By Donna Muise
Fleece for winter! / Courtesy of LISTEN
Q: When is a store not a store?
A: When it’s a flagship of community services ready to serve families and individuals throughout the Upper Valley.
Kyle Fisher is a man with passion and direction. As the executive director of LISTEN Community Services (LCS), the Eastman resident greets each weekday morning with joy. “It’s great to go to work every day. It’s great to help people.” With a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, Kyle enthusiastically and creatively melds his education and business experience with Midwest family values instilled in him as a boy: serve others and make their lives better in whatever way you can. He is steadfastly committed to LISTEN’s mission to provide services and support to meet the critical needs of individuals and families in the Upper Valley and to its vision to be a “community generously supporting individuals and families in their efforts to achieve and maintain successful independence.”
Kyle Fisher / Courtesy of LISTEN
Kyle moved East with his wife Becky, a native Vermonter, about five years ago. He had no job, and he and Becky had too much furniture for their small apartment. But he knew what to do. He loaded up all the extra furniture and took it to LISTEN. While he was donating his furniture, he asked if he could volunteer. When a young, strong, cheerful volunteer with an MBA appears on your doorstep asking if he can help, there’s no need for discussion. Dispense with the interview process; do not keep serendipity waiting!
No one could have predicted the order of happenstances over a short period of time that launched him into the position of executive director. As Kyle recounts the ascent, there’s a smile on his face, as though he’s silently pinching himself to see if it’s real. Not long after Kyle began donating his time to LCS, the volunteer coordinator left the agency and LISTEN’s Board of Directors, aware of Kyle’s abilities and enthusiasm, offered him the position. Then, as the Board planned for the executive director’s retirement, the administrative director of LISTEN retired. The Board inquired of Kyle if he might be interested in the executive director position when the time came. Absolutely! Kyle was interested, “If you keep your options open, it’s amazing what magical things will happen.”
Volunteers process 35,000 pounds of clothing that fill a tractor-trailer truck every two weeks. Visionaries like Kyle Fisher understand the long-lasting, far-reaching magnitude of people helping one another.
Magic. Serendipity. Destiny. When special interests come together with specific abilities, and one loves the challenge and excitement of the combination, it’s more than magic; it’s more than happenstance. It’s even more than serendipity. It’s a calling and it’s a gift. In the hands of a master craftsman, the gift and the calling lead to great work done in service to others as well as a tremendous sense of personal fulfillment.
Diagnosis: Growing Pains
One of Kyle’s first observations in his new job in 2016 was that LCS had serious capacity problems. Even with thrift stores in Lebanon and Canaan, NH and in White River Junction, VT, there was not enough space for their inventory. Volunteers process 35,000 pounds of clothing that fill a tractor-trailer truck every two weeks. They sort, price, and ship thousands upon thousands of items to their stores day in and day out. Keeping his mind open, Kyle forged a plan to purchase a miracle—the Bridgman’s Furniture Store that was slated to close.
Trees donated for families’ Christmas joy / Courtesy of LISTEN
The turnkey property on Lebanon’s Miracle Mile on Route 4 would solve not only its capacity problems, but could also create opportunities to improve and expand present services and programs. The building provides 32,000 square feet of retail and workspace and 8,000 square feet of warehouse space with two truck bays and docks at the rear of the property. According to Kyle, “Bridgman’s is one answer to future needs.” And, as to his role in it, he added, “A store within a non-profit, it’s the perfect scenario for me.”
The purchase of the building increases LISTEN’s commitment to serve more people, create more programs, and meet more needs, while keeping a high standard of environmental consciousness. Not all donations are suitable for the sales floors, so tons and tons of clothing (about 6 million pieces every year) are recycled. A broker sells the castoffs to outside industries and substantial amounts of clothing are shipped overseas for repurposing. This plan not only keeps the giving going, it also keeps the discards out of local landfills. “We’re probably the biggest recycler in the Upper Valley,” Kyle remarked.
How does LCS convert donations into dollars for programming and services? Eighty-five percent of LISTEN’s revenue is generated from the thrift stores. With strong support from private donors, LCS currently operates on a $2M budget. “I’m hoping the new store will bring in an additional $500,000,” Kyle said. “More money, more services, more lives changed.”
Remedy: Best Practices
The reach of the organization is amazing, especially their online presence. While other nonprofits and businesses sometimes forget to update their websites and Facebook pages, LCS pays attention to every detail. Kyle Fisher conjoins his ability to identify the unspoken needs people have with best business practices.
The list of those practices is impressive and constantly evolving. Kyle is currently working on eliminating procedures that impede people from getting the help they need. For example, LCS is finding ways to eliminate the paperwork regarding income qualifications for services. LISTEN is also expanding its scope to meet the needs of the Upper Valley’s senior citizens.
| LISTEN Up! |
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| The LISTEN acronym states its purpose: Lebanon in Service to Each Neighbor. In 1972, the founders envisioned “an Upper Valley Community generously supporting individuals and families in their efforts to achieve and maintain successful independence.”
LISTEN Community Services (LCS) is no longer a thrift store with outposts; it is a growing flagship of service programs and outreach opportunities that sails straight into the ever-rising rivers of emerging needs in our society. LISTEN programs include:
Visit www.listencommunityservices.org to learn more about LISTEN. |
A Dose of Vision and Joy
Visionaries like Kyle Fisher understand the long-lasting, farreaching magnitude of people helping one another. As a youth, Kyle accompanied his grandfather, a Rotarian, when he delivered meals to seniors. “It wasn’t just bringing food for the hungry,” Kyle recalls, adding that loneliness is pervasive among seniors. Delivering meals to people and engaging in a short visit brings conversation, companionship, and something—someone—to look forward to every day. A perfect way, he would say, to wake up with joy.
Kyle and Becky live in Eastman with their two boys, Bennett and Henry. The family spends summer weekends together playing and swimming at South Cove. Bennett likes to fish, but he is particularly fond of chasing acorns. “I’ve traveled around the world, and there’s no better place to raise children than in Eastman,” Kyle said.
Q: What needs do all of us in the Upper Valley have in common?
A: People share common desires: safety and security, friends and fun, a warm hearth and home, neighborhoods of helpers, and a daily dose of joy.
The Rev. Donna Lee Muise lives in Eastman and is the pastor of the First Congregational Church of Croydon.
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