Ham Lake woman recognized for helping others
by Eric Hagen
Staff Writer
Unemployment did not lead to a lack of productivity for Julie Clarke of Ham Lake. After she lost her job as a corporate finance controller she began helping others who were physically or financially unable to complete certain tasks.
Julie Clarke, managing director of Beyond Horizons
Even when she regained employment, she continued to volunteer. This hard work led to her winning Bethel Seminary’s 2011 Who’s Who in Community Ministry Leadership Award.
As the managing director of a non-profit organization called Beyond Horizons, Clarke coordinates volunteer efforts for people across most of Anoka County, north of I-694, and southern Isanti County up to Cambridge.
This organization was founded in 2009 by 10 members of the Horizons Community Church in Ham Lake and gets almost all of its volunteers from this church. From February 2010 through February 2011, 164 volunteers helped 130 people with countless chores. This could include helping a senior citizen with house cleaning or yard work, providing temporary transportation for a person who had vehicle trouble, repairing vehicles or malfunctioning home appliances, taking a person grocery shopping or helping them move.
“Some of the feedback I get from them is it makes them feel good that there is a group of there like this and they know there are people that will help,” Clarke said.
Beyond Horizons has helped senior citizens, families and single parents struggling financially, people with disabilities and people with mental illnesses.
“I have a heart and a passion for people,” Clarke said. “I want to make a difference in my own community. You don’t have to travel far to find a need.”
Clarke has lived in Ham Lake for 25 years with her husband Tim. They have two sons, Brady, 13, and Cody, 10. Through their involvement with the church, they have got to know a lot of people in the community. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky. Clarke said people used to talk to their neighbors more, so they knew when something was wrong. Because of the social trend of people becoming more private, neighbors do not always know each other as well.
Even though Clarke knew a lot of people in the area, she had not been exposed to the hardships of some of her fellow citizens. When she began volunteering for Beyond Horizons in March 2010, she had no idea what to expect. She remembers a home that looked just fine from the exterior, but there was hardly any furniture inside because the homeowner could not afford a lot of luxuries. The bed was a mattress on the floor. One home did not have any light bulbs.
Although it may be hard to tell who needs help by looking at the outside of their home, Beyond Horizons is well aware of the people who live inside the home. That is because Anoka County Human Services and the Anoka County Community Action Program (ACCAP) refer Beyond Horizons to people that are in need and cannot get assistance from another organization.
Because these are referrals, Beyond Horizons knows background checks have been done to ensure that those being helped are actually low-income and not just taking advantage of the generosity.
Some of the people Beyond Horizons helps hear about the organization through word-of-mouth because the church members come from many communities. This is especially true in Isanti County because Beyond Horizons does not directly work with the human services department in that county.
Clarke and the Beyond Horizons Board of Directors are starting to work with local businesses to show them there are still many needs even though there are other organizations and government agencies that are doing their best to help as many people as they can.
The organization also must raise private donations and write grant applications in order to continue these efforts. Although 100 percent of donations will actually help somebody because Clarke is not paid, there are still expenses. This could include renting a moving van, paying for a dumpster when cleaning out a home and yard or paying for parts when repairing a home appliance.
The non-profit status obtained from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in October 2010 was a key step in the longevity of this organization, according to Clarke. Not only did it entice more donations because it is now tax deductible, but non-profit status is necessary for applying for grants from organizations like Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
Clarke said the 10 members started Beyond Horizons because the pastor during one sermon posed a question: “If our doors closed tomorrow, would anyone in our community even know or care that we were gone?” The Horizons Community Church members involved with Beyond Horizons wants the answer to be a resounding “Yes!”
To find out more about Beyond Horizons, visit www.beyondhorizons.org, e-mail help@beyondhorizons.org or call 763-208-7040.
Eric Hagen is at eric.hagen@ecm-inc.com
Julie didn’t mention that her big heart and kind demeanor add so much more to the organization ~ and are a big reason there are so many proud volunteers! Horizon’s very proud of all she does for our communities!