Transformations
Scripture: Do
not conform to the pattern of this world, but be renewed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and prefect will. Romans 12:2
When we began our first Transformations
class last April, we could not have imagined all that God was going to do
through that program! If Tony and I are
honest, we were probably some of the least equipped people on the planet to
lead that class. It was kind of like a
flash back to being first time parents again where you have this tiny human who
depends on you for everything and you don’t have the first clue about what you
are doing. Friends in our circle like to
call this “trial by fire.” We call it
crazy! However; we were quite convinced that God had called us to lead this
program and so we set off to do His will.
We selected 5 students to begin the inaugural class and we set off
together to see what God would do. As
always, God was faithful and at the end of 8 months we had three students who
completed the program.
All of the students would tell you that
they learned a lot. Two of the students
have applied what they learned and are on the way to having lives vastly
different from where they were! All of
them would tell you (and we would too) that we grew very close during that 8
month time and those students are like our family now. We are thankful for the two years of
accountability group that continues after the class that keeps us connected! We are also thankful that the program
recommends hiring back some of the students to help teach the new group through
the class. We are hiring back two
graduates. The plan is that within the next couple of years, Tony and I will
not teach this program anymore; it will be completely run by its own graduates!
At this time, we want to thank you once again
for your love, prayers, volunteer support, and the donations that help keep
this program growing! The investment to put a single student through this
program is $1200. As recommended by the
curriculum a meal is shared by the group before starting class. In our case it is dinner. Students are given a
food bag at each class that ranges in value from $15-$25 depending on the phase
of the class we are in, and they are given either $5 fast food gift cards or
cash for attending and participating in each class. As expensive as it is to put one person through
the program, it is not as costly as it would be to leave them in the public
welfare system. According to the US
Budget Committee (www.budget.senate.gov
search Total Welfare Spending 2012), in 2012 it cost the tax payers $168/day
for each household on welfare. Now,
please understand the recipient doesn’t get all of that money. Part of the money pays for the
employees/equipment/building rent to administrate the program, another part
pays for fraud within the program, and then we get to the part that the
recipient gets. Some people disagree
with that number saying it is inflated. For those who feel that way, even if the
$168 is divided in half, that comes to $84/day.
So dividing the $1200 it costs for a student to go through
Transformations by $84, shows that we can give a participant in our program all
the information they need to leave the system and live independently for the
cost of roughly 2 weeks of what taxpayers pay to support them on the system.
By the grace
of God we are expanding the program this year to accept 8 students with a goal
of graduating at least 5. We are already
praying for these students even though we don’t know who they are yet! We are
fully confident that God is already leading and guiding their hearts to where
He wants them to be. Applications are
already available at several agencies in town and on our website! If you know
anyone who would benefit from this program, please encourage them to
apply. Applications will be accepted on
a first come first served basis through February 20th or until the
20 interview slots are filled.
Interviews will take place on Monday, Feb 22 and Tuesday, Feb 23 in the
evenings. The first night of class will
be on Tuesday, March 8th.
As this program expands, so does our needs!
First, we always need prayer! It is the
foundation of everything we do and we don’t take it or the value of it
lightly. We need volunteers who can
speak on a range of topics (what do employers look for in their employees, how
to get involved in the community, financial skills, getting financial aid for
school, etc), and we also need volunteers who will come in and conduct mock
interviews supplying our students with feedback on their interview skills. Last
year we had a few people who cooked or purchased dinner for us and we
appreciated those meals! We also accept donations of food from a specific list
(all food bags are the same for our students) and of $5 fast food gift cards to
be distributed as incentives during class.
Lastly, you can sponsor a student for a night of class for $30.
No matter
how God calls you to be involved, we are thankful for each and every one of
you! We are humbled for the small part
we are playing in a greater plan!
Until the
next update, may God bless each of you!
Tony
and Darcy Gunter