LIFT Annual Report 2014: What Matters Most | Page 47

LIFT Impact Report 2014

REAL STORIES

“I value LIFT’s approach

to know them. “I am most comfortable
to partnering with
with people and the mess of everyday
life. Children, siblings, job loss, illness
individuals. After a full
– these are things we all experience.”
Bruton remembers sharing moments with
day of member meetings,
Members as they reacted to questions
I felt exhausted and
on job applications that showed an
embarrassing cluelessness on the part of
exhilarated.”
the prospective employer. The frequent
technical glitches on the application
computer portals provided simultaneous
frustration and amusement. “The job search is a lengthy, tedious and isolating process
and our Members use courage, persistence and humor to push through it.”
Overall, the Advocate experience served as a valuable reminder: “You’re not the center
of the universe. It’s comforting, somehow, to be aware of that.” She is especially proud
of the three months she spent helping to realize the ambitions of a young man who
had been incarcerated from age 16 to age 25 but who nevertheless aspired to become a
certified optical technician. “The real value of the work is in that single story, that single
person who was touched,” she says.
LIFT-New York’s plan for the next five years is as strategic as it is ambitious. The key
word is expansion—more Members served more deeply, throughout New York City. The
immediate goal is to expand in the Bronx and then to double capacity as LIFT-New
York moves into Brooklyn. Critical to the strategy is the identification of key community
partnerships. “Building collaborative partnerships strengthens our organizational
capacity and anchors our connections to the community,” explains Bruton. “The better
we are at coordinating and harnessing resources for our Members, the more likely they
are to access the support they need.”

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