How to Create Community Relationships for Maximum Impact

Hello, my name is Katherine Moore, social worker, mom, coffee lever, and founder of Social Workers' Rise. Where we inspire social workers to connect, expand their knowledge, and change more lives than they ever thought possible. I'm so excited you found my podcast. We will talk everything social work on every level from micro to macro. We will hear the stories of social workers who are doing big things, learn new skills, and most importantly, give you actionable steps to make a difference today. Let's go. Hello, hello, hello, welcome to another episode of Social Workers' Rise. It is your host, Katherine here. I'm wondering. Have you seen gaps in the systems that you work in, or have you seen that your clients need more resources that aren't being provided by the systems currently in place around you? Maybe you've even considered branching out into filling those gaps yourselves, either through a for-profit or a non-profit. Today, we're going to talk about how you can start building community relationships to really increase the resources that you have available for your clients, how to really step into that area that needs to be filled, fill those gaps in a way that is meaningful and impactful. As a frontline worker working with clients, you know what their needs are. You know what they struggle with. You know how to help them. And I empower you and encourage you right now that if there are things that are missing in your community and you've been thinking to yourself, why isn't someone doing something about this? This needs to be having more attention on it. This problem needs to be fixed and it feels like this is just falling on death ears. Definitely. Take some action. Listen to this episode and see if creating community partnerships or even maybe you need to start looking into creating your own non-profit. Maybe that is the next step for you. So with that, we're going to talk with Marisa from Marabou Cares, which is a small non-profit here in Orange County, California. Even though it is small, it is mighty. I have directly seen the impact that even a small non-profit can have on the lives of people and she specifically helps cancer fighters. So her story is really powerful with that. Let's get into it. Before we hop into this episode, it's important to acknowledge that being a new grad and a new worker can be really hard sometimes. It's not in your head. It really can be hard. And grad school just doesn't teach us everything that we need to know to be successful in the rural world with our jobs. So in order to bridge that gap, we created the clinical essentials for the future therapists. This course will fast track you into honing those skills that you need to actually help your clients in an individual setting. It'll save you time when you're trying to figure out what the heck to document. It's going to increase your confidence in your abilities that you are doing this right and give you the tools that you need to be even more effective. And it's going to improve the professional quality of your notes so that when your colleagues and your coworkers read them, they say, "Wow, that's a really thorough detailed note. I love it. Let's do this." And it provides clarity on how to help the person. So if this sounds like something you would benefit from, definitely check the link in the show notes for the clinical essentials for the future therapist. With that, let's hop into this episode. Hi, Marisa. Hi, Catherine. How are you? I'm good. Or Marisa, right? It's Marisa. Yes, thank you. Marisa, thank you so much for joining me on social workers rise. I am so excited to talk to you today. Thank you so much for having me. This is going to be a wonderful experience for both of us. I hope. Yes, yes. And your first podcast, right? This is my first podcast. So I am very excited to do this with you. I was very much looking forward to this. We have a wonderful working relationship and I think this is just taking it to another level. Yes, yes, definitely. So just to give you a little bit of background as our listener. So Marisa and I work together. You all know I'm a medical social worker. And Marisa, she actually owns a non-profit that helps cancer patients with all sorts of different wonderful things. So this is basically how we got started and how you can utilize community partnerships to increase the services and the resources available to your patients. And Marisa, I'm just so extremely grateful for all of the wonderful things you have done. So just to provide some context, we, you were able to get one of my patients a mattress. Like her, she had bedbugs and you were able to work your Marisa magic. And we had new mattress, which I was like, whoa, my mind was blown. You know, Captain, thank you for bringing that up. That was an amazing phenomenal Christmas miracle. That's the only way I can describe it. When I was speaking with her on the intake, doing our intake interview, we don't just ask what their cancer is, how they're feeling. We go into depth. I want to get to know the person because a lot of times the referring social worker, case management or anyone who's referring, a lot of times they don't know some of these intimate details. And we've become very good at asking questions that are not intrusive. However, they are providing us some information to really get to know the individual and what their what their likes are, what their dislikes are, what their other situations are outside of their cancer that may be affecting their recovery or their fight. So when I was speaking with this client, prospective client quickly became a client that afternoon, she didn't inform me that she was sleeping on the couch and when I asked her about it, she let me know that when she moved into her apartment, her daughter noticed that she had many fights on her legs and inquired about the bites. And of course, the woman didn't know where she got the bites. So they quickly looked into it and her daughter found that she had bedbugs and then her bed was infested, contacted the landlord. The landlord felt horrible because they moved in with no bedbugs. So they completely cleaned everything up. Unfortunately, she had to get rid of her bed. And by doing cancer, the last thing you want to be doing is sleeping on an uncomfortable couch, let alone a couch. So I felt horrible for her knowing what it feels like to fight cancer and going through the surgeries and recovery. So I started making phone calls, phone calls after phone calls and put out the word for different companies and just waited, unbaited breath, just waited, unfortunate was a Friday so the weekend passed and I quickly looked on Monday nothing, nothing back from anyone. So I spoke with one of our board members and he said that he had dealt with custom comfort mattress and they were phenomenal. So kind. So I reached out. While I was on the phone, the gentleman said, please email me. Well, I did. I emailed him very quickly and all the details. And within a half an hour, I received a phone call back from one of the managers and she said, how can we help? We'll take care of it. We were able to get this wonderful lady, a brand new custom made queen mattress set and it just made her Christmas. And it's things like that that I just got chills, it's things like that that really make you feel like you're making a difference in the world. It's just it's it may seem little and trivial to somebody, but to another person, it's huge. It's absolutely huge and I am just so grateful that I was able to facilitate that and that custom comfort mattress was able to come through for us and for our client. So the kudos go to them. They're the ones that work their magic. I use my little. lawn but they use their big one. Yes, shout out to custom comfort mattress. And that is part of the magic that nonprofits have that working with a four-profit I could never do. Like I could never say, oh, I'm part of this medical group and, you know, could you donate a mattress? Like that just wouldn't really go over very well. But having you as a working relationship, you know, you have that nonprofit status that they can, you know, you can accept those donations and coordinate all that. Yes. And that's just, you know, really fabulous. So I'm just kind of wondering, you know, for in order to even start these relationships, you know, what would be the best way for someone to approach you or a nonprofit in general to really start forming a working relationship? Well, first and foremost, you have to figure out, are you a good fit? Is this nonprofit going to be providing a service or education or research for what your niche is? So for example, if you're in the health industry and you deal with cancer fighters, obviously working with a cancer organization is a perfect fit. Now do all cancer organizations work with healthcare providers? No. So you have to obviously look into that research. What exactly do they do? What do they provide and how easy are they to accept new partners and establish new working relationships? Yes. So important. Do you think that we need to know somebody there or if we just, you know, sent an email or did a cold call, do you think that would work too? Or, you know, maybe find you on LinkedIn or social media? Are you referring to Marivo cares or other nonprofits? Well for you and then maybe, you know, other nonprofits that you've had experience as well. Well for Marivo cares, personally, we are easily reachable. Our websites, email, Marivo [email protected] on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, even Google Search. We are there and it's easy to contact us. So we've tried to put our avenues of communication out there so we're easy to find and easy to contact. And our phone number, I'm sure you will have that available to our listeners. But we encourage anyone in the healthcare industry to contact us. And on that note, I would like to stress that I've spoken with a lot of people in this industry and their frustration has been, do we vet or do you? And I always say, let us do it. Because like as I mentioned before, many patients won't say what their needs are. They are embarrassed. And sometimes they have the funds to pay for services. However, they need that comfort and the support of those phone call check-ins. Or who would like to get a bouquet of flowers? Or who would like to have their house crandered? You know, get a little goody bag. So let us do the vetting process. Just send us the cancer fighters. We'll take care of the rest. Right. Yeah, and it's interesting you bring that up because you've told me multiple times. You're just given them the resources. And it's my experience as a social worker talking with the patients. They're like, how are you going to help me? And it's hard to say, well, this organization does a lot of things. And there has to be that substance. So like house cleaning is substance. They will definitely agree. However, if I say something like, they'll uplift your spirits by sending you cards and flowers. Even though I fully appreciate the impact that a gesture like that will have, talking to a lot of people, they say, okay, well, that's not really. Really going to help me because it doesn't feel substantial or just don't feel real. However, I'm sure you can vet to this much more than I can. Once they actually get the flowers, you know, it's the experience of it. And it's just hard to communicate that. Exactly. And you'd be surprised when they do receive their first bouquet of flowers. When can I get another one? I know. I had a lady say, you know, I really don't use makeup. It's okay. You know, and we, she was one of our deliveries we made during our Christmas deliveries of the live trees, planted live trees that we brought around in a thrive makeup goody bags. And oh my goodness. The phone call for her was, you know, I never thought I'd use makeup again, but boy, it was like a toy store in that bag. So, you don't think they need things. And then when you give it to them, they're just so appreciative. And they just, they're self-esteem is down. And this is part of it. This is part of it. Us giving them things that will help them feel better, like the cards. Like you were part of that. And we really appreciate you being a part of those caring letters and caring cards. And I keep getting texts, you know, I, when I feel down, I pull out my caring letters and read them. And they're still doing that. And those things don't seem important when they just become aware of our services when, when maybe you're presenting them to them. I say, hey, they have this or that. And they're like, I don't really need it. But once they get a taste, they have, I like it. It's like a way of getting a little bit spoiled. Exactly. And on the card notes. So once I found out that you are collecting cards, just reading cards in general for your clients, I actually approached my daughter's teacher. And I explained the situation that there's a local nonprofit who is collecting cards. Do you think that this would be an art project that the class could do? And oh my gosh, they loved it. They loved it. And you'd be surprised the cards from the children. Oh my goodness, Catherine. I had one client was crying, crying just tears of joy. They touched her. I mean, they touched her so deeply. I needed this. You have no idea how much I needed this. I didn't know I needed it, but I needed it. And I said, oh, see, this is what this is all about. Cancer is hard. It's difficult. It's challenging. It's depressing. But if we can do just one thing to lift their spirits, we've done a great thing. And our goal is to do more than one thing. And we do the best we can. But making their day in any way we can, it just, it speaks volumes to the image. The impact kindness can have. Yeah, so powerful. I'm wondering, you know, what made you start Maribou Cares to begin with? Like how did you know it was time as part of what you wanted to do? Well, nutshell, my cancer diagnosis was January 14th of 2013. And I got my, I had my biopsy on the 13th. And exactly two months later, I had everything removed. When my surgeon went in there, she saved my life. The cancer had moved from just a narrow lymph node and most up and went to my chest walls, less than a millimeter for my chest wall. In that period, I was frantically trying to find services and everything. But everything was happening too quickly. Then once I had my surgeon recover, I still tried to get services. And with getting turned away, well, you already had your cancer surgery. And we don't know if you're going to have chemo radiation. So we can't help you. And this was the door shutting constantly, door shutting, door shutting, door shutting. And some of the services I would try, get on list, check back, kept telling me, check back. And it was just defeating, absolutely defeating. So I thought, you know, there's got to be a better, better solution. There's got to be somebody out there. And I could say that was back in 2013 by the end of the year. I sat down with my adult daughters and I said, you know, we've done a lot of philanthropic endeavors in our life. Haven't we? And they're like, yeah, Mom, what are you going to do this time? Because I had a homeless ministry and we really did some great work there. And I said, well, there's a need, a huge need that we need to fill. So I sat down and I decided, you know, this is on my heart. And I can, can I do this? I'm going to see. I've done it before. I'm going to, I'm going to do it again. I want to fill this need. A friend of mine went through. it shortly after mine and her dog was diagnosed with cancer on length of where she was diagnosed with cancer and her dog ended up dying. I couldn't find a home for her because my friend had to go be taken care of and you go through her surgery and we're covering the dog couldn't go. So the person that she left her dog with, gender, and she's on our website. Unfortunately, I didn't take care of gender, didn't give her meds left her outside in the heat in an empire, no water, no meds, and unfortunately, gender passed. And gender's legacy will live on through Maribel Cares Out Pets. This is the pandemic put a hold on that part of Maribel Cares, but we are excited to bring it back as soon as everything normalizes. But I found that was another need. And my friend went through the same situations I did trying to get services and help. So January, I started January 2014. I started and I didn't turn back. And I was asked by a friend of mine not too long ago, have you ever thought about getting up because it's such a hurdle to get over sometimes, you know, getting out there and getting getting support, especially now with the pandemic. And I said, you know, no, when you're when you have a passion about something and your heart is in it 110%, there's giving up is not even in your vocabulary. It's not, it's just not. When you know that what what you're doing is providing a positive impact for a community that needs it, then why would you even consider giving up? And to say something which I thought about this morning, 2020 was crazy. We'll all admit it was a crazy year. And with the fires and the pandemic and just everything in here in California, it's been nuts. Surprisingly, 2020 has been our most impactful year with our firefighters. It's been our most successful year. Wow. Yeah. And I was determined even though I lost virtually all of my volunteers because of them losing their jobs and this is the way the pandemic went, we have had the most successful year because I was determined we're not closing our doors. We have firefighters who need us. And I'm not going to turn my back on them. I'm not going to say, well, there's a pandemic. Oh, I don't have enough volunteers. Oh, well, we take it. We deal with it. And we make the best of it. And we did. I'm so proud of this organization. 2020 was amazing. So that just tells you what 2021 is going to be like, right? Yeah. Yeah. So going forward in 2021, what do you need? I'm a very big believer in you ask for what you need and you will get it. So let's put it out there in the universe. What does Maribou Care's need in 2021 to be successful? Well, honestly, Catherine, it was a terrible year for fundraising. And I know this is what all nonprofits need is funding. Funding is it's where we're pulling those purse strings real tight. No one gets paid in Maribou Care's. No one. It's all volunteer even myself. So every time that comes into Maribou Care's goes to Maribou Care's. And this is something that we need. We need funding. We need connections. We need people that are in the healthcare industry to take us seriously. And I will quote Tiffany from Caloptima who approached me last January at a function. She said, I wanted to meet you in person because I've heard so much about you and we've communicated a few times in emails regarding cancer providers. She's like, I have a question for you. I said, okay. Why are you Orange County's death kept secret? I said, I don't know. I'm not trying to be. But getting the word out, getting the word out and allowing us to help your cancer fighters, your patients. That's another need that we have is getting people in the healthcare industry to follow through. Don't worry about what their needs are. If you are sure if you know their needs, just send them to us. Let us figure it out with them. So those two things are big needs. And you know, obviously, along with the fundraising sponsorship and, you know, more donors. So right now Maribou Care is operating in Orange County, California. Is that right? As far as your geographic region? Yes. We cover Orange County. We do reach into Sil Beach. We have a client in Sil Beach. We have a few in Long Beach. We did pick up one in La Marada. I mean, they're okay. But typically it's it's Orange County. And like I said, in parts of Long Beach and Sil Beach and Cyprus. Okay, because we have listeners from all over the world that listen to the podcast. So if you're listening right now and you're touched by what Marisa is saying, there is definitely a need for for this type of services in your area. Marisa, what do you have to say to someone who has been thinking about starting a nonprofit or thinking about feeling a gap? Whether it's with cancer fighters or some other, you know, population that they see a need for, you know, what would you tell them if they're just not feeling quite ready yet? Well, that's a very good question actually, Catherine. That is a very good question. My advice would be, there's a few things to keep in mind. First of all, have a clear goal of your purpose. For example, are you wanting to provide, provide information, provide education, provide services, do research or fill a need? Find out and hone in on that. Find to what that is. That's your number one goal. Because if you go in there all over the place, it's not going to work. You need to really figure out what is it that you want to do. Number two, do your due diligence. Do your research, research, research, and then research some more. You want to find out are there other organizations that do what you want to do? And if so, how successful are they? Where are they located? Figure out the demographics. Will you be overlapping? Are you in an area that isn't providing that and can you fill that need in your area? Find out what their success rate is. Also, how much funding will you need to start? Do you have a funding? Can you get the funding? Can you do it with little funding? Another one would be, do you know anyone who has your same passion or who can join your passion and help you? And the big one, and I touched on this earlier when my friend asked me that question about hurdles. Can you do this long term? How dedicated are you to this? You know, pandemic was a big hurdle. So a lot of companies hold it a lot of nonprofits are struggling, but if your heart is set on this, how dedicated are you to it? Because once you're in this, you're in this, you're in a nonprofit for a reason. And it's to make this world a better place. So are you going to be dedicated to that? At the end of the day, are you going to be proud of yourself and say, job well done? I can't wait for tomorrow to make it even better. I love that and I love all of what you shared today because you you went through struggle. It was very painful. You saw the gaps in the system and the gaps in the services and you didn't just complain about it, right? It didn't turn you bitter. You took that as a lesson to say, wow, there's there needs to be something done about this. And if no one else is going to do it, then I'm going to do it. And I really admire that. That is takes true courage. It really takes a lot of bravery. It's, you know, you're a leader. You're a leader in what you do. There wasn't, you know, to my knowledge, there is no one else in seven, California doing exactly what you were doing. So I just applaud you for your bravery, your creativity, your grit, your endurance, and your resilience. You know, you truly are an amazing soul. So thank you so much for everything that you do. And for sharing your story on social workers rise, I'm just so grateful to have you here. Well, thank you. That's very humbling and I'm very touched by your kind. You're very, very kind words. Catherine, it's, I'm speechless. You're just, you're just very kind and it's, it's comforting to hear those words because sometimes you're doing something and you don't, you're in your world, just spinning and working on your little, your wheel, you're just going. And sometimes you don't realize how you're touching others. But if I can touch all cancer fighters and make their lives better, then that's at the end of the day. I am job well done. You know, job well done, no matter how big or small it is, job well done. And if I can emphasize, we help all cancer fighters. Just because I fought breast cancer does not mean we're pink. We are all cancers. And if you look at our logo, our logo is a hummingbird and the feathers are all the colors of cancer. So everyone. Yeah. I love that. Now, thank you, Marie. So where can people find you and donate and keep in contact with you? Mariboucares at mariboucares.org is our general email address. Our website is www.mariboucares.org. And there is a contact page. There's a donation page there. We can receive checks in the mail and our mailing address. We're on Instagram, Facebook. You can find us on a Google search. Yeah. So, we're everywhere. Even if you want to have passive donations to us, sign up on Amazon Smile. Sign up your Amazon Prime Account or Amazon Account and assign us on Amazon Smile. It doesn't affect your account at all. Even your Rouse Rewards card. Assign it to us. And we all pay us and you know, it doesn't cost you a dime. And we've recently signed up with Good Shop where a lot of the major. And the department stores and just major shopping is on there through Good Shop. And they do the same thing as Amazon. However you purchase, they'll donate a portion of it to us. So there's passive donations that you can do it cost you nothing. And that would help us a lot as well. So you can find us everywhere. Thank you so much, Marisa. And I will be following you everywhere. You take care. You are listening to this right now, please go. And you know, even a dollar helps. It helps so much. Yes. So much. And we will talk soon. Bye, Marisa. Thank you, Catherine. You have a wonderful day and thank you for having me on your podcast. You're welcome. Bye. Thank you so much for listening to another episode of Social Workers Rise. This episode helped you. Please help me spread the word by leaving a review wherever you listen to your podcast. And share that you're listening. Tag me on social media. I love it. I will repost and reshare. I love it. Social currency is free, but it is so valuable. Also, I'd love to hear from you on Instagram. I really do respond. I really do love it when you give me your feedback. Lastly, this is not therapeutic advice or business advice or any other kind of personalized advice. To get that, you definitely need me as your coach. So please, again, reach out to me on Instagram. I can't wait till next week. I will see you then. All the love. Bye.