We believe that by getting people/organizations working together we can accomplish that goal. So, we work hard to network different organizations so there will be no duplicating of efforts, therefore maximizing the strength of each organization in what they do by gathering more volunteers per each outreach effort. We then work to recognize yearly what the biggest needs represented in our town are,
and we meet those needs. We want to make sure that when we meet a need it is not just a temporary fix. We want to make sure that we will not have to be doing the same thing the following year. Our Motto is to “Lift, Enhance, and Beautify” and that is what we hope to do in Salem. As we work at this, we believe that someday Salem will be functioning in such a way that there will be no needs going unmet. This is such an important thing considering the fluctuating economy we have seen over the past couple years, and the fears that people have over the rapidly rising cost of living. A few of our major accomplishments over the past year in Salem include:
· Helping residents of a low-income trailer park in Salem by repairing their homes (Building stairs, putting on skirting, fixing leaky roofs, painting trailers, planting flowers etc)
· Putting on a fundraising dinner for Christmas presents for teenagers from low-income families in Salem (We have now handed that over to a club at the High School to organize every year.)
· Helping various food pantries, helps organizations, and Salem residents by having two tractor-trailer trucks of goods delivered and distributed
· Putting on an annual conference to network all the various churches and organizations in Salem in order to create awareness of what is already taking place and to get us all working together to meet needs
·As well as helping various churches, organizations and the human service office with the events that they put on. A week to help give Salem residents a “step up.” For a full week we gave free classes on a whole range of things. From things like basic auto mechanics, to using Microsoft Word and Excel Programs. We also had financial counselors come in, spend time one-on-one with people, and help them write out a plan on how to get out of debt or how to write a budget. We aided people in writing resumes and teaching how to have an interview.
