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48 Hours
This year April 25th – 27th was the StandUp For Kids “48 Hours On the Street” weekend. This national event is designed to increase public awareness all around the country of the needs of homeless and at-risk kids.
These three days are all about community support and responding to the needs of the kids. The event allows StandUp For Kids to collaborate with other organizations in order to serve these youth and to encourage others to join our efforts. The goal is to reach out to as many kids as possible, letting them know that we are here, that we can help, and that we do care what happens to them. Trained outreach volunteers go to the streets to provide basic necessities and through open, straight forward communication, inform these kids of the services available to them.
Why 48 Hours? Because runaway kids have 48 hours before turning to an illegal act for survival. Predators know a child on the street is scared and more willing to give in to selling drugs or their bodies just for something to eat. Tragically, many do so as a means to survive.
“Every year our 48 Hours campaign gets better and better,” said Becca Orchard, Interim Executive Director. “I am most proud of our ability to bring together many of the services for our youth and be visible and present for them to see that they are not alone.” The Community Resource Fair was held at Georgia State University on Friday, April 25th. The two-fold goal of the fair, which had over 30 agencies present, was to bring community resources together in one place and to give the kids easy access to resources and encourage them to seek opportunities from the variety of resource providers.
Click the logo to see the Resource Fair Outcome PowerPoint
“I think we met that goal. It was a really good afternoon,” said Dale Alton, StandUp For Kids volunteer. This was her first 48 Hour Weekend with StandUp For Kids. “I met so many dedicated people and some great kids that just need a helping hand.” The Fair lasted most of the afternoon. George Franco from Fox 5 News was also at the Fair and attended the Outreach that followed that evening from seven to midnight.
Saturday focused on the kids with street outreach starting at seven that morning. A roller skating event, led by Joshua Gray, Director of Outreach, followed the Outreach at noon. At 2 PM the kids enjoyed a shopping spree and dinner. New clothing, according to Alton, was sent from the StandUp For Kids’ national supply center. There was also a large unexpected donation of clothes from the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church, Marist School and other community members. While the kids were skating, StandUp For Kids set up the “store” and determined “prices.” The kids were given $200 of play money to “shop.”
“It was great to see the kids’ faces as they came in,” said Alton. “Their different personalities showed through in their different shopping styles. One was a very disciplined shopper carefully contemplating his purchases and using every dollar. Others picked up everything they wanted, not really worrying about cost and didn’t need to spend all their money.” Everyone walked away with plenty of clothes.
After shopping, dinner was prepared and served by students and teachers from the Blessed Trinity School, Marist, and other StandUp For Kids volunteers. Their help made it a memorable evening for the 30 kids who participated. Kids from Covenant House and Young Adult Guidance Center were also invited to join in the festivities that evening.
“It was an evening I will remember for a long time,” said Alton, “and I think it touched the hearts of a lot of people.”
Sunday, April 27th began early with another Outreach from seven am to one, followed by a volunteer BBQ.
“Next year,” said Orchard, “we hope to get more folks involved at the project lead level, believing that a focused team can make even more happen. We look forward to our next opportunity in November to engage the community for National Homeless Youth Month.”
Agencies attending the Community Resource Fair included StandUp For Kids Atlanta, The KIYA House, Inc, Youth Pride, Georgia Department of Labor, OMG/Job Corps, Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services, Inc., Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies, Covenant House, Safe House Outreach, GA EmpowerMEnt, Partnership Against Domestic Violence, GA Law Center, Atlanta City Schools Homeless Youth, Kirkwood Teen Center, Dekalb County, Westcare Georgia, FC Homeless Youth Program, United Way 211, Young Adult Guidance Center, Dekalb County DFCS, Underdue Social Services, Travelers Aid, Dekalb County Homeless School Liaison, Community Solutions, Inc., Community Advanced Practice Nurses, ARC Now Faith, ST3 Advice and Counseling, Clayton County Juvenile Court, Fulton County Child Advocates Office, Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, Atlanta First United Methodist, GSU Project on CSEC, DeKalb County Juvenile Court, Fulton County CASA Program, Teacher Seminars, Inc.
WE REPEATEDLY FAIL EACH OTHER and I couldn't care less, I won't - I refuse. Screw the Homeless with their open hands, begging for a handout while I sit 2 hours in traffic everyday, my life squandered while the meter runs at $4.00 a gallon.
Others fight to eke out an existence, giving up life for less than minimum wage, begging on a corner for employment from bigots because they're not allowed to be in this country. Seeing them battle for work makes it difficult to care about panhandlers who seem to 'want' to live on the street. I do what it takes to not be homeless, why can't they?
Every Wednesday night, nearly without fail, I find myself surrounded by them; kids, teens, and young adults on the verge of never having a better existence than the one they have right now on the streets. The longer they're out there without help, without breaking the cycle of their poverty, the less likely it'll ever change. Most haven't reached the point of begging on the streets. Full of pride they'd rather steal, and even then with this bunch that seems to be a very last resort.
I volunteer at StandUp for Kids and it's always a battle with myself. After 10 hours of work and commute, spending another 5 hours volunteering isn't at the top of my list and I don't want to go. Two hours later, as I stand in the kitchen spooning food and listening to a chorus of melody and syncopated rap rhythms, I see what the other, more caring volunteers see in these kids.
As a group of young black males sit together, rhythmically pounding the table while beat boxing and rapping in circle, it's easy to witness them open up and forget the dire situation in which they live. They're relaxed here, and when their defenses lower you can see something in them that very few others will, their potential to be greater than what they're headed for right now.
StandUp for Kids isn't a right-away feel-good volunteer project for many of us who spend time there. Sure there are the weekly dinners provided by a church group, or corporation, or even restaurant, but for the rest of us, it's a crazy commitment that allows us to see actual change and development in these youth. When the restaurant Trois brings food - great food such as excellent breaded teriyaki chicken, it's a welcomed treat and the kids show their appreciation.
Requiring nearly 24 hours of training and background checks before you're even allowed to work with the kids, this isn't for everyone. It probably isn't for me - and I don't think about that too much, pushing those thoughts to the back of my head and pulling better reasons up front. Pulling the good reasons, the sort that they throw up on commercials to pull at your heart and get you to give. I grind my teeth at the cheesy thoughts floating around in my block of a head. This 'doing good' schtick is eating away at my cynicism, erasing the cold bastard I so often claim to be.
It's hard. Every now and then I get tired and I want to stop. It's easy to just stay home and do nothing. No one will call asking me to come and help out. They'll just go on about their business and I'll be a memory. On those nights when I'm tired, and on the very rare occasion when I'm somehow roped into giving a ride home to a pregnant teen about to give birth, my disposition isn't in top form.
But it's hard not to change attitudes when I arrive at her home and witness 10 people in one room, strewn across the floor, sleeping soundly while the walls creak from the cold outside. They're conditions worthy of a 'save the children campaign' and before I can say much of anything, the pregnant teen says thank you and pushes me back into the night, away from seeing anymore than the too much I already have. Hers is a reality completely foreign to me and although we welcome anyone at the center, that doesn't mean the feeling is or should be reciprocated with her home.
So I go, every Wednesday night and I work with the more committed, more experienced and absolutely more caring volunteers, trying to help these kids from a life they didn't sign up for, but are clearly living. It's difficult and progress is rarely noticeable, but there are moments. Glimmers when one person shines and you see that they want something different, and without you, without this group of people, they have much less of a chance out there to be something great, or even something where they don't have to worry about their next meal.
They don't need help surviving. They're already doing that. They need help breaking a cycle of poverty that many of them were born into and don't know how to escape.
From left to right are Meghan Gondron(Co-President),Dr. Ziegler(Sponsor),Becca Orchard, StandUp for Kids-Atlanta, Sarah Winograd (Vice-President),Angelica Rivas (Treasurer), and Alonzo White (Co-President).
In January, Becca accepted a check for $479 from the students in the KSU Psych Club. The club members held a raffle in December on campus and all proceeds benefited the StandUp For Kids-Atlanta program.
The students are also a great source of volunteers…very enthusiastic about applying the skills that they are learning in the classroom to the streets and in our Outreach center. We love KSU students and appreciate their concern for homeless and street kids!
Atlanta Gets Busy on New Center Site Clean UP
Huge gratitude to Ron Terwilliger and his generous donation of downtown real estate space! We now have a new home for National StandUp For Kids AND a cool new place to expand our drop in center work…our very own place for homeless and street kids in Atlanta. Click here for more information on this BIG event in our local program’s history…
Snow did not keep a few crazy but motivated volunteers from helping us begin the “shaping up” job at our new center site. We have more work than we bargained for with the former tenant, needing lots of help clearing out the rooms. To our advantage to assist, a team of eight volunteers schlepped many, many boxes to the dumpster out back. We finally succumbed to the potential hazards of traveling home at noon.
Who’d a thunk a snowstorm would stand in the way! There is waaay more work to be done, so …Contact Atlanta@standupforkids.org or 678-522-0197 for upcoming opportunities to help us get our site in ship shape.
Thanks to Paul (not pictured), Sherri, Leah, Max, Jeff, Keith, Rick, and John who came today…you are truly special folks. Suzanne and Jolene get honorable mention for getting there just in time for a tour…
House and Senate "Calling an End to Youth Homelessness"
Declaring November National Homeless Youth Awareness Month
StandUp For Kids ~ Atlanta is kicking off November with their “Calling an End to Youth Homelessness” campaign by collecting used cell phones.
The purpose for collecting these cell phones is to raise funds to meet the needs of the homeless youth in Atlanta. Nationally there are more than 150 million used cell phones in drawers, garages, and offices that are no longer in use. A child runs away every minute, that is more than 1,400 a day or more than 43,000 a month.
Hopefully, the metro Atlanta area can donate that many cell phones for National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.The purpose for collecting these cell phones is to raise funds to meet the needs of the homeless youth in Atlanta. Nationally there are more than 150 million used cell phones in drawers, garages, and offices that are no longer in use.
A child runs away every minute, that is more than 1,400 a day or more than 43,000 a month. Hopefully, the metro Atlanta area can donate that many cell phones for National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.
StandUp For Kids needs funds to support our Atlanta outreach center which provides food, clothing, counseling, and a safe environment for the homeless youth of Atlanta. If you or your organization would like to collect used cell phones for StandUp For Kids all cell phone donations can be sent to the following address or you can contact us to arrange a pickup for the phones:
StandUp For Kids P.O. Box 89018 Atlanta, GA 30312
Every day throughout the US thirteen kids die on the streets from abuse, disease and suicide. According to recent statistics Atlanta has up to 2,500 kids living on the streets at any given time. These kids are the forgotten members of our society struggling every day just to survive, begging for food, money & exploited by gang leaders and pimps.
US Congressman McDermott (D-WA), speaking to the House, made the following statement "As many as 2.8 million kids are homeless right now, right in front of our eyes…Sometimes help arrives too late. On an average, 13 homeless youth die every day from assault, suicide or sickness. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us,
House Resolution 527, would say that, for 1 month out of the year, America is going to recognize that youth homelessness is an important challenge that we must face as a Nation. More importantly, it will say to every homeless young person that you are not alone anymore. The People’s House sees you, and we intend to help. "
As students head back to class, some may soon benefit from the recent donation by the Roswell Rotary Club to Stand Up For Kid’s North Fulton Initiative program.
The North Fulton Initiative (NFI) is a pilot program initiated by Stand Up For Kid’s when the Student Outreach Program discovered that many students in the North Fulton County area do not live with their parents, and that most of these youth left home due to abusive environments.
These youth struggle financially, living in low rent apartments and using the majority of their income to pay rent and bills. They attend school and often work full-time as well. Any change to their income dramatically impacts their lives. Some youth were found living in their cars. One student had the utilities turned off during the winter because her roommate lost her job, and they simply could not pay the bill. Yet another youth was held at gun point and robbed of her tip money. For these reasons and many more, the NFI was developed.
These at-risk students are hard-working and diligent with their studies. Many want to better their lives, graduate, and go to college or trade school. At such a young age, many are ill-prepared for the challenges they face. The NFI wants to alleviate some of the financial pressures so these kids can remain in school. The goal of the NFI is to reach these students and provide the needed financial cushion. With an educational stipend, a student’s life can be more predictable and unexpected events don’t have catastrophic consequences. Roswell Rotary’s recent donation starts the NFI on the way to reaching it’s goals.
"It’s only with strong community support such as this will we be able to make a difference in the lives of the students in the North Fulton County area," says Sue Levine, chairperson for the NFI.
The initial goal of the NFI is to raise $3,000 per student. An educational stipend of $250 per month for a maximum of 12 months will be offered to those deemed “eligible” by the Steering Committee. The NFI plans to support ten students in the first year of this initiative. In addition to the initial support of Roswell Rotary, Prudential Cares, Fleming & Hall Administrators, Inc., and Gas South have made commitments to be NFI corporate sponsors.
The NFI is yet another positive step towards our emphasis on preventing youth homelessness!
The Search is on. Volunteers NEEDED!
STANDUP FOR KIDS is an all volunteer program, so for us to be there for our homeless kids, we need your help! If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved e-mail us:
