By Angela Carter Register Staff acarter@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN -- When the Rev. Bonita Grubbs began working asexecutive director of Christian Community Action nearly 22 yearsago, her plan was to work there for five years.
But it was an opportunity that linked several pursuits for her:figuring out what it means for people to be healthy and live in ahealthy environment, examining maximum quality of health from aphilosophical and spiritual perspective and the connections betweena healthy mind, body and spirit.
Grubbs has an undergraduate degree from Smith College, a master'sin public health from the Yale School of Medicine, Department ofEpidemiology and Public Health, and a Master of Arts in religionfrom Yale Divinity School.
'Health ministry became my sense of calling and it needed to finda place to be worked on or worked at,' she said.
CCA is a nonprofit, faith-based organization, but not connectedto a specific congregation. It provides emergency shelter andtransitional housing, a food pantry and an advocacy and educationproject that involves supporting public policies to help its low-and moderate-income clients.
'What we've learned is that individuals will not be able toachieve their highest quality of life without employment, withoutincome,' Grubbs said. 'The goal is that you leave people better thanyou found them in the service that you provide. It's really aboutimprovement.'
These are challenging times to run a nonprofit organization, asthe most recent recession left individual and corporate donorstightening their belts.
'A reduction in contributions and grants, along with heightenedcompetition among nonprofits for the decreasing dollar, makesfundraising and friend-raising a challenge,' she said.
While nonprofits face operating expenses and health care costsjust as corporations do, they do not have a commercialized productor service that drives revenue.
Yet, the work of agencies such as CCA can transform people'slives and society as a whole.
'It's not a job, it's a calling,' she said. Professionalsinterested in nonprofit careers need to have a sense of vision andability to manage both people and resources, she said.
'Know the direction in which you are going,' she said. 'Along theway, there are these unexpected things that come up, changes thatoccur. Things don't always happen in a linear fashion. There may bethe need to give it more time.'
Work at a vision until it is realized, Grubbs said, understandingthat the road may get bumpy at times, progress might not unfoldperfectly. 'The work has to be done as humanely, as professionally,as competently as possible,' she said.
CCA was formed in 1967, when an ecumenical group of Catholics andProtestants came to the aid of a family left homeless when a firedestroyed their Congress Avenue home. The idea was that theorganization would try to prevent individuals or families fromfalling through the cracks in a time of short-term emergency orcrisis and its mission has grown to help clients achieve self-sufficiency.
Call Angela Carter at 203-789-5752.
