Meet Michael Liaw | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Liaw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

During the few years that I did youth ministry at a local church, I noticed how many of the kids lacked support, especially that of fathers. They lacked male role models who would take interest in them, take them out for pizza, teach them how to tie ties, how to shave. I think of a parentless, 16-year-old youth whose voicemail I returned. The first thing he said when he answered the phone was, “I didn’t think you’d call back.” The thirst for connection and belonging in that comment broke my heart.

In 2014, I took in a high school graduate who was kicked out of his home after turning 18. For 9 months, we worked on life skills like finding a job, eating more than instant noodles, and managing time. Then I took in another high school graduate for 4 months and did the same. I helped the young men obtain employment, manage time and finances, navigate the kitchen, and mentored them through the emotional challenges of adulting.

These experiences planted a seed for what has now sprouted as Orchard Community where young men would experience the safety of belonging and stability, the dignity of acquiring life skills and discovering work, and the responsibility of being a citizen of heir local communities.

What should our readers know about your business?

Orchard is a Jesus-centered community that affirms, empowers, and builds into the lives of young adult men who are at increased risk of experiencing homelessness. Orchard is a community for the young men to plant and root their lives, to cultivate and prune their gifts and character, and to offer the fruits of their participation to the wider community.

We provide a residential facility, independent life skills training, and connections to the community for our members. We work with each member and their circle of support to create, implement, and regularly assess an individualized plan that focuses on education and employment alongside growth in skills such as meal planning, transportation, hygiene, recreation, finance, and healthcare.

One unique aspect of Orchard is that I live on site with the guys. This creates an environment where trust builds more quickly and deeply, where accounts are kept short, and where my life and the lives of the guys are intertwined. The population we work with comes to us with various degrees and kinds of trauma, and it’s not until there is stability and trust that any lasting change can be made. Orchard is here for the deep work of healing so that when the guys encounter obstacles in the future – and there will be many – they will have developed the resilience, integrity, and relational network to help them overcome.

I’m most honored by the trust that I have developed with each of the guys. More than any of their accomplishments – and there are many that I’m proud of – I treasure their trust most because I know that only a few have it. And I know without trust, very little healing and lasting change can happen. We’ve been able to work on tasks such as obtaining mental health care, growing as a student in college, and meal preparation. One of our guys will be graduating soon and we’re very proud of him. And we’re always taking applications for interested residents.

Our primary challenge is financial. As with many non profits, we depend on the generosity of our donors, and Orchard is no different. We are alway looking for more donors interested in supporting our work. Finding mental health care is also a huge challenge. Our guys may not always be ready for mental health care, due to stigmas or bad experience, but even when they are, the waiting list is long for affordable care.

The way Orchard measures success is not by the number of guys we help. The nature of our work that is deeply relational and it demands that we can only work with a handful of guys at a time. We also do not measure our success by whether each stage of life our graduates enters is better than the one before. We hope that is the case, but the reality is that the guys will likely face obstacles and difficulties. Our hope is that they have enough skills and resources to get back up more quickly having spent time at Orchard.

The way Orchard measures success is by our faithfulness to who each young man is, in their unique make up, passions, traumas, histories, weaknesses, hopes, and futures, tending to each young man as they are and as they hope to be.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My dear late friend, Leeba Lessin, believed in me and this vision before I did, and supported me in prayer, friendship, and giving. She never got to see the firstfruits of Orchard, but I hope she is proud.

Carol Reza from Bridge of Faith (https://www.bridgeoffaith.org/) has been working with former foster/incarcerated women for almost 30 years in Whittier. Carol has generously shared her wisdom and resources with me.

Nancy Marriott from Come to Him Ministries (https://www.cometohim.com/) is the executive director of this 20-year organization that serves those who crisis has left them homeless. Nancy stepped into the executive director role when Orchard was forming and has been a sounding board, confidant, source of wisdom and support over the last year.

Josie Martin from Nehemiah Project LA (https://www.nehemiahprojectla.org/) started a home for formerly foster care women the same time as Orchard welcomed 3 young adult men into our house. Josie has shared her wisdom, support, and prayers as we navigated our various victories and learning experiences.

Veronica Holbrook and Rosalie Lotspeich are the dedicated, passionate members of Orchard’s board (https://orchard-community.org/our-team).

Website: https://orchard-community.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orchard.community/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orchard.community.whittier

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@orchardcommunitywhittier/

Image Credits
Elizabeth Cervantes, Jordan Lopez, German Skinder