I would like to introduce Marcia Connors, Daybreak staff, who I have here today to talk to me on 50 Faces 50 Voices.

I always like to start with how did you get connected with Daybreak?

I got connected with Daybreak; I was doing a third career change. I was at Wright State, and I thought, well, social service. And I remember seeing something about Daybreak and so I thought, ‘well, let me go see if I can do a student teaching type thing.’ That was how I got to know a little bit about Daybreak and then I saw a job posting so, then I applied for part-time every other weekend.

What were you studying? Social work or social service at the time?

Yes, I had been teaching for over 30 years and I just wanted to do a third career change and so I thought, teachers are a lot like social workers.

I started going to Wright State to do that third career change.

Yeah, that’s so cool! What did you teach?

I taught seventh and eighth grade and then I previously taught preschool kindergarten.

Very different ages but very intense ages. When was it that you got connected with Daybreak?

I started at Daybreak, I believe it was 2006 2007 and it was every other weekend. So, I had to give up my Girl Scout troop that I had had for almost 20 years because it was on weekends. And I was also a cheerleading coach with Dayton public schools and our games were on Saturdays. So, that was something else that I had to eventually give up as well.

I’m sure that the Daybreak youth were very appreciative of it.

Once I started working here, it was just really rewarding and really enriching to be able to work with that population of youth. Prior to that I had worked at the other family shelter, and I had a classroom where I taught preschool, kindergarten up through fifth graders for the children that were in the shelter at the other place. That way I could help them stay up on their classwork and tutor them in whatever classes they were lacking in.

Wow, that’s so great! Then how have you seen Daybreak change since you first got involved?

It has really changed tremendously. When I first started, they were on Wayne Avenue in the small house. To see it go from that small space to the 605 South Patterson, and the 701 building, to see how it has just really flourished and really grown. That’s amazing to go from just the shelter to the housing and all the other components of it so that has definitely been a huge change.

I remember being really amazed at how they would go literally out into the community and to see some of the workers coming at 4:30-5:00 in the morning. And I remember saying, “Why are you down here so early?” Because at the time I was helping out on third shift and they said, “Oh, we’re going to get the keys to the van. We’re going to go out and we’re going to go down near the riverbank and up under the bridges.” And they literally looked for people.

Then they would provide services. They would take hats and scarves and blankets and things like that during the wintertime and sack lunches and pass it out to those that were up under the bridges and down by the riverscape and in abandoned buildings.

I thought that was really amazing. Daybreak is really doing a great job with connecting and reaching out and really finding those people that are truly homeless.

Yeah, because I mean asking for help and accepting it is hard so meeting them where they’re at.

Yeah, and what I realized is some of those that are truly homeless, they have so much pride that they will never come into a building and literally ask for help or seek help. They continued to stay in the abandoned buildings and under the highways and down at the riverscapes and just kind of hiding out so to speak and in wooded areas.

They really never come in to ask for help so it’s wonderful when you see people that will put things in their cars and drive to those areas where they know that those people won’t come into a shelter or a building to actually ask for help.

And they can pass out things that can assist them or help them or just a sandwich and something to drink. It’s wonderful to see people do that.

Yeah, definitely! I can imagine that would be a really inspiring way to start the day. What would you say is one of the things that surprised you the most?

One of the things that surprised me the most about Daybreak was the many programs that they offered and how they’ve expanded. You know with David’s Place and the Drop-In Center, the Lindy’s and just teaching the clients different skills and things like that. So, that has really amazed me.

 Definitely! What do you most enjoy about what we do here?

What I enjoy most is just connecting with the young people, being there to provide support, to give them encouragement, to give them hope, to let them know that they’re not out there alone and that there is an agency that can assist and help them along the way.

Yeah, definitely! And I think you’re doing a wonderful job at that from everything I see.

I enjoy it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

 

Make sure you’re all caught up on our 50 Faces 50 Voices interviews including last week’s feature with Daybreak’s own Travis Rindler. Check here for the latest interviews.