For some, the idea of working a 9-to-5 job every Monday through Friday sounds like the worst thing that could happen to them. I thought I was one of those people who would go crazy working what might seem to be a boring and tedious job. However, after working at Yellow Springs Home, Inc. full time for a little less than a month, I can definitely say that I love this job. I am so impressed with the work that has been done, and I connect with the mission of the organization, which is, “Yellow Springs Home, Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen community and diversity in the Yellow Springs area by providing permanently affordable and sustainable housing through our Community Land Trust model.”
I always felt that I have had a good sense of community. I used to be deeply involved in a Girl Scouts troop back home that would make cards for the local senior center and bake cookies for the local firemen among other tasks, but it wasn’t until I started working at Yellow Springs Home, Inc. that I truly started to understand how a “sense of community” should truly feel.
My usual day consists of me arriving at the office around 8:45 AM, checking my emails, running down to the post office to check the mail, checking in with my supervisor about my work plan for the day, completing said work, then updating my work plan and sharing it with my supervisor before I leave for the day. While I have a basic general routine, the work that I do during the day is usually varied day-to-day. On some days, I will be more focused on grant writing and researching, some days will be spent entirely in meetings, and other days will be used to contact board members and other organizations to ask for donations or volunteers. There are some days where I am scanning papers, making coffee runs, leading and supervising volunteers, planning an open house event, or removing fiberglass insulation. I am grateful that my job allows for such variety in events and experience to help keep my skills well-rounded.
I have discovered that my favorite part of my job so far is creating and managing my own work plan. I have some guidance from my supervisor and other staff to add tasks and give advice, but for the most part, I set my own deadlines and create my own goals. I appreciate the learning experience and the chance to be self-disciplined and responsible. I have not had a similar experience in any other job. This is something I will be able to say Yellow Springs Home, Inc. has taught me.
Home, Inc. does more than just provide homes for low-to-moderate income families in Yellow Springs. We help to keep the people who make Yellow Springs what it is, an eclectic and artsy small-town full of bright minds and creative souls, right here in this community. Small towns have this habit of turning into glorified, overly-expensive cities that people can only afford to travel through. There are so many people who, for various reasons, want to live in Yellow Springs but simply cannot afford to do so. That’s where Home, Inc. comes in. We work personally with our clients to design homes for them while also making sure they contribute back to our community and other homes via “Sweat Equity,” which are required volunteer hours that homeowners must fulfill to satisfy certain needs of our land trust model. You can find more information about the incredible work we do at www.yshome.org.
I am incredibly happy with the work I am doing at Yellow Springs Home, Inc. Working at a non-profit has its ups and downs, but I can’t help but see the end goal of handing somebody their first set of keys when I’m filing papers or making a coffee run. Knowing that my supervisor doesn’t have to worry about the smaller tasks that I handle means they can move forward with the bigger and more time sensitive tasks. Eventually, this leads to a gathering where I can see the true impact of our organization and all of the work that we do. Those small, cherishable moments make the seemingly boring and remedial tasks worth so much more.
