Take the Next Step volunteers help Sky Valley families.

Published 9:48 pm Wednesday, August 19, 2009

MONROE — Rocky Gorham has fixed broken tail lights, replaced blown car fuses and even journeyed to an Arlington junk yard to round up a replacement for someone driving on a temporary “doughnut” tire.

But during the estimated 500 hours he spends each year volunteering at Take the Next Step, a nonprofit agency that assists low-income and homeless children and adults in the Skykomish Valley, one of the skills he uses most often is listening.

“Sometimes people just need to vent or talk things out, get it clear in their head, to figure out what direction they’ll go,” Gorham said.

“Once they start talking… it seems to come together for them, and you didn’t do anything besides be there.”

Take the Next Step opened in 2005, an outgrowth of the Monroe Covenant Church.

“I asked the people in my church … if anyone had a heart for people in need,” said Donna Olson, president of the Take the Next Step board, who helped launch the organization.

The center is housed in what was the church parsonage. Since its founding, the organization has grown into a registered, nondenominational nonprofit. About 15 community groups now assist at the center.

It now provides a range of services for low-income, unemployed and homeless families. There’s counseling and parent support classes. Local churches and a Scout troop have joined together to provide weekly hot meals on Tuesday nights.

There’s help writing resumes and other job-hunting skills. And assistance with basics such as bus tickets and gas cards to get to jobs, schooling or medical appointments and help paying utility bills.

During the school year, classes are offered after the Tuesday night meal, giving tips on how to budget, parenting skills, anger management, dealing with grief and loss, an introduction to computers and employment essentials.

Last year, it assisted more than 2,700 people, Olson said.

Demand has increased this year, she said, with the organization assisting more than 1,900 people through the end of July.

Olson said Gorham, who lives in Gold Bar, was one of the first to step up to offer to help at the center. He now spends about 10 hours a week volunteering. Last year, the organization honored him for his hundreds of hours of service.

“But he’s a very modest guy,” Olson said. “He’ll tell you, ‘Oh, I don’t do much.’ ”

In one case, while picking up a part at an Arlington junk yard, he spotted a tire for a family that had stopped by Take the Next Step. He picked it up and delivered it to a homeless couple, who couldn’t afford a replacement tire.

“He definitely knows our people and what they need,” she said.

Gorham said one trend he’s noticed this summer is people having a hard time paying utility bills, something volunteers usually only see during the winter.

He said he’s also seen an increase in people coming to the center for help in finding affordable housing. “I see these single moms and young families, they can’t afford rent any more,” he said.

“When people live in poverty … it’s seems to be a fight all the time for day-to-day needs.”

Yet Gorham said he also often sees examples of ways the organization has been able to help people and allow them to pursue their goals, such as attending Everett Community College and going on to attend a university.

“A lot of people say, if it wasn’t for Take The Next Step, they wouldn’t know where they would go,” he said.

“We give them support, a few bus tickets once in a while. Sometimes it just takes a little of that pressure off of them.”

Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.