3rd Anniversary of Katrina - #5

Three years ago Huricane Katrina made landfall. Today we watch as Hurricane Gustav appears to be headed in the same direction. Mr. Thornton has received phone calls from his sister and nieces asking if they can come stay with him for a few days. This time there is an evacuation plan for those who have no way to leave on their own.

Mr. Thornton is glad to be living in San Antonio, away from the threat of another storm. He has struggled to rebuild his life as best he can. He doesn't ask for much, only a home to live in and a safe place to raise his kids. His greatest desire is to give them love, security and the opportunity to have a good future. Having a home, a bed to sleep in, wholesome food to eat, and the love and attention of their father is allowing the kids to blossom.

Statistics show that education is the key to overcoming poverty. We have the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty for 4 children and their future children. It is also proven that the most effective way to help people out of poverty is done through a one-on-one basis by people in the community - not some government program. It is the friend and neighbor who reaches out to show love, mentoring and a helping hand. This is when a hand-out becomes a hand-up.

A while back one of the news stations featured an Everyday Hero. This lady was a nurse. She decided to adopt a Kindergarten class in the poor part of town. She followed them all the way through high school, calling them every day, making sure they got the help they needed, and letting them know that college was the expected next step. Every child had graduated from high school and all of them were in college except two, one of which was in a trade school and one doing an on-the-job training program. One person can make a difference. It does not have to be a whole class, it can be one child at a time.

"Our kids" are far more perceptive than "normal" kids, they have had to be as a matter of survival. They deserve to be kids without the worry of where they will live or what they will find to eat. They deserve a new pair of shoes on the first day of school and a backpack with paper and pencils, so that they can walk into school with their head held high, ready to learn. They deserve help with learning to live with the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the trauma and the abuse, neglect and abandonment by their mom.

If we don't learn how to help Charlie, he could end up in serious trouble one day. It would break our hearts. And yet every day we look across town and down our noses at the kids who do get into trouble and wonder why they do these things.

Sometimes we wonder if those who help Mr. Thornton keep his family together really understand the impact of what they are doing. I don't think we can get Social Security to amend the SSI rules so that he can have a job, so we have to rely on the generosity of others to help him keep his family together.

If you want to know how you can be a part of this success story - click here.

Thank you to all who have helped these kids achieve phenominal things in 3 short years!

We look forward to giving you lots of wonderful updates in the future.

Stephanie and Randy