09: We Have Everything We Need To Solve Our Problems Today with Bob Clegg
Practicing compassion and taking the time to really understand where people are (as well as where they want to go) is very much needed in our society. In today’s episode, Bob Clegg shares his unique story of living as a homeless person for several years. Once he decided to get back into the formal economy, Bob earned multiple degrees, and then went on to found Justice Jobs in 2018. Since then, Justice Jobs has helped more than 250 jobseekers transcend barriers to employment and get jobs with a six-month retention rate of about 70%.
Bob has seen first-hand that finding and obtaining an appropriate job is not an easy task if you have barriers to employment. Volunteer service work taught Bob that service to others is what makes him happy, and taking a person-centered approach to everyone he works with is important. He practices a positive, spiritual way of living, and is passionate about serving others right where they are. For Bob, having faith means that we have everything we need to solve our problems today - especially if we can learn to work together.
About Bob Clegg:
Bob Clegg is Executive Director of Justice Jobs of Maryland in Frederick. Justice Jobs is a free, non-profit employment office that helps people get jobs, keep jobs, and move up to better jobs.
Bob’s career began with several years as a homeless person in the early 1980s. The community college system enabled him to get back into the formal economy where he earned an Associate’s degree in respiratory therapy, and he practiced for nearly a decade. During that time, he met and married the love of his life, Connie. Over the next several years, he earned multiple degrees, including a Ph.D. in chemistry and a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary. Bob even worked as a scientist for 14 years, developing protein detection and measurement devices.
Bob is an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick and Fredericktown Rotary Club. He speaks regularly at U.U. congregations in surrounding counties. His hobbies include cycling, camping, and sitting at home with his and Connie’s spoiled rotten cat, Lilly.
Connect with Bob:
www.justicejobsmd.org
Episode Timestamps:
“A number of people have moved up into middle class jobs, and others have come around and around again, and that’s fine. We meet them where they are-that’s the compassion piece. To me, that’s spirituality, because a person’s spirituality is where they are, and what their concerns are for survival and meaning right now.”
Connect with Rachel:
https://traumaspecialistsofmd.com/
https://www.frederickchamber.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trauma_specialist/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064008974101&mibextid=LQQJ4d
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-harrison-81a4796/
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