Employees of nonprofits in the human services sector often wear many hats and work many hours in fulfilling their missions to serve those in need. Self-care is touted as critical, but is seldom realized to the extent that it’s needed. As Executive Director & CEO of The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center, Dr. Kameron Hodgens realized something had to give last spring.
After a season of attending many meal-heavy fundraisers in support of the nonprofit community and beyond, while simultaneously running a five-acre campus of 20 agencies – and raising a 3-year-old daughter – Hodgens decided to prioritize her health by starting a Weight Watchers group at work and asking her campus colleagues to join in. The group has successfully met once a week for the past year and has collectively dropped over 700 lbs. Providing support, discussing health goals, holding each other accountable, all with lots of laughter, the group has collectively had wonderful results that go beyond losing weight.
“The Center’s reason for existing is largely about bringing people together. As a group, I believe we’ve bonded by sharing a common goal beyond helping others. We share a sense of having each other’s backs. That trust goes a long way in learning how we can work together,” says Dr. Hodgens, “It’s been gratifying to see how self-care and serving those in need go hand-in-hand.”
Real estate is one of the greatest costs in a business budget. Our partnership with The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center allows more money to go towards our mission. And what better place to house our office than on a campus with nineteen other outreach agencies.
Collaboration is key to the success of our work. The Campus of Caring is a unique space where we can easily join forces with other agencies to make the best use of our resources and maximize our community impact. The affordable rent allows us to allocate more funds to our mission of transforming the lives of students and their families.
As a small organization with a staff of two, employee safety was a big consideration when we were looking for office space. We did not want our employees to be in a place where they were alone. Being on the GSHSC campus has been great because there is a whole community of like-minded professionals.
