This Week

's Program

She said it is a common misconception that homeless kids are from poor uneducated families. Her family was well educated and well-to- do. When her parents divorced, she and her brother were in their teens. They went with her mother, who had to find a job for the first time to support them and rent an apartment. One day her mother didn't come home from work, leaving her and her brother to fend for themselves. When the rent ran out, the landlord evicted them and they were homeless. Her brother found a place to stay with a friend's family, but there was no place for her. She only had a bag of clothes, which she hid, and asked a girlfriend if she could stay with her. She went to retrieve her clothes, but they were gone. She had no money, but found change in her girlfriend's couch where she slept. It was only enough to buy plain Spaghetti-O's, her only meal in a long time. Then the girlfriend asked her to leave and she found a hiding place for herself near a creek in the woods. She discovered that other homeless kids hid out there, too. Then she hid in her brother's friend's garage until she was discovered and brought to a shelter. The social workers wanted her and her brother to stay together in a foster home. They lived in 3 family's homes where the situation ranged from bad to humiliating to better. They did go to school and when she was 19 she was "fostered out". She found a job as a housekeeper, got an apartment, got married and had a son. She did well in her work and with the help of her employer was promoted, got mentoring and training. Her point is that homeless kids can never be successful without people to help them. We should be aware that many kids do sleep outside, need clothes, hide and are ashamed. She still has a residual fear of being homeless again and hates Spaghetti-O's. She is so grateful that our club is willing to help these kids. Pres. Judy, who cried hearing her story again, thanked Kim for kicking off our Club's homeless project. After the 4-Way Test, the meeting was adjourned.