Winnie's All-Stars Kids helping kids

HCEF is very proud of the young people who have committed themselves to promoting the mission and programming of the Homeless Children's Education Fund.

We have not sought them out. They have come to us on their own, offering their time, their energy, and their enthusiasm in exchange for the opportunity to "give back" in a meaningful way to their greater Pittsburgh communities.

7th grade students, with the encouragement and help of their teachers, learned what it means to give to the larger community when they organized and presented their own version of the popular television program "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" for the benefit of the Homeless Children's Education Fund. The young people advertised the event, designed the stage set, created questions based on their studies in everything from math and science to languages and literature, and got their parents involved in collecting new art supplies for distribution through HCEF for children experiencing homelessness. And then they convinced 9 parents to accept their game show's challenge before an enthusiastic audience. The event was a lot of fun for all. As important, the students met their fund-raising goal: receiving an abundance of craft paper, crayons, paints, colored markers, and so much more.

The third grade students in Ms Palmieri's class are avid readers of the current event magazine Weekly Reader. A recent issue featured the story of a 4th grader who raised money for homeless children by walking. The students were quite taken by the story, prompting their teacher to find out more about the homelessness of children in Pennsylvania and to share with the class what she had learned.

Within a week the students had organized their own walkathon. Permission slips had been taken home and returned signed, parents had volunteered to help, and the principal had OK'd the event, thrilled to see the students taking real steps towards helping the community.

The thoroughly committed students went to school 45 minutes early and/or stayed 45 minutes longer every morning and afternoon for 2 weeks. Often they were joined by their pre-school siblings and other South Central students. The result of their effort? Toiletries and clothes for distribution to shelters and $2500 to help fund the educational opportunities HCEF makes possible in area shelters.

"The 2-week walking period was a wonderful experience for my students. One mother reported that her son was on the phone to all his relatives: 'He was determined to educate all the homeless children in Pennsylvania.' We hope we can expand our class philanthropy project to include the entire school next year."

An annual event for the young people of Temple Ohav Shalom's Shalom Mitzvah Corps is their "Dance for a Cause." For the 2007 event the group selected HCEF as the beneficiary of the proceeds. They weren't satisfied, however, with simply raising funds for what appeared to be a worthy cause they learned about through browsing the Internet. They wanted to learn more And so the teens visited HCEF and spoke with members of the staff about the organization's work and about the realities of homelessness in Allegheny County. They shared their new knowledge with dance attendees through posters and conversation and collected school and art supplies as well as personal hygiene items to be donated to area shelters.

"We not only reached our goals for fund raising [over $1600], but we were satisfied that we made an impact on the participants at the dance and in our Temple Community regarding the issue of homelessness among local children."

Jonathan, a 2007 graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School, was a sophomore at Sewickley Academy when he first called HCEF and asked if he could conduct a book drive to benefit HCEF. His idea was that each student purchasing books at the academy's Scholastic Book Fair could buy one additional book to be donated to HCEF for distribution through its affiliated homeless shelters. That initial effort resulted in over 100 books from kids for kids.

It was just the beginning. Certainly there was more he could do. Of course, the Pack-to-School program.

In the spring of 2006, with HCEF's blessing, Jonathan identified 130 churches in the county and city whose youth groups he hoped to engage in contributing backpacks and school supplies for the late August Pack-to-School distribution. A flurry of letters, phone calls, and voice mail messages followed as he worked to make personal contact with youth group leaders and pastors.

"I am really glad that I did everything that I did," says Jonathan, "even though not as many churches participated as I had hoped. I thought, at least the churches are now aware of the program and they can put it on their agendas for the upcoming year.

"I also feel satisfied with helping kids get the necessary items to start the school year because I think education is absolutely essential, and I'm glad I could help other kids in their pursuit of knowledge."

Alisha, who graduated from City Charter High School in 2007, came to HCEF in Spring 2006 to serve her required third-semester internship. It was while researching the topic of homeless children for her senior project that she learned about the Homeless Children's Education Fund and decided this was the organization she wanted to intern with.

Alisha quickly became an important member of the office team. Her Microsoft certification soon made her the "go-to" person, and she was always quick to share her knowledge of the in's and out's of the software. Alisha prepared a Power Point presentation for a Board of Trustees meeting, created designs for publications, developed charts, and mastered the donor database software.

Not wanting to leave when her internship concluded, Alisha helped deliver backpacks during the Pack-to-School distribution, served as greeter and registrar for a grant distribution event, and participated in an area thrift shop's "Back to school" shopping event for shelter families.

"I loved working with HCEF. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it very much. HCEF helped me understand that every little thing counts. No matter how little you give, it still counts," says Alisha.

The young girls of Brownie Troop 1018 had worked hard for a year selling cookies and participating in other fund raisers. Unexpectedly, in the Spring of 2006 they found themselves in the fortunate position of having raised more money than they needed. What to do with the excess profits? The troop leaders talked with the girls about using this money to help others, and the girls were enthusiastic about the idea.

This decision led to the troop's learning about the Homeless Children's Education Fund: what HCEF is all about and how by contributing to the Pack-to-School program they could make a positive difference in another child's life. Having used some of those hard-earned profits to purchase what they needed, the Brownie Scouts began to fill backpacks with the school supplies all kids are expected to have.

Having gained a real understanding of what it means to give of oneself to help others, the girls were eager to do more, so the troop leaders challenged them to a walkathon. The scouts would walk up to 3 laps around a track. For each completed lap, the troop would contribute money to HCEF. While not a race, there were winners: the girls who were so motivated to put forth their best effort and HCEF, the recipient of the $140 they earned.

Jessika is a 2007 graduate of North Catholic High School. She began her community service and commitment to HCEF in the fall of 2001 when she and her mom contacted HCEF about ways to become involved. That fall the 12-year-old girl organized her first fundraising drive to provide Christmas presents for children in two of the city's homeless shelters. Her efforts that initial year were recognized by HCEF as she became the youngest recipient of its annual Champions for Children Award in 2002.

Jessika's commitment was only beginning. She has not only continued her Christmas drive each year but also served as an event co-chair with her parents for HCEF's Champions for Children Benefit in 2005. Her involvement in the annual benefit continued in 2006 as she designed special thank you favors for the pre-benefit auction party, worked on benefit favors, and volunteered at the "Champs" event itself.

"I've always understood that my work with HCEF could have an impact. That's what attracted me," says Jessika. "I knew that if I could help even one person to hope or feel joy or love, I would have accomplished something that matters. What I never dreamed was that the children and the people in this organization would teach me so much about myself, the world, and the spirit of people."

6/23/08