2020 was a ground-breaking year for The Impact Project. With projects ranging from Earlville to Nineveh, more ground was covered in Chenango County this year than any other.
According to The Impact Project Executive Director, James Willard III, this year The Impact Project made great efforts to help even more families in Chenango County, reaching an all time high of 10 projects in the area.
Willard said with the help of more than 4,000 volunteers to date, generous support from local communities and the hard work and dedication of businesses including Blue Ox, Curtis Lumber, The Gutter Experts, Alpine Metal Roofing, and The Trojan House Deli and Catering, The Impact Project is focused on assisting as many people as it can.
“There are many components that have come together to create 2020 for us,” said Willard. “COVID-19 is terrible, but the systemic issues of poverty in Chenango County are also bad and have been greatly magnified by COVID-19.”
Willard said as his team has moved through Chenango County they have seen a decline in housing conditions and an increase in applications for assistance.
“The county looks a lot worse than it did even a year or two ago,” he said. “Last year we had received so many applications that we had to shut down operations to process them all, but this year we were prepared.”
“Our organization has been blessed with the financial resources to bring on more personnel, we brought business models into the fold, and we’ve pulled all of that together which has created a more effective and efficient engine for operations.”
He added that in 2020, The Impact Project added two key members to the organization, an office manager and a caseworker.
“You can only do so much as one person, but now we have three people here,” said Willard. “We’ve divided the work, and because of that we’re now able to increase the speed of our process and add a lot more quality as well.”
“When you have three sets of eyes, everything is better; other people see different things and the whole process is better.”
He said as other nonprofits closed down due to the pandemic, The Impact Project remained open, which is part of what paved the way for the group’s record breaking year.
“Our motto is ‘saving souls one house at a time’. That remains our focus.”
Willard said that COVID has forced the organization to get creative with projects, working with fewer volunteers at each project and focusing on safety. He said collaborations with local businesses was the key to making it possible.
“At the end of the day, partnering with businesses will be an addition to our model moving forward,” Willard added. “The businesses that we work with think like we do, and have a genuine concern for their communities.”
“These businesses are going out of their way to make sure the people living nearby are taken care of.”
He said because of the reduction in volunteers they can bring to projects, certain things like beautification including landscaping and painting were temporarily cut from the program.
According to Willard, this allows a very specialized group to still complete a roof project in a day or two.
Willard said once the coronavirus isn’t an issue, The Impact Project can bring back more volunteers and start doing more of the painting and landscaping again.
“We know we want to do and can do more,” said Willard. “This was an amazing year in a terrible environment, and we’re hoping to help even more people in need in 2021.”
“We don’t have a specific number yet, and we’ll have to see what happens with the virus, but we’re going to make the best of it either way.”
He said as the organization looks to the future it hopes to continue to grow and increase the size of its staff. He added that the group is ready to take on more projects.
“It would be nice to have two or three more people involved with this organization to help with making decisions,” said Willard. “If that doesn’t happen I won’t complain, we did a great job this year with the board size that we have now.”
Willard said one of the things that has allowed The Impact Project to help more people is the strength of its board. He said board members regularly attend projects, help make tough decisions on who to help next, and have the spirit of volunteerism at heart.
“You can’t build a roof sitting behind a desk,” he added. “Most people once they’ve been to one of our projects can’t wait for the next one, and I think that’s because we all have a piece in us that loves to help other people.”
“All we need is a triggering mechanism to help awaken that part of us, and The Impact Project’s work is one of the ways people access it.”
Willard discussed why each project draws in volunteers and said volunteers are able to change a person or family’s life in just a day or two of work.
Willard said the families they help often reach out to the organization as a last-ditch effort to save their homes. He said the families can’t wait two years for help when they need it now, and none of that would be possible without the volunteers that make it happen.
“To everyone who has come out during this year to make a difference, thank you, we couldn’t have done it without you,” he added. “The Impact Project is going to continue to do its best to help the people of Chenango County who are suffering, and we look forward to doing what we can in 2021.”