Last Sunday the Providence Journal ran a story on how difficult it was to fund nonprofit social service agencies in these austere times. As some might know, I run a nonprofit agency and can tell you without hesitation that the funding situation is much worse than depicted in that article. Some days it’s a struggle just to keep the doors open, let alone provide services to people and families in need.

No one should be surprised about this. As of this writing, it is estimated that 73,000 Rhode Islanders are out of work. When the underemployed and those who have quit looking for non-existent positions are included, the real number is well over 100,000 people. That’s a devastating number of people who are suffering through the worst recession since the 1930’s. And it’s not just these individuals who suffer. It’s their children and families who also feel the upheaval, frustration and fear that come with losing a job.

Additionally, we recently learned that the state’s budget for this fiscal year is projected to be $219 million in deficit. And it’s not even six months into the fiscal year. Nobody should be surprised at this. I indicated months ago that this would happen as the budget projections, especially on the revenue side, were flawed. Be that as it may, as the cliché goes, “it is what it is.”

These two circumstances and more have increased the numbers of Rhode Islanders in need. This has swelled the number of clients who rely on nonprofit agencies at a time when these agencies struggle for their own survival. Individual and corporate donations have reduced or dried up altogether. Many foundations have reorganized their funding strategies and are far more selective about who and what they fund. As a result, many agencies, some of which have been in existence for years, have reduced staff and programming in order to survive.

It’s impossible to overstate how tough it is out there for everyone. And it’s particularly tough at this time of year.

Lest I sound like the Grinch, let me say that in these challenging times, there are those who are trying to step up to help others in our community. Against great odds, these folks have begun or continue to operate their agencies to deliver programs and services to those in need. These are organizations with which, through my own participation, I have first-hand knowledge. These organizations, some new and some established are making a difference in our communities and in our state. I’d like to tell you about a few of them.

Camp Young eMC is a new organization. It was created when a young man named Juan Rodriguez came to my office seeking advice regarding the organization of a nonprofit corporation. Its mission is to help inner city youth develop production skills in the music industry. His program will give kids an opportunity to receive hands-on instruction on a variety of music production equipment so that one day they’d have a marketable skill with which to make a living in the music industry. Additionally, his program would provide opportunities for kids to produce and record their own creative pieces.

However, one aspect of his program really caught my attention. Entitled “school first,” he required that all the kids who attended his Camp spend at least an hour each day, on site, doing homework or engaging in peer tutoring. Not only would Camp Young eMC provide opportunities to learn job skills, it would reinforce the value of a traditional education.

Today, he and his board of directors are working to develop and implement his first instructional program. Juan and his group are pouring in more sweat equity than money in order to give kids a chance that might otherwise not succeed.

Men United Rhode Island is a new group dedicated to addressing issues related specifically to men. President and CEO Kent Wilson has years of experience in the delivery of social services to people in need. Through his experience, he developed this program to meet men’s needs in three specific areas: the self, the family and the community. For example, in areas of the self, men could receive information about such unique needs as annual prostate screenings. Relative to family, men could receive guidance in better husband and parenting techniques. Finally, men could receive help to better engage in their overall community.

Last week, Kent unveiled his first program for the case management/mentoring of newly released ex-offenders. The goal is to provide a more intense involvement with the ex-offender as a part of the offender’s overall discharge plan. This program will focus particularly on the areas of housing, employment and family in order to ease the individual’s successful transition to the community. In so doing, it is hoped that the recidivism rate will be lowered, which benefits all of us.

The Institute For Addiction Recovery, located at Rhode Island College as part of the college’s Center for Public Policy, was established about three years ago. Its mission is to bring together professionals in the field as well as experts from other disciplines to develop programs to address the problem of addiction in Rhode Island. So far, its thrust is two-fold – programming to inform and exchange information among professionals, as well as exposing addiction as the disease that it is.

Over the past year, two of the Institute’s programs have addressed addiction issues related to women and elders. These programs and others will hopefully lead to a greater awareness of how addiction impacts the breadth of our society and lead to better programs and policies to treat it. By so doing, lives will be saved, families will be preserved and communities will be strengthened.

Finally, the Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership has been around for nearly two decades. Its mission is to ensure that every child in Rhode Island who needs a mentor has one. Primarily a school-based mentoring program, it along with its wide network of partner agencies is involved in mentoring nearly 4,400 kids throughout the state. And that’s the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Mentoring works. Information gathered by the Partnership in recent years shows an increase in school attendance, better classroom performance and reduced discipline problems.

During this holiday season, those of us who have so much with which to celebrate the season must not forget those who are less fortunate. Moreover, let’s not overlook the too often heroic efforts made by those among us who give of their time and their treasure to keep agencies open to serve the needs of those less fortunate. All of the agencies I’ve cited, as well as others that I could write about, have several things in common. They all have financial challenges that impact the delivery of services. They have people who work long hours often at great personal sacrifice to ensure that the mission of the agency moves forward. And many more volunteer their time and talents to these agencies for no other reason than to help those in need.

As Robert Kennedy said over 40 years ago, "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

In the last analysis, the holiday season is about giving, hope and redemption. The people I highlighted, along with more people than I can name, embody that spirit everyday throughout the year. This holiday season keep those people and the individuals and families they serve in mind.

Happy Holidays!