Tawn Holstra
Washington, USA
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Walking the Walk
If I’m not Walking the Walk it’s Baloney
Just as participants in the Self Expression and Leadership Program take on projects of their choice in their communities, so too, do the course leaders. Sometimes, as a course leader, I become accustomed to the changes people move through and I lose sight of my compassion for the things they struggle with. Doing the same homework as the participants keeps me honest and aware to what it really takes to do this course.
Usually, to challenge myself, I take on projects that are beyond my wildest dreams. If I’m not walking the walk, it’s baloney.
Cut Myself Some Slack
One time, however, I thought I would cut myself a little slack and do a project that seemed both like it would be easy and fun. Was I ever mistaken. Midway through it, it had become so huge and so involved that it seemed one of the craziest things I had ever undertaken.
Off the Streets and Into the Kitchen
Seattle has a culinary job-training program for the homeless called FareStart. Students are literally enrolled off the streets. At the end of the 16-week program, they are certified as “Prep Cooks.” With that certificate, 90 percent find jobs and eighteen months later 76 percent are still employed. This compares to the average national job retention rate of 30 – 90 days. Guest chefs – literally, some of the best in the country – teach the culinary classes. Like other non-profits, FareStart is always looking for ways to raise money to continue to keep the program going.
How Tough Could This Be?
I had designed the Life Skills Program for FareStart and knew that for years, the Executive Director had wanted to publish a cookbook as a fundraiser. Two problems had kept the idea on the shelf: $60,000 was needed to cover production expenses, and the staff was already working at full capacity and couldn’t take on the additional strain.
“How tough could publishing a cookbook be?” I thought. Soon after I had decided to take on this project, I found that for someone with minimal publishing experience, it was a huge challenge. Now in debt and having made a lot of promises to a lot of people, promises I didn’t know I could keep, I wanted to quit.
Through the Black Hole
I shared with the participants in the course I was leading what I was experiencing. Many participants were going through varying degrees of the same thing. I was reminded of what we had discussed at our first classroom: that if we had really challenged ourselves, there would likely be times we would want to quit. We would find ourselves having to let go of our past successes and failures in order to discover new approaches and honestly reach beyond our own limits. I was reminded that I had told the group there might be times when we would find ourselves in a sort of black hole with little idea how to get out. But that was where we could also gain a new perspective and begin thinking “outside the nine dots” to discover firsthand a whole new set of possibilities. I was certainly there!
Recipe for Success
I really began to utilize the tools of the course and I worked with my coach. Some days we would discuss how to communicate the project to others so that they not only got involved, but also took on a real sense of ownership in the outcome. Little by little, I built a talented team of people who were so engaged in what we were out to accomplish that they were willing to demand more of themselves than they ever had. We published the book from concept to bookstore in 13 weeks, something unheard of in the publishing industry. Plus, the book has won three awards for photography and art design.
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders and More
We published the cookbook before Christmas and sold out half the printing in the first two weeks. The book, Savoring Seattle, is currently available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders Books and Music, and all the local Seattle bookstores. We recouped the initial costs and have made a donation to FareStart of about $16,000.
I learned an incredible amount not only about cooking and publishing, but also about myself. I learned about working with others, about creating a new dynamic with a team, and I learned the gift that it is to make a difference. And I did have fun in the process – I even spoke to Julia Child!
Since publication, the book and culinary programs have become so popular that I started a non-profit organization to make Culinary Programs and the Life Skill Program available nationally. The Alliance for Committed Civic Engagement and Social Solutions (ACCESS) now has 8 dedicated staff members that work full time on ending homelessness and supporting already existing non-profits become more efficient and effective. Our website has been up for 1 month and we recently celebrated our one year anniversary.
Out of the project I took on a whole new world has opened up and my life has completely altered. I spend my days working toward the end of homelessness in a way I never would have imagined. I truly live a life I only dared dream about! It would never have happened without this education, particularly the Self-expression and Leadership Program I am privileged to lead.
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