We’ve all heard the adage “It’s better to give than to receive,” but in this day and age of rampant commercialism, it can be a difficult lesson to teach our children. “Many kids just aren’t aware of the homelessness, poverty, and child abuse in the world,” says Burns Middle School Family Resource and Youth Service Center coordinator Victoria Self. “It’s great when parents start their children out at a young age volunteering and giving back. The younger they start, the more likely kids are to put themselves in other people’s shoes and contribute to society.” There are many great agencies in the Owensboro area that help families struggling to make ends meet, but here are a few which encourage adolescents to reach out to their peers during the holiday season.
Goodfellows
In the summer of 2015, Sam and Henry Busse of Owensboro set an excellent example of how a seven-year-old and a five-year-old could help those less fortunate. The boys sold almost $500 worth of cake pops and lemonade in their neighborhood, donating half of their proceeds to the Goodfellows and half to another local organization. Although this time of year may be too cold for lemonade, hot chocolate and baked goods might be just the treat to accompany old-fashioned generosity!
Goodfellows joins with youth and family resource centers in the Owensboro and Daviess County school systems to make sure no child is forgotten by providing clothing, shoes, coats, and emergency dental and medical care for children in need. And since 1915, the club has provided toys and entertainment for thousands of underprivileged youth at their annual Christmas party at the Sports Center.
From Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, the Messenger-Inquirer publishes a “Roll Call” of donations – 100% of which go directly to school children. Contributions can be dropped off at Messenger-Inquirer office or mailed directly to Goodfellows at 401 Frederica Street, B203, Owensboro, KY 42301. Please call 270-685-2652 with additional questions.
Sunrise Children’s Services
Need to make room for the new clothes and toys that Santa will bring? Encourage your children to donate their gently used items to Sunrise Children’s Services. At any given time, the organization serves over 1,000 children in Kentucky and provides foster care, residential and independent living services, and psychiatric services. Clothing, shoes, coats, and undergarments for teenagers and small children are always appreciated, as are games, crafts, school supplies, sporting goods, and electronics. Also, in conjunction with the Kentucky Baptist Children’s Ministry, there will be a Thanksgiving offering “to help a hurting child escape despair and find a loving home.”
Sunrise Family Services Program Director Lindsey Lanham encourages adolescents to volunteer at 2720 Frederica Street to help sort clothing and canned goods. With appropriate permission from families, some may also be able to mentor younger clients. For further inquiries, contact her at 270-926-2484.
St. Joseph Peace Mission
Since 1996, the St. Joseph Peace Mission has provided a “safe home and emergency shelter [for] abused and neglected children between the ages of birth and seventeen.” Its recently-completed Yewell Home for Boys is the only area refuge specifically for males ages 12-18. The mission is continually in need of unopened toiletries, bedding, household cleaning items, canned goods, and individual-packaged snacks. Their wish list also includes: arts and crafts supplies, family-friendly board games, and individual/solo educational games for children ages 10-17.
The organization will be holding its annual pecan fundraiser this November. For more about these delicious Georgia pecans or the mission itself, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sjpmowensboro or contact CEO Paula Yevincy or Development Director Brad DeHart at 270-683-9441.
Toys for Tots
When shopping for loved ones this holiday season, encourage your children to put a few more presents into the shopping cart for an unnamed child sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program. By distributing new toys to children who otherwise might not get any at Christmas, the foundation delivers “a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them into becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.” The Owensboro area has approximately 100 Toys for Tots drop-off sites that will be collecting new, unwrapped toys through December 23. For these locations or other information, e-mail Coordinator Lou Drawdy at
[email protected].
Samaritan’s Purse
November 14-21 is National Collection Week for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox campaign. According to the Samaritan’s Purse website, “Parents often use the project to teach their kids about giving.” Each shoebox should include a “quality ‘wow’ toy such as a doll, soccer ball with pump, or stuffed animal” and then be filled with smaller toys, hygiene items, and school supplies intended for a child 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14 years old. For a $7 donation, you will receive a label that tracks the shoebox to the hands of a child who has endured war, poverty, natural disaster, disease, or famine. The nearest collection post is Buck Creek Baptist Church, and drop-off hours are listed at www.samaritanspurse.org
Led by head custodian Charlie Conley, the students at Burns Middle School have gone beyond packing shoeboxes and now collect money each year to purchase fruit trees, medical supplies, or livestock through a catalog provided by Samaritan’s Purse ministry “Animals, Agriculture, and Livelihoods.” Two years ago, they collected enough donations to have a water well drilled, proving that life lessons in giving and synergizing go hand in hand. This outreach will be especially important to the third-world countries affected by Hurricane Matthew in October.
Christmas Wish
Voice of WBKR Angel Welsh also encourages collaboration among kids to “organize toy drives and collections amongst their families or with their schools” for the 40th annual Christmas Wish project, which begins the Monday after Thanksgiving. Families can contribute toys, clothing, pajamas, coats, money, and hygiene items for all ages, and these will be distributed throughout the GRADD area and a few Indiana counties. You can follow updates on the station’s website, WBKR.com.
As one can see, there is plenty of kids in need in the Owensboro-Daviess County area this holiday season, but there are just as many youngsters willing lend a hand, give a gift, or donate money to these wonderful causes. Area schools also conduct fundraisers through their family resource centers. Last year’s penny wars at Burns Middle School, for example, raised a record amount of funding for their Caring and Sharing drive. From tots to teens, no one is too young to learn that giving is a gift within itself.