial foundation in which to move forward.  Each of the women came from different backgrounds and circumstances but all of them were similar in the fact that they felt they were falling financially and needed help getting back on their feet and being able to stand financially independently.  Part of the campaign was in an effort to help women learn financial planning in an effort to help better educate children on how to become financially stable in the future.  Jennifer Rohn of AAA Fair Credit explained, “Rohn’s hope for the project is simply that people will think more deply about their own financial situation and learn new skills and habits that will help them walk a path that their children can see and emulate themselves – and then pass on to their own children.”  It is an initiative to help build financial understanding for generations.  As the three women who participated in the campaign spoke of their experiences and the things they learned, the metaphor of standing kept coming up.  They spoke of “stress level drops”, “paying down debt”, using emergency funds and then rebuilding them, and being able to “knock down” debt. (Collins, Regaining control - 'Imagine a Happier You' campaign helps 3 women, 2011)  As these women were taught how to become more financially stable, others were able to watch their stories and learn from them as well.  This enabled many to be able to stand more financially independent.  In response to the viewed success of the initiative Mark Willes, President and CEO of Deseret Media Companies stated, “We are proud of the work they have done in creating a program which educated, elevated, and connected women throughout the year.” (Collins, Regaining control - 'Imagine a Happier You' campaign helps 3 women, 2011)

In a different but similar way The Center For Women & Children In Crisis (CWCIC) is also helping to get people standing on their own.  When women and/or children find themselves in an abusive or unsafe situation the CWCIC can help provide safe shelter, therapy and support, and material needs such as food and clothing.  The CWCIC also provides educational programs for the community which can help teach people about the harms, signs, and options for domestic abuse, rape, and other violent situations.  (The Center for Women & Children in Crisis)  The CWIC is taking individuals who have been knocked off their feet, pushed down, and who are unable to stand on their own, both physically and metaphorically at times, and helping to stand them back up.  They are giving individuals a safe place to get back on their feet, the means to survive for a short period of time, the education to rise above their situation and make a better life for themselves and those who are with them, and the confidence to stand on their own and know that they are capable and able to do so.

This semester we have looked at what it means to stand and how the process of standing makes a difference in who we are, what we do, and how we do it.  As we have discussed the idea of standing I couldn’t help but take the metaphor and internalize it according to my experiences and thoughts personally.  I have gained a new appreciation for the metaphor of standing and what it means to me.  I stand because it is my way of existence.  I don’t mean standing physically, but rather mentally, emotionally, and verbally.  If I desist from standing then I have given up and no longer have value and purpose in my life.  Through personal experiences I have known what it was like to be knocked down verbally and emotionally.  I have lost the ability to stand on my own and be who I was.  I was made to believe that I was not good enough to stand and was therefore pushed down time and time again in an effort to keep me down for good.  However, after having been removed from that situation I have fought to be able to stand on my own again and the only reason I can determine, from talking about the metaphor this semester, that I am fighting so hard to stand is because I know that if I can’t stand on my own emotionally and mentally, then I have no purpose anymore, I have lost the ability to truly live and exist, and that thought terrifies me.  Therefore, every day I make efforts to gain back my ability to stand on my own, stick up for myself, be my own person, and be able to believe in myself and believe that who I am is good enough despite being knocked down so many times before. 

I feel that both of these programs I mentioned above, “Imagine a Happier You” and the Center for Women & Children in Crisis are wonderful examples of how my emphases are utilizing the standing metaphor in helping individuals be able to stand tall, erect, and proud of who they are and the life they are building.  There is not better gift than the gift to STAND.

Works Cited

(n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2012, from The Center for Women & Children in Crisis: http://www.cwcic.org/cwcic_about.php

Collins, L. M. (2010, June 20). Debt Free: Let DMC, experts help you manage your money. Retrieved April 22, 2012, from Desert News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/700041851/Debt-free-Let-DMC-experts-help-you-manage-your-money

Collins, L. M. (2011, September 25). Regaining control - 'Imagine a Happier You' campaign helps 3 women. Retrieved April 22, 2012, from Deseret News: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/700182402/Regaining-control-2-Imagine-a-Happier-you-campaign-helps-3-women.html