12/28/2011 @ 11:15pm

Providing Hope in the Midst of Crisis, In Jesus’s name.

Hello All, I am writing today 12/28/2011, to make an announcement about Straight Ahead Outreach – Taking back your life Inc., and the future.

STA’s goal in the future (2012-2013),  will be to locate and help first, those who are the very poor, Jesus’s Lost Sheep and those who hunger to learn about Him and His Father Jehovah God Almighty.  We will be after the “one that went astray”.  We always have been actually.  If someone does not want our help, is happy living in the streets, abuses the system of assistance and or is not one of Jesus’s Sheep, we will “Dust off our Feet” and move on to the next.  Of course there is always an exception as in if the person is in medical need or is simply absolutely too hungry or thirsty, in these cases we will then as we always have, make sure they get what is needed.  The goal here will be to promote the Glory of Jehovah God Almighty through His Son Jesus Christ.  (Matthew 10) & (Matthew 18:10-14)

Some simple facts of reality:

1)  Straight Ahead Outreach is small.  A micro 501c3 nonprofit.  It basically consists of me the Founder, who is also the CEO, Senior Case Manager, food & supplies shopper, Mobile Crisis Unit driver/mechanic and caregiver to all we come into contact with and quite simply, the provider of all our services.  I do this work full-time with no secular employment.  I do not take a wage.  In addition there is my fiance Pat of 9 years and she is STA’s Vice President, has secular employment, which has enabled me to do this work full-time and STA to stay afloat.  However, it has simply placed to much of a financial hardship on us.  In addition there are two very part-time volunteers in the Knoxville, TN area who help us help others there.  None of us take any wages from Straight Ahead Outreach activities or funds.   Pat and I are in the Clearwater/St. Petersburg FL area.  We are in Florida because our paying jobs in Knoxville TN dissipated in  early 2009 and we had no income coming in and it was the way we funded all Straight Ahead Outreach.

2) We, I, have made myself available 24/7/365 days a year since 2007.  We became a 501c3 nonprofit on 1/1/2010.  However,  Since 1985 – 2007, I made myself available as my schedule and life allowed. The impact has been worth it, but has taken a toll on me, my fiance and my personal life.  But for some reason, here we still are.

3)  Straight Ahead Outreach does not receive any federal funding, nor do we seek any.  We only are able to provide our services when we receive private donations from the General Public or Private Foundations.  Currently and since January 2011 – today, 12/28/2011 we have received approximately $1300.00 in total cash donations and we have been unable to put barely any of our own personal funds in like we did last year.  With the level and quantity of services we normally provide, $1300.00 is minute and embarrassing to me as Founder.  I know I am not good at raising money, and I do not “blow our horn” enough.  But, I just do not believe in boasting about what we do all the time, I believe more in simply “doing it”.  In 2010, we invested approximately $9600 of our own personal funds into STA’s roughly $20,000.00 year of activities in 2010.  We personally borrowed money this year (2011) to put tires on the Mobile Crisis van to keep it on the road.  From 1985 to 2008, everything I ever did for the homeless and or suicidals came out of our own personal wages/pockets.  This 2011 has simply brought us to our knees, a really bad year.  

4)  On my birthday this last September 19th, the transmission gave out on our 1995 Chevrolet 240,000 mile van which we use for our Mobile Crisis unit, our only vehicle and only personally owned vehicle.  Since that day we have been without our own vehicle and or a proper Mobile Crisis Vehicle.  Thanks to a friend, we are borrowing her car, but that needs to be returned as it is not ours.  So, needless to say, I am unable to get to our Friends In Need like I was able to before.  Even if the van was fixed or if we had a brand new one, we do not have the funds needed for fuel as it takes alot of fuel to perform the services we provide.

5)  You may ask…well why don’t they receive grants?  Grants are easy to get right?  No.  Much of the grants out there from even Private Foundations are designed for specific areas or “type” of “program”.   For instance, we are what I have labeled us…a Mobile Crisis Unit. Ok, well thats easy right?  No.  You see, most grants cover Mobile Crisis Units because they are for Mental Health/Suicide specifically.  Or maybe for a housing program, or education, or transportation or the like.  The problem is, Straight Ahead Outreach does it all.  We have a different definition of Crisis and Mobile Crisis.  You can read about it here.

6) We did NOT have to become a 501c3 nonprofit.  Nope, we sure didn’t.  The reason we decided to file for nonprofit status was to be accountable to the IRS and to you the General Public.  We could have flown under the radar for a long time as long as we stayed under $25,000.00. Heck, as long as an org is under $10-$15,000.00 budget they are still a nonprofit, it is just that the donations they receive “might not” be tax deductible unless they are a 501c3.  We wanted to be legit in all ways and accountable.

Ok….so, Basically, I believe you get the idea.  We simply cannot continue without the funds or the vehicle to perform our services.   AND, I am horrible at raising funds.  My work, expertise and concentration is in helping our Friends In Need.  I despise the process of raising (begging for) money.  You see, we are a real life 501c3 nonprofit.  Donations made to us including vehicles, money, property, and more are tax deductible under the full extent of the IRS federal Tax Code.

Sooooo here ya go….the announcement….

  *****  2012  ANNOUNCEMENT  *****

As of January 1, 2012, Straight Ahead Outreach-Taking Back Your Life Inc., will be simplifying our activities and streamlining.  You see, all our donations in the past have gone to help those in need and barely any to the operating costs and needs of our organization.  Donations received this year will go first to the needs to keep our Mobile Crisis Unit van on the road, then to the purchase of supplies for those in need, then to providing the services we provide to those in need.   We will those in need on an As We Can, When We Can, If We Can basis, funds permitting.  Simply, if we do not have the equipment and or supplies to perform our services, the services cannot be performed.  I know this is not the first announcement you have seen like this in 2011 where a nonprofit no longer has funds to properly operate.  It is a tragedy.

So, there it is.  We have done a great deal of work including some things you may not know such as bringing our homeless Friends In Need to our personal home many times for dinner, laundry, showers, fun and also to live with us for 4-5 months at a time covering ALL their needs financially through donations received and our own personal funds.

The gasoline for the van is not free, the food we provide to those we assist is not free, the bandages are not free, the showers are not free, the tires for the van are not free, the apartments or motel stays we provide for those in need are not free, the water and soap to do their laundry is not free, the storage for their belongings is not free, the printing ink and paper is not free, our cell phones are not free and the cable service for me to run this website is not free.  I don’t know, maybe Jesus has a different plan for Straight Ahead Outreach or me for that matter.

Straight Ahead Outreach – Taking back Your Life Inc., was not created to impress anyone.  It, I and anyone involved with Straight Ahead Outreach are here to help others.  Period.

So here ya go, if you want to give to a very serious organization and help save us.  That wonderful Donate button (PayPal Secure) follows and is there for you to push and make a donation.  We would love to meet anyone who donates and talk about what we do and why it is good for you and those in need.  That way you get to know us.  

I sincerely Thank You for taking the time to read this long letter and for any donations you may feel inclined to provide towards saving our organization in 2012.

Lance Greene/Founder

Cell: 865-964-1461