They, Them, You, Me, Us!
Can you recall a moment from this past year when you felt a profound sense of belonging and community? Is there a group of people with whom you most proudly embrace the term “us”?
Dry Bones has a dedicated team that meets every Friday for four hours. The team includes former and currently unhoused young people, DB staff, college professors, and researchers. They’re an unlikely bunch.
This team aspires to extract the essence of Dry Bones, amplify diverse voices, and cultivate the deepening of our community not solely directed by leadership. They also explore the idea of “peer support.” Their pursuit has birthed profound connections and encouragement even among themselves. Each knows that they belong as they dream of new ways to expand profound belonging. It’s a beautiful team.
Although I do not meet with the group myself, I feel connected to and supported by it. They are serving the whole Dry Bones community by offering their unique gifts.
Dry Bones is now 22 years old. An organization experiences a lot of victories to live this long. An organization also experiences a lot of misses and “opportunities to learn” (some call these failures). No doubt, we have countless stories along the entire spectrum.
Stepping back for a panoramic view, it’s easy for me to see that Dry Bones shines brightest when we discover ourselves in what we fondly refer to as “Us Moments.” These are where the real magic happens, unveiling a deep unity as we navigate existence together.
Experiencing “Us” is life-changing. It invites us into a story worth living.
In this sacred space, there’s no longer the unhoused and the housed, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, haves and have-nots, or staff and street kid.
It’s just “Us” – which is breathtakingly beautiful. I hope that you know this feeling well yourself.
2023 has been a year of deepening into the success of “Us Moments.” Our core group is strong, tight, connected, and growing alongside each other.
I’ve witnessed moments where Mark and Jon* share a birthday lunch. I watched Anna hold Jay’s hand and show him where the shower was located because he was scared and confused and not in his clearest mind. I watched Andrew wash all of our dishes, Tabitha make sure that every single person had food, Darcy color with a child to give a mom a moment of respite, Steph pray for someone’s health, and Stacy sit and listen to story after story because no one else had truly heard Justin in such a long time.
*most names changed.
These simple yet powerful moments shape our community. This is the art of companionship, and it is our vital “work.”
Excitement abounds: The new coffee shop that expands our job-readiness program, new staff members, street-connected friends in their first apartments, spiritual awakenings, sobriety breakthroughs, health needs being addressed for the first time, and so much more is happening. We are inspired by it all!
Discouragement threatens: The costs of living and operating a nonprofit have risen, lack of affordable housing, increasing numbers of unhoused people, fentanyl proliferation, and many more challenges abound. It can all feel a bit overwhelming.
Imperfect, yet stronger than ever, this “Us” community called Dry Bones radiates supernatural love and unity. Amidst all of it – fears, joys, celebrations, suffering, gratitude, heartache, wins, and “opportunities to learn” – it is clearly love and unity that remains at the end of the day for “Us.”
Picture once again our Friday advisory dream circle—a symbol of belonging, unconditional love, healing, and value. Envision a girl taking notes on a whiteboard, another guy standing holding his hand over his mouth in thought and imagination, a college professor proclaiming, “Wow!” and yes, even a young girl passed out in deep sleep on the couch.
Now include yourself in this circle; you too are Dry Bones. Your love, prayers, care, faith, and support make “Us” possible. Some of you cook, some give sleeping bags, and many of you donate financially. All of these contributions underpin the entire structure of Dry Bones, providing crucial support. Through your generosity, lives are transformed and belonging expands in powerful ways. Our heartfelt wish is that you also encounter transformation, discover hope and healing, and embrace a profound sense of unity within this community. You belong. And we need you! As our needs increase with the times and expanded services, we need your gifts today more than ever.
I’m asking, will you join “Us” as we round out 2023? We particularly ask for your financial support as we need to raise an additional $200,000 by the end of December. If you feel like it’s a piece of the “Us” you can hold, we sure welcome your donation today.
On Behalf of Us,
Matt Wallace
Exec. Director
2023 At A Glance
- Approximately 1,985 people fed across 85 home cooked meals
- 230 community celebrations and milestone moments that include new jobs, birthdays, graduations, baby showers, weddings, memorial services, new housing, and Purple Door graduations
- 2,155 visits from Dry Bones friends hosted in the Dry Bones HQ – for meals, showers, counseling sessions, and more
- Among the hundreds of items donated by the public, we received 125 first aid kits, 120 sleeping bags, 225 coats, 3 skateboards, and 1 very festive elf hat.
- 1,000s of items shared – shoes, socks, tents, underwear, coats, hygiene items, sleeping bags, blankets, hand warmers, and more.
- Just over 15,000 pounds of coffee roasted and sold
- 6 Purple Door Coffee program employees
- 255 Elevations and Vision Trip participants
- 43 Medical visits (doctor, ER, optometrist, and dentist)
- 425 Coaching, counseling, or pastoral sessions
- 20 Summer picnics in the park filling 1200 plates
- 85 Amazon wish list items received
- 23 Group bowling outings, 16 movies, and 1 trip to the zoo
- 125 Rides given to various appointments
- 1 Baby Shower
- 14 Staff members
- 8 interns
- 125 volunteers
