When children give advice…
On Saturday, November 22, children in our after-school programs in NE and SE DC joined volunteers from Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church and American University in the Help the Homeless Walk-a-thon. This event, held every year, raises many thousands of dollars for worthy local organizations that serve homeless men and women in our area and increases awareness of this extreme kind of poverty.
Prior to our walk, we did what we often do and hosted a lock-in: a fun, rambunctious, once-a-year, sleepover for our after-school kids and a long, exhausting, bleary-eyed night for us chaperones. Always terribly popular with our kids, I have often conjectured that this is one of the few times they get to let go and just be kids — no need to be watchful as they travel the streets, no thoughts about school or struggling with homework, just a time to play games, watch movies, and stay up much too late at night. For the staff, this is our golden opportunity to interact with our kids in the way we like best — hearing their laughter, seeing their smiling faces, and experiencing child-like joy along with them.
We always discuss the purpose of the walk with our after-school kids and ask them to make banners and signs to carry on the walk. This year, while struggling to gain the full attention of two girls who insisted on singing instead of speaking, I managed to record a song about homelessness created solely by them:
If I was in charge of the whole wide world…
I would help the homeless …
By giving them some food.
By giving them a home.
By giving them a job.If I was in charge of the whole wide world…
I would tell the people…
To give the homeless some money.
To lower gas prices for the homeless.
To give the homeless a car.If I was in charge of the whole wide world…
I would love the homeless.
I would treat the homeless like they were my sister.
I would treat them like they were special.
I would wake up in the morning and give them a hug.
Going in to the holiday season, I hope you will feel inspired to give as generously and love as freely as these children do. I invite you to join us as we strive to shape these children’s lives, and are shaped by them in turn.
Kristin Wiener