ABSTRACT
One of my favorite scenes in a movie called Fridays is a conversation that Mr. Jones has with his son Craig on the subject of how he got fired from his job on his day off. I remember chuckling, thinking, “wow, how do you get fired on your day off?” And then it happened to me. While I was Director of Children’s Services at an organization for abused women and their children, I, too, got fired on my day off. Let me explain. I was very dissatisfied with the resources allocated for children in the program. To remedy some of these problems, I wrote and secured an $80,000 grant. After the money was awarded, the Executive Director (ED) informed me that the organization needed to use the grant monies to meet payroll. Understanding the laws concerning grant allocations, I challenged the ED’s decision. The children’s program received the money and my staff and I put in place much-needed services for children of abused women. I then took a much-needed and deserved vacation. However, as reprisal for my actions, while I was on vacation, I was summoned to the ED’s office. The ED told me that I knew nothing about how an organization was run and fired me on the spot.
