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that fill niches and needs particular to that missions community. Good Samaritan Mission works with the Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies to provide weekly food bags to children through their Totes of Hope Program as well as with school philanthropic clubs on various projects. Sometimes filling a community niche is simply being available as needed to answer questions or give help. We have relationships with our Area Neighborhood Commissioners ANC District Council members equivalent of city and state elected officials our mayor and our congresswoman says David Treadwell executive director of Central Union Mission in Washington D.C. The ANC calls us with any questions regard- ing activities the other officials allow us to visit as needed. We have testified before the District Council but are not active advocates. INVESTMENTS V olunteering time in community service projects is time well spent for these mission organizations and staff. At the Foundry we connect with local government and community leaders by finding ways to serve them says Micah Andrews CEO of The Foundry Ministries in Bessemer Alabama. And while blessing and benefit is often reaped from those volunteering hours participating in community service projects is also more than that its about doing good and lending a hand simply because it is your missions community. Check out the sidebar on page 45 for some specific ideas. The job descriptions of staff members might be specific about providing oversight or doing liaison work in a particular area focused on connecting with the community. In Detroit we employ key staff members to help us broaden our presence in our community such as in the area of government corporate and foundation relations staff volunteer services and communications with the media says Chad. Or staff members might have commu- nity projects and initiatives as part of their overall job responsibilities. In Phoenix we have appropri- ate staff assigned to participate in various community initiatives and purposely build positive relationships with our elected officials says Jay. Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries has engaged with key community groups for years in the areas of substance abuse treatment prisoner reentry homelessness and community leadership. As they continue to do that they have also added another focus. We have worked in recent years to particu- larly focus on identifying and coming alongside the many faith-based nonprofits in our commu- nity Chad says. And they make letting the community know about good work others are doing and exploring possibilities of joint efforts a part of what they do. We do this by recommend- ing them for funding to area philanthropists developing comprehensive interagency agreements with them and promoting them to whatever media is available to us. Other times partnerships arise relative to specific mission programs and services. In Jack- sonville we engage in three strategic partnerships with local colleges that support our medical and dental clinics and our learning center says Penny. Housing is an area for the mission that has also birthed a strategic partnership recently. As we purchase more houses that will be transformed into acceptable homes for our graduates we have partnered with local officials to create a North Riverside Neighborhood Council. Being accessible building relationships and making investments. These are the stories of AGRM missions regularly and intentionally engaging with a cross-section of community members leaders officials and groups. For many it is a face-to-face priority. 46 WWW.AGRM.ORG MAYJUNE 2016 Sue has been a freelance writer for more than 10 years penning pieces for publications corporations and nonprofit organizations. She lives in suburban Chicago Illinois and enjoys singing reading speaking and traveling. You can email her at rosenfeldsueaol.com. Job descriptions might be specific about providing oversight or doing liaison work in a particular area focused on connecting with the community.