In This Article
September. It’s here already!
Shorter days, longer nights, taller kids and bigger shoes.
Every child is buzzing again with emotions about leaving the summer routine behind and accepting the beginning of something new. As I grow older, the phenomenon of change, becomes more embraced as normal, instead of an outlier in the pace of life. I wish I had known this sooner, but it is life’s experiences that gives us the peace to handle the change. This peace and wisdom are a gift to be cherished.
In the weeks leading up to school, the shelter was in a liminal space—“summer’s not over and school hasn’t started.” The cafeteria was full of conversations about open house, school supplies, new schools, backpacks, beloved teachers, missed friends, and list goes on and on. All this chatter had undertones of excitement, apprehension and curiosity.
As parents we ride this roller coaster of emotions with our kids. These life experiences create resilience for what they will experience as adults. Being a parent is hard, being a kid is hard. Being in a shelter, parenting in front of an audience of other adults, children and staff is also hard.
As Freedom House staff member, we are doing work in the same space as families are trying to survive their circumstances, in community with others. The health of that community is vital to the success of the families and the fabric of the greater community of Green Bay to which they also belong. The microcosm of community here at shelter, waxes and wanes in health as the population changes. They are neighbors to one another for a short time, we hope. But the reality is that the duration of time and the impact is largely unknown.
As we navigate all these relationships and personalities, we remain true to our mission of treating everyone with the same respect and dignity that Jesus extends to each of us. The work of caring for all of His children is important. These lives can be impacted with hope and belief that can morph into an unimagined success.
I recently had the opportunity to meet a local elected official, who shared his family story with me. In his words, “He was once a shelter kid. His mom needed help to navigate the complexities of life.”
The trajectory of his success was disrupted by that intervention. The support Freedom House receives from the community, individuals, churches and foundations is critical to continuing this type of opportunity for the 40 kids who live in shelter. Please consider becoming a monthly donor and help us create a disruption to the trajectory of the kids and parents we serve.
