{"id":21216,"date":"2015-05-19T16:15:37","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T21:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/?p=21216"},"modified":"2015-05-19T16:15:37","modified_gmt":"2015-05-19T21:15:37","slug":"holmes-finds-blessing-in-service-to-homeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/news\/2015\/05\/19\/holmes-finds-blessing-in-service-to-homeless\/","title":{"rendered":"Holmes Finds Blessing in Service to Homeless"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"v31n01-classnotes-holmes\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Bill Holmes<\/b> views his recent, dramatic job change as a small step. Others might call it a leap of faith.<\/p>\n

Holmes manages the 92 apartments at Mary’s Place, a nationally known, Christian-based transitional housing facility in Minneapolis that provides shelter for nearly 400 families a year.<\/p>\n

Until recently, Holmes could be found serving pizza and burgers in Twin Cities restaurants. A 2007 BSU business graduate, he used his people skills to become a successful waiter. But something was missing.<\/p>\n

“For many years I had an interest in working with the underprivileged to make a difference in their lives,” he said. “I was unfulfilled.”<\/p>\n

By 2013, Holmes had moved into management. At his restaurant, he visited frequently with Mary Jo and Dick Copeland, founders of the safety-net organization Sharing & Caring Hands that operated a homeless shelter. Motivated to serve more than food, he shifted careers and began as a part-time trainee last summer. On his first day on the job full time, the Copelands presented him with a startling proposition. The manager of Mary’s Place was leaving, and they wanted him to take over. He started on Oct. 10.<\/p>\n

“I was in shock,” he said. “But Mary Jo is such an intuitive leader that when she said I could do it, I just believed her.”<\/p>\n

The transition to a new profession has been hectic, but a staff that values the nonprofit’s mission has helped.<\/p>\n

“My colleagues are constructively critical, and we guide each other with appropriate advice and support,” Holmes said.<\/p>\n

A spiritual person, he viewed the opportunity as a continuation of his religious journey. He said he felt faith is best expressed through service, so the sudden transition became a logical step taken with a measured, but real, leap of faith.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bill Holmes<\/b> views his recent, dramatic job change as a small step. Others might call it a leap of faith.<\/p>\n

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