The Epicenter

 

 

 

"As much as I would like to look away, I just can't..."

It seems like every weekend there is something going on in our county or state which tends to eclipse most everything else. For us, it was the second annual spring fundraiser (and the one year anniversary) for the organization that my wife and I are a part of. Why was this so important on such a beautiful weekend? Besides being able to raise some much needed funding needed to support the organization's daily operations, it was also to tell an important story to new friends as well as some old.

The story told is of HOPE, which also happens to be the name of the organization. HOPE is really an acronym with stands for Housing, Outreach, Protection and Education. It is an organization that deals with the growing and pervasive problem of homelessness with our local youth.

Why do I say it is growing? Last year, our local school district reported on just over 700 kids who were homeless. This year, the number is up to 740. This statistic is so far beyond the problem of kids coming to school hungry because they could not get breakfast at home. For these 740 kids, there is no home. How in the world can we expect kids to learn, to succeed, when they not only have to worry about every meal, but also a bed at night.

What attracted us to this organization last fall was two fold. First off, it was the desperate needs of these kids. I have said this before, the fact that one kid goes to bed without a home is one kid too many. Most of the 300 people that volunteer for this organization feel the same. This is an intolerable situation. Second, this is an organization with bold vision. They don't pussy foot around. They have set a goal to eradicate youth homelessness in this county in ten years or less. This is not just a lofty goal, they have set some solid plans in motion and have the support in how to do make them happen.

So yes, on this first nice day in what seems to be forever, this VFW hall in Coon Rapids was the epicenter of not only the county, but maybe even the state. As the longest journey starts with the first step, yesterday afternoon a giant stride was taken . Even though this organization has been in place for only a year, hundreds of kids have been served.

In a world of many seemingly hopeless situations, this is an organization which offers HOPE. And my wife and I are very proud to be a part of it.