We start every morning here at the IRC with a meeting in the day room to go over the schedule for the day, answer questions, share information, and often to discuss the inspirational quotes that Jenny puts up on the whiteboard.  The meeting facilitation rotates among the staff; Friday is my morning.  I took the opportunity last Friday to tell the 60 or so people assembled in the day room about a wonderful $15,000 challenge grant we’ve been given to mark our third anniversary.

And then an amazing thing happened–a man put his hand up and said “How can I give a dollar?”, and he followed the question by walking across the room and handing me a dollar.  A woman reached down, unzipped her purse and gave me a dollar.  A man dug into his pocket and pulled out a single wadded up dollar and gave it to me.  In the space of just a couple of minutes I had seven worn, crumpled dollar bills in my hand.  Someone started clapping; someone else joined in and the whole room erupted in spontaneous applause.  I don’t think I was the only one close to tears.

Matched by the challenge grant, those seven dollars are the equivalent of a sponsorship of an individual at the IRC for a full day and a half.  If ever we needed evidence that what we do at the IRC is needed and appreciated it is that handful of dollars.

The challenge grant runs through March 31; any gift given since January 1 counts toward the total.  You can make a gift online, or by mailing a donation to:

Interactive Resource Center
P.O. Box 20568
Greensboro, NC 27420

Thanks to the benefactors in the day room we’ve only got $14,993 more to go!

Liz Seymour
Executive Director

…the IRC is a lot like its neighbor, the J. Douglas Galyon Depot, connecting clients to the means to get from here to there through an impressive assortment of partner agencies.

A recent visit on a gray, rainy day revealed a full house of homeless clients, some conferring quietly with center staff, others socializing as they waited to be seen. Two huge, brightly lit Christmas trees stood in opposite corners of the reception area. On a big, white, dry-erase board was a quote for the day, which read in part, “Remember, every day is a new day.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean every day is a good day. Two clients had gotten into a shouting match that very morning. But the overall vibe at the IRC is distinctly upbeat and hopeful.

A client can get mail there, wash laundry, take a shower, get a haircut and enroll in job-hunting courses, including computer training. The center helps locate temporary shelter and permanent housing for clients. It refers those who want and need it to drug treatment and counseling.

In return, clients help take care of the IRC. They keep it clean. They report misconduct. They created many of the paintings on the IRC’s walls as well as the sculpted handles on the plate-glass front doors. What’s more, fully a third of the 2,000 weekly volunteer hours at the center are filled by homeless workers.

The new facility has been open at its permanent location on Washington Street only for eight months. But it already is making a measurable difference: 3,776 loads of laundry, 2,652 showers, 3,432 nurse visits and 121 full-time permanent jobs found since opening in May, says IRC Executive Director Liz Seymour…

>> Read all of Editorial: Bright ray of hope at News-Record.com

From the IRC’s Director, Liz Seymour: “We invite anyone who would like to start a new tradition to come down to 407 E. Washington Street and spend a little Christmas at the IRC!”

Related: Bender’s Tavern will provide shuttle service from the IRC to their restaurant for their free Christmas meal for the needy.