I’m a firm believer that knowledge is power. The more knowledge I have the more I can arm myself with what I need to help me find my “42”.
Let me share some of my knowledge to see if it will help empower you.
Washers and dryers have been installed in the cat’s basement so that children are able to launder their clothes. ECC and HES have established stations where children can go to brush their teeth and clean up a bit because those means may simply be unavailable to them at home. When you hear that a kindergartener is wearing his father’s dirty socks to school because he doesn’t have any of his own, something needs to be done. Through generous donations from members of our community, children are allowed to find clothes that fit and are weather appropriate. Basic grooming, access to water, clean clothes and everyday hygiene goes a long way to dramatically increase a child’s self-confidence, making them feel empowered and on a more level playing field with their peers. Sadly the number of homeless students in our school district at the end of last year was at 169.
There were 19 cases of child abuse presented to the prosecutor by the Harrisonville Police Department. This translates to about 1 ½ cases per month. Roughly 25% of those cases the children were removed from the home. How many children do you think there are right at this very moment being abused that we don’t even know about? These numbers are only for the city of Harrisonville and don’t include any crimes committed against children in the county jurisdiction.
There are 2599 children in the Harrisonville School District. Did you know that there are 229 children that participate in the backpack program and that 6,469 bags were packed last year? If these children didn’t have those backpacks, they would go an entire weekend without anything to eat. Did you know that 42% of our school children participate in the free and reduced lunch program? That’s 1093 children that need assistance to ensure they will be able to eat a meal. It is a proven fact that there is a direct correlation to the kids in the free and reduced lunch program with poor grades and unwanted behaviors. Of course there is. Snickers made a commercial about what people are like when they are hungry; tired, cranky, lack of focus, irritable, maybe even violent. I joke with my husband all the time about being Betty White when he’s hangry, but he can easily get something to eat to immediately make himself feel better and increase his concentration and improve his mood. Imagine if that’s how you felt all the time, and there was nothing you could do about it. Think about that for just a minute. How can they learn effectively if they’re hungry and how can our teachers teach effectively when those 1093 children are worrying about where their next meal might be coming from?
These facts are staggering.
The need is measurable.
The outcome, however, is somewhat less quantifiable.
When we are a part of something where there are so many in need, and we give of our time, our pocketbooks, and our hearts, we all want to see our efforts pay off. We want to know that each child we help has valued the assistance they received and will learn from it. One of the goals of Bright Futures is obviously to meet the needs of all of our children, whether those needs are material or emotional, in order to help them grow up to be productive members of society. We want them to to be educated, to hold jobs, to have healthy relationships and families, to be successful. The bottom line, however, is that not every child will value this assistance.
The simple fact is this. Regardless of the child’s background it is not their fault. Regardless of how our help is received, we have to try. If we only reach one, we reached one more than we would have if we had done nothing.
When there is a child in need and we are able to help, we have to do it.
Maya Angelou said, “People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.”
We need to help the children in our community feel valued.
Living and working in this community has allowed me the opportunity to be able to give my 42. I sit on the Bright Futures Council at ECC and have heard many stories about the various needs of children too young to know how to help themselves. As gut-wrenching as it is to hear these stories, it’s equally heart-warming to hear the successes, of which there are many. Through my employer I am able to assist with the “Stuff the Bus” event which helped provide over 200 children with school supplies this year. I can tell you that by the time I was done buying new clothes and school supplies for my own two children, I actually heard my debit card start crying, so it’s hard for me to imagine the stress of a parent being unable to provide school necessities for their children. I also sit on the board for Harrisonville NETT, an anti-drug and bullying coalition, which allows me to network needs for the children serviced by both NETT and Bright Futures. I don’t go to a NETT meeting without thinking how Bright Futures can help NETT, and I don’t go to a Bright Futures meeting without thinking how can NETT help Bright Futures. I feel that it’s my responsibility as a member of the business community to use whatever resources I have available to me to make this entire community stronger and more successful through our children. They are, after all, the hope of our future.
With the knowledge you’ve been given today, let me ask you this: Do you know what your “42” is?
Tina Graef, Community Bank of Harrisonville & Harrisonville NETT
No comments:
Post a Comment