January 14, 2010
A pause from not-so-regular blogging to help homeless kids
My wife Lara and I are volunteers and board members of Positive Tomorrows, a non-profit private school that provides a free education and support for homeless children and their families. It’s hard to imagine, but the children who come through the school doors each morning are truly homeless–living in shelters, sleeping on the couches or floors of relatives, or sleeping in parked cars. The school is a sanctuary for one of the most at-risk and defenseless groups in our society.
The school provides a nurturing and supportive environment to build academic and social skills, not to mention self-confidence and HOPE, for children that would otherwise spend their days in a shelter, fall through the cracks in the public school system, and potentially repeat the cycle of poverty that they are unfortunately a part of.
I’m reaching out to friends in Oklahoma, back home in Texas, and all over the U.S. to ask for your support. We have a major fundraising event this month called Cork and Canvas, and every dollar from every ticket we sell goes directly to the school. If you’re in Oklahoma, please consider attending this event. I’ve attached a link with details below. If you’re not in Oklahoma, or you can’t attend, please consider making a donation to the school anyway. And if you have friends who might be interested in attending or donating, please forward the links to them, too. We’re a small school with a very modest budget and ANY amount makes a difference. It’s amazing, the kind of strides that the school’s teachers and staff can make with the kids on such a tiny operating budget. With more money, we could do so much more.
The links below provide plenty of details, but don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you have other questions. I hope to see you at Cork and Canvas. Let’s make a difference together.
As the executive director of Positive Tomorrows, I second Peter's request! I'd also like to share the story of two brothers who started our school last August, making it plain they hated school and had no use for any of us. A week later, they were asking if they could sleep at school–the one place where life wasn't so chaotic. The boys have now transitioned into public school, but end of semester testing showed that one of them had improved a grade level in every area tested, while his brother did nearly as well. And all in one semester! Every dollar you give will be well-spent.
Susan, thanks for sharing. The kind of close, nurturing attention by the teachers, social workers, psychologists and staff at Positive Tomorrows, gives these kids hope that might otherwise be completely absent in their lives. I'm so glad that there is a place that kids with few other options can find enough trust that they'd want to move in. With that kind of trust – anything is possible.