Youth Invasion Update

We would like to begin introducing you to some of the wonderful people we have met in getting to know the community. This month we would like you to meet Yasia Clinton. Yasia is 15 years old and lives in Hillside Court. She says that she often does not have things to do during the summer, and she is eager to get involved with us at Embrace. She likes to play basketball and she enjoys school, but she doesn’t have a lot of friends in her neighborhood. We have been taking her with us on our walks around Hillside, and she has already met a lot of fun, new people. We had the pleasure of taking a group consisting of Yasia and eight of her neighbors to Maymont Park for a few hours on July 2. We had a picnic and walked around through the petting zoo, saw all the wild animals, and hiked through the beautifu.l gardens. Yasia is just one of the amazing people that we have met in Hillside Court who is willing to invest her time in helping others.

Thank you to Impact Richmond!

And an extra special thank you to Mike Powers who coordinated all of these wonderful youth to paint the Embrace House on 3rd Avenue! They worked really hard scraping and painting  all of last week to beautify the house, in which one of our Americorps members, Charles Fitzgerald, lives. It is now a pretty light green and we are so grateful to them for making it look so nice!

The Adventures of Koni and Lindsey-Part 3!

So, for the last week and a half we were Wendy-less. She went on a much deserved vacation and Tiffany, Sylvia, Koni, and I were left to hold down the fort. Our Wendy-free time actually started off really well with a trip to Maymont for some of our Hillside friends. We didn’t really know how many kids to expect, but nine of our buddies joined us on the outing. We had a picnic in the grass and a peacock walked right up to us! Everyone except Tiffany and I kind of freaked out, none of us had ever seen one so close before. We packed up our picnic and then walked around to look at the animals. Some of the girls had never seen deer before, so that was a neat experience.  We walked through the different gardens and rolled down some hills. It was a really great time and all the kids were grateful for the chance to have something to do that day.

The next week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we helped out with a camp through Richmond Parks and Recreation. The idea of the camp was to introduce kids who may not otherwise know how to play certain games or do certain things, like playing Horseshoes, Frisbee Golf, and BMX biking on a track. We got to learn how to play Horseshoes and play it with a bunch of different kids of all ages from around the city.

We have also started going into the community every Tuesday to play games with the Hillside kids for about an hour and a half. It gives us a chance to get to know the kids we have already met better, and to meet their other friends. On Thursdays, we have whichever kids can come over to our building and the children of our volunteers at the building to do a service minded activity. This week, the three daughters of one of our volunteers from Hillside Court came over and painted ceiling tiles with little Caritas figures doing cute things (like cartwheels or catching butterflies) to put in our computer training room.

From all of this time we have been spending with the youth, I think the biggest thing I have learned is that the kids are really appreciative of having things to do. They are generally all respectful toward us and enjoy hanging out and doing fun things. It is beautiful how, once we get to know them, they are also generally willing to serve and help others if it means they get to hang around us and their other friends.

I have really enjoyed hanging out and getting to know these kids so far, and next we are hoping to get them started on some projects to help them be a blessing to their community. Keep checking back to find out what they are doing!

New Backpacks and School Supplies Needed!

Every year at back to school time, the Hillside Court Tenant Association gives away bookbags full of school supplies to the neighborhood kids who otherwise may not have new school things to use. As a part of our partnership with the Tenant Association, we would love to be able to provide some backpacks and supplies for them to distribute. If you are able to donate anything, or if you know of a bulk distributor who would be willing to donate supplies, please contact Tiffany Hall at tiffany@embracerichmond.org or simply bring your donations to our offices. Thank you for your support!

We need potting soil!

We are doing a craft with our Thursday morning youth leaders group which would create decorative animal pots from old soda bottles and milk jugs, but we need your help to get the potting soil and flowering annuals! We need about four large bags of potting soil and a few packs of flowers for our craft. Once we have completed them, the youth plan to give them to others to bring some cheer! We would also like some extra flowers that our young leaders from Hillside Court could plant for their neighbors. If you can help by donating something, please contact Tiffany Hall at tiffany@embracerichmond.org

Got Old Bikes or Locks?

Our friends in Hillside would love to have them! Just the other day, we were in Hillside at the community center during the time they give out lunches to neighborhood kids. The kids have to eat their lunches inside, and while they were eating, two boys bikes were taken by older boys. Most of the kids do not have locks for their bikes and if they do, they are chain locks which are easily broken. If you have any old bikes or U locks that you would be willing to donate, our friends would appreciate them. U Locks are the best kind of lock because they are difficult for thieves to break into, and they cost less than $10. If you can help, contact Tiffany Hall at tiffany@embracerichmond.org.

Hole in Our Gospel?

In his book “The Hole in our Gospel”, Richard Stearns is the president of World Vision U.S., crafts one of the most compelling arguments for the centrality of mission to the Christian Tradition that I have ever read.   Read more about this book on our Unity Works blog at www.unity-works.org.

Unity Works Fall Sessions – Sign up today!

The goal of Unity Works is to help congregations and individuals understand challenges faced by those trapped in poverty, particularly those who are homeless or at-risk for becoming homeless.  During this eight week series of workshops, participants will become more familiar with how the faith community can help prevent homelessness by working in partnership with faith-based and community organizations.  In addition, participants will discover their unique call and the assets within their own communities that can help to address some of the unmet needs in our city.   

Through careful study, experienced facilitators, guidance from formerly homeless individuals, and opportunities to develop transformational new friendships, participants will discover that unity really does work.

To learn more about Unity-Works visit www.unity-works.org

Evening-

Date:  Thursday’s, September 24th – November 12th
Time:  6:30-8:30 PM
Location: The Brandermill Church
Cost: $75 (book, binder, printed materials & t-shirt) scholarships are available

For location, The Brandermill Church
4500 Millridge Parkway
Midlothian, VA 23112
804-744-3661

Daytime-    
Date:  Tuedays, September 15th – November 3rd
Time:  10:00am-12:00 pm
Location: Embrace Richmond
Cost: $75 (book, binder, printed materials & t-shirt), scholarships are available

For location, Embrace Richmond
1125 East Commerce Road
Richmond, VA 23224
804-343-5008

Community Development Efforts Underway in Hillside Court

Homeward statistics indicate that an estimated 25% of all homeless individuals exiting Richmond shelters will be homeless again within a year with estimates of up to 40% reentering homelessness within five years.  Those at highest risk for experiencing homelessness in the future are those who exit the shelter without having secured employment.  In the spring of this year, Embrace launched teams of AmeriCorps members into targeted communities where the majority of formerly homeless unemployed families find housing.  One of these communities is Hillside Court, located just minutes from our offices. 

The goal of our AmeriCorps members is to provide followup care for the families who are now residing in Hillside while at the same time working with local residence to strengthen these communities.  Yasia and Mrs. Mildred are two community residence who are helping to educate us about the needs of the Hillside community and who are willing to invest in their neighborhood.  Pray God continue to raise up more caring people like Yasia and Mrs. Midred in Hillside and other communities across the city.

A Second Installment of the Adventures of Koni and Lindsey

In my one month of work I have learned a lot. I have had to confront my own thoughts and biases about poverty and homelessness. In college the concepts of poverty and homelessness are studied but that’s it, they are concepts not people. It is one thing to discuss and theorize in a classroom about something but it is quite another to see it in real life – to apply the idea of “feminization of poverty” to individual people and their families is harder than talking about it.

The same is true of social class. Social class can be several chapters of a sociology textbook. It can spark discussions by people who don’t really have any experience outside their own group. In fact, there is an episode of Sex and the City dedicated to the topic entitled, “The Caste System”. In my own life I had a small amount of experience with people richer or poorer than myself. It is easy to fake knowledge/ worldliness because of exposure to documentaries and the news etc. but until one is faced with it directly it is easy to pretend the issue doesn’t exist.

I hope my time with Embrace will help me to broaden my perspective and teach me understanding and compassion.