Gleeked Out for McKinney Vento

Yes, I'm a GLEEK! Imagine my joy when, on last night's episode of glee (A Very Glee Christmas), Mr. Shue announced they were going to raise funds to support McKinney Vento's local homeless education program. My jaw dropped; and then a big smile came across my face.

McKinney Vento is the homeless assistance act that provides protection for children experiencing homelessness. It guarantees children in this situation the right to a free and appropriate education and it advocates for school stability for children.

McKinley High in Lima is a fictional school on glee; but Lima, Ohio is a very real place. The homeless liaison in Lima expects to serve 167 homeless students this school year. In Cincinnati we expect to serve over 3,000.

Family homelessness is a growing problem in today's economy and the awareness provided by a top-rated show on television is amazing. And of course, the example provided by the glee kids, trying to provide some holiday cheer to those less fortunate, is just what's needed. We cannot help these children without the support of our community.

This year we have holiday sponsorship for 168 children experiencing homelessness. . .168 faces filled with glee!

Non-traditional Holidays for Homeless Families

It's Wednesday morning and soon I'll be on the road to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I woke up thinking about two 'families' that were in our office yesterday.

One young lady came in with a staff member. She had been treated to take-out before she went to stay at the Lighthouse Youth Crisis Shelter. Mom was struggling, decided to leave town to stay with someone else, but her daughter values her education and knows if she leaves now, she may never finish high school. She has made a hard choice to go to a shelter, rather than go the difficult to navigate route of changing schools in your final year or the 'easy' option of dropping out.

Another family came in after they lost everything they own to a fire earlier this week. You've never seen more humble people than those with absolutely nothing. It's a shock to the system to lose everything in a moment--all your possessions, your home, and what feels like your dignity. Unfortunately Red Cross can only provide a few days of assistance and then these families are on their own. The family yesterday could not afford home-owners insurance and are not sure where to go next.

These families will have a non-traditional Thanksgiving to say the least. As tragic as this is, there are many heartwarming stories in our office too. A steel company, a church and a Bengal player sponsored a combined 16 families so that they could have a feast in their new homes or the homes of the people they are staying with. And as always, we'll be picking up families at the shelters to treat them to a special lunch at Rockbottom Brewery. More than 100 will be in attendance, and Project Linus is providing blankets for all of the children. Another bright spot!

Please keep our families in your thoughts and prayers during the holiday season. You know how trying it can be, imagine not being able to give your kids the holiday they want or deserve.

Summer is Over and the Holidays are Looming

Well, this week I finally had to accept the fact that summer's over. Everyone's back to school. And (believe it or not) the Holidays are right around the corner. I can't believe how fast time and my life are speeding by. Makes me wonder if homeless families are experiencing a slow down, wishing time would speed up, or a whirlwind like the rest of us.

One homeless mom is already thinking ahead. Earlier this week, she asked us to sponsor her and her teenage daughter for the holidays. Actually, it's not bad timing as we began working with holiday donors this week too.

The Cincinnati Chapter of UD Alumni had their first Christmas Off Campus planning meeting of the year. This is the ninth year of collaboration with this group of dedicated young professionals. On December 10th they will bring together 10-12 homeless families for an evening of food and festivities complete with a visit from Santa, and gifts purchased for each child from their own wish lists collected weeks in advance. It's truly a special moment for families that don't have the means to celebrate any other way.

We also submitted our projects to the Fidelity Investments Holiday Heroes program this week. These groups of employees threw parties (pic above), collected items, and provided gifts off the wish list for 42 children and several parents last year.

In total PC/FWP was able to find sponsors for 29 parents and 133 children last year. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. The wish lists are telling of the times the families are in. Of course some children ask for Wii systems (and don't get them), but most often it's the basics that are needed: sheets, kitchen items, clothing. And families are often moved to tears when they receive these gifts. So, although the joys of summer are past. . .there is more joy to come!