1st Taste of the First Taste

Good evening!

Couple of short travel days: one rain and one with a heat index able to melt sidewalks - and the tires that ride on them! whew! What smells?

Ok - back to the agenda: We had our first "Taste of Segway" event tonight and Jess Newman (StandUp For Kids - standing next to Chris Sommers) was there with balloons, decorations and flyers to help out. It's not the most prosperous of areas, but some made the $5.00 donation and had the chance to ride on a Segway. The smiles are there if you look hard enough. That's right, just under that look of terror :-)

We passed out over 100 flyers so although donations were small, exposure was good. And that IS one of the reasons we are here. Letting people KNOW that there are homeless kids - children! And they are living on our streets. Why does this have to be? It doesn't - that's the whole point. We can help. So can you.

High points for today:

* Received the SOS Tour Business cards that I forgot at home!

* Said hello to the new driver for the week, Brent!

* Met Jessica from StandUp for Kids, Chicago and Detroit

* Watched a couple of kids try riding Segways - very, very carefully - and successfully.

* Collected a few five dollar bills and one two dollar donation. The last one? That's what this is all about. Even thought she could not handle the five, she wanted (needed) to do something for someone who has less. Make me cry, why don't you! Really. This was big.

* Got an email from a very classy young lady who has been influenced by this ride. Even though the donation received from her was beautiful, she wants to do more and wishes to volunteer in the outreach program. YAY! She will not only be the one in the story below who's funding is helping to provide the person asking the question, she wants to BE the person asking the question. Amazing.

OK. What am I talking about. There have been just a few people who have received this made-up story. Although its fiction, I imagine it to be SO very real and I don't think it's that far off either, truth be told. Basically, I have used it to help me weather (no pun intended - well, I don't think so anyway) the rough patches. Maybe I should just put it out there.

It goes something like this:
. . . there is a 15 year old girl living maybe not far from where you are right now. Well, “living” might be an exaggeration of sorts. She dumpster dives for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. She wanders the streets. She does unspeakable things for bare necessities. But maybe today, or tomorrow - someone meets her on the street and asks “If there was just one thing I could do for you today, what would it be?”.
And perhaps she answers, “I could use a pair of underwear. I don’t have any”.
Or “Could I have some clean, cold water?”
Maybe its “Do you know where I could take a shower?”
Or even “I’d like to call my mom – could I do that?”.

And a small tear runs down her cheek. She’s never been asked if someone could do something for her without needing to “return the favor”. She’s never known that someone – a stranger even, could care about --- her! She tries to say thanks, but it’s weak. She looks at her feet because she isn’t even sure she knows how to say thanks.

But I know. And, in her place, I say “Thank you!” Because that person who is asking? Well, that person is there because of you.

I have to go now,

m