Leadership Challenges

The ministry began as a simple food and clothing give away, but as our relationship to the community’s neediest families grew, so did our ministry’s vision.  Soon we began to offer case management services to assist area families to access needed resources for care, be it through advocacy with local trustees, assistance in applying for food stamps, or referrals to other charitable agencies such as WIC, Salvation Army, Turning Point Shelter, Santa’s Helpers, etc.

With case management services providing a helpful accountability, area churches were able to fund Project Help’s efforts in the confidence that their charitable gifts were not be squandered and that the deserving poor of our community were receiving real help, help that enabled them to help themselves better their circumstances, a hand up and not just a hand out.

In tandem with the development of Turning Point Shelter’s efforts, Project Help grew under the dedicated leadership of Ms. Linda Kluzinski for its first several years until, unfortunately, she had to resign in the early 1990’s.

After being given interim support from a number of able volunteers, such as Ms. Gail Waymire, Ms. Maria Tawdel (?), and the Rev. Richard Doenges, the Project Help board next hired Ms. Sandra Barton as our executive director to lead Project Help’s efforts for about the next five (5) years, and upon her resignation in the summer of 1998 Ms. Linda Branwell became the next executive director of Project Help.

Relocations and Refocus