We recently connected with Jessica Berg and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
The most meaningful, most impactful. I’m so blessed. There’s very little (if anything??) I can think of that my parents did “wrong.” I realize that’s an unusual thing to say or believe, but it’s true. They gave me what I needed and also taught me gratitude – just by being grateful. They generally didn’t tell me what to do or give me concrete advice. When I was trying to make a decision they offered, “We know you’ll do the right thing.” It did feel like a lot of pressure, but also gave me the freedom and responsibility to figure out what was right. My instinct today is to “do the right thing.”
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I serve as the chief program officer for St Vincent de Paul, and I’m grateful every day that this is where I landed. It’s interesting that it’s an organization founded on Catholic values and I’m Jewish and yet it feels like the perfect fit. SVdP serves the community – we feed, clothe, house and heal those in need. Yet an EQUAL part of our mission is giving the community the opportunity to serve – this is the heart of our work and how we were founded 200 years ago. Our legal name is The Society of St Vincent de Paul, and there’s a large sign when you walk in that says ‘The Society of We’re All in this Together.” We’re different than a traditional human services organization; we are a community-based organization. Our Board of directors is made up of those who are the “boots on the ground,” delivering food boxes, seeing the community need first hand. In addition to home visits, our programs include shelter and transitional housing, a resource center for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, homelessness and eviction prevention, congregate dining rooms, a medical and dental clinic, a family wellness program for those at risk of or managing chronic disease, urban farms, thrift stores, street outreach, and more. We serve as either a safety net or a trampoline for folks, depending on where they are and what they need. I believe, and I know our leadership believes, that how we do our work is more important than what we do. We don’t always have the exact size shoes someone needs, but we always treat them with love and acceptance.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
At SVdP, we often say, it’s all about relationships. Relationships with our guests and residents and patients, and relationships with our volunteers, donors, vendors, and partners. There’s a document called “The Rule,” that I liken to a “constitution” for SVdP. One of my favorite quotes: SVdP “avoids competition and duplication and welcomes assistance from anyone who is sincere and prepared to help, even in a small way. The Society plays a leading role in cooperating with others; it cannot do it alone.” We have to all work together, we have to want our partners to succeed, we have to bring our skills and invite in the skills of others. We have to be open to new ideas. Some of our greatest programs originated with a friend or partner or donor saying: ‘have you ever thought about … do you have a program that helps with … would you be interested in a partnership … can you help with ….” We also use the term “FAWTSY” a lot. We didn’t make it up though! Find A Way To Say Yes. Is there an unmet need? Is someone desperate for help but their situation is outside of a specific criteria that’s been established? Does a partner need help? Does a volunteer have a great idea? How can we be creative and innovative and try something new?
No one has yet ended homelessness and poverty for our community, so we better be creative and take risks.
Sometimes the ideas are unusual or the risks might seem odd. It’s important to figure out who is ready to say YES. Don’t let the NO’s deter you. Someone will say yes, and then someone else, and then you have a posse. And others will come along later.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
This story changed my life:
The Tale Of The Two Wolves
One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
“My dear one, the battle between two ‘wolves’ is inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is good. It is: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a moment and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee replied, “The one you feed.”
I used to spend too much time trying to fix what wasn’t working, as opposed to focusing energy on what was working. It was exhausting, and I think kept me a bit stuck, personally and professionally. The story came at the right time, with some other growth work that I was doing that was also leading me to focus on the positive – and to focus on GROWING what WAS working. It’s definitely how I live my life now and how I try to lead at work. If we can’t find the right solution for something, we can let it sit, experiment, make small changes, while we focus on what is working. Of course, if things are terribly broken an intervention is required quickly. But in general, if we feed the good wolf, good things will happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stvincentdepaul.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/svdpaz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StVincentdePaulPhx
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-st–vincent-de-paul_2/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SVdP
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StVincentDePaulPhx
Image Credits
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Phoenix/Alejandra Bucon.