Newsletter
The SEED, September 2003
2003
Hunger Hike of Greater Lafayette
An
annual event to help feed the hungry
Sunday,
September 21
Participating
is fun and easy...
- Collect sponsors and donations; bring the money with
you on the day of the hike!
- Pick up registration/collection forms from LUM or print
them out from the Web
at www.lafayetteurbanministry.org/hike.html
- Organize
a group of friends, family or co-workers
- Eat at Triple
XXX Sept. 14-27 and present this newsletter or a coupon
printed
from the websitea portion of the proceeds will go to Hunger
Hike!
- Make a donation!
Make your check payable to "Hunger Hike." Give
it to a hiker
or send it directly to LUM!
What
happens on Hunger Hike Day?
1:00pm Registration at Riehle Plaza
2:00pm Hunger
hike begins (7K hiketwo loops on the Wabash Heritage
Trail. Walk both loops or stop after the first three miles!)
3:30pm
Party time!
Why
help the Hunger Hike?
When you participate in the Hunger Hike, you help
the Lafayette Urban Ministry and Food Finders Food Bank to
feed the hungry in our community. You also help St. Thomas
Aquinas Center feed hungry children and adults in Haiti.
What
if I have more questions?
For more information about the Hunger Hike call
Patti O'Callaghan at 423-2691, ext. 17, or visit the LUM Hunger
Hike website at: www.lafayetteurbanministry.org/hike.html.
What
should I know about hunger?
It
is estimated that between 500 million and one billion people
are hungry in the world. Each year 20 million people, most
of them children, die from hunger or hunger-related diseases.
- A person is
33 times more likely to die of malnutrition and preventable
disease than to die in war.
- One out of
every four children in the U.S. lives in poverty.
- 14% of Tippecanoe
County residents live in poverty.
- In 2002, Food
Finders Food Bank distributed over 1 million pounds of food
in Tippecanoe County.
- Over 1200 families
visited the LUM/St. John's Food Pantry during the first
half of 2003.
How
much should I donate?
ne helpful suggestion is to consider a donation equal to
10% of your monthly food budget or the cost of fast food
meals for a month.
Hidden
rules by
Joe Micon, Executive Director
One
of the great things about being LUM's Executive Director is
the wide diversity of people I get to interact with on a regular
basis. Whether it is helping an unemployed father to scrape
together enough money to pay the rent, cultivating the generosity
of a major donor, or working with a middle class staff or
board member to plan a new LUM program, I've observed how
individuals from different social strata possess differing
lenses through which they view the world.
For instance, when sharing a meal with someone living in poverty
a key question I might be asked is "Did you have enough?"
The quantity is important here. When dining in our middle
class home a typical question might be "Jonathan, how'd
you like it?" The quality of the food is important. For
a person of wealth, presentation is crucial. "Wasn't
the meal presented well tonight?" Same event three
different emphasis.
In her classic work "A Framework for Understanding Poverty"
Dr. Ruby Payne refers to these lenses as "hidden rules."
Hidden rules are seldom learned, shared, or practiced outside
of one's own social strata. An individual tends to bring with
him the hidden rules of the class into which he was born and
raised.
Dr. Payne notes that for the poor their greatest possessions
are other people. The middle class possesses things. For the
rich, important possessions might be one of a kind objects,
legacies, or pedigrees. The poor value and revere education
abstractly but not as reality. For the middle class education
is crucial for climbing the ladder of success and making money.
For the rich an education is a necessary tradition for making
and maintaining connections. Love and acceptance are conditional
for the poor, based upon whether an individual is liked. For
those in the middle class, love and acceptance is based largely
upon achievement. For the rich it is based upon social standing
and connections.
You get the idea.
The obvious implication is that in order to be successful,
those of us who work with the poor have to understand their
hidden rules. In order for them to be successful, we have
to teach those hidden rules that will help them to advance
in life
- Having the educational abilities (reading
writing, computing) to deal with
daily life.
- Believing in
a divine purpose and guidance.
- Having sound
mental and physical health.
- Being able
to choose and control emotional
responses, particularly to
negative situations, without engaging in
self-destructive behavior.
- Having friends,
family and backup
resources available in times of need.
- Being surrounded
by others who are nurturing
and who don't engage in self-destructive
behavior.
At LUM we have always known that great things happen when
people from churches share their time and resources together
with those in need. That's why we build so many one on one
volunteer opportunities into LUM's Advocate, Shelter, Jubilee
Christmas, Afterschool, and RESPECT Programs. We need to remember
this dynamic as we plan future programs too. How can we provide
more time together between case managers and clients? How
do we accomplish classes for adults that teach basic parenting
skills? Should we be planning more community and neighborhood
events for client families to attend? Can we do a better job
of recruiting "middle people" as staff and volunteers
people who have been there and can be a bridge?
We can never support stereotypes and prejudices about the
poor, but it's essential for us to understand their hidden
rules and teach them the rules that will make them successful
in education, employment, and family life.
What do you think? Contact me lum@lafayetteurbanministry.org.
A
Little Quiz
Could
You Survive in Poverty?
___
1. I know which sections of town have
the best garage sales.
___
2. I know which grocery stores' dumpsters
can be accessed for
thrown-away food.
___
3. I know how to get someone out of
jail.
___
4. I know how to fight and defend myself
physically.
___
5. I know how to keep my clothes from
being stolen at the laundromat.
___
6. I know what problems to look for in
a used car.
___
7. I know how to live without a checking
account.
___
8. I can entertain a group of friends
with my personality and my stories.
___
9. I know how to move in half a day.
___10.
I know how to live without electricity
and a phone.
In
Memoriam
Ray E. Eberts
1956
2003
Representing Central Presbyterian Church on the LUM Board
from 1993 to 1997, Ray served as board president in 1994.
He was instrumental in the planning, fundraising, and construction
of LUM's program center and homeless shelter building. Ray
had a special concern for children and was a strong supporter
of LUM's Summer Camp, Jubilee Christmas, and Summer Lunch
programs. He was also instrumental in raising funds for LUM's
tornado relief efforts in May of 1994.
Ray was director of Purdue University's Continuing Engineering
Education Program and a long time industrial engineering professor.
He wrote and traveled extensively, most recently to Afghanistan
to assess the needs of Kabul University faculty.
LUM Director Joe Micon shares that "Ray left a tremendous
imprint upon the Lafayette community. He was a man of vision,
character, and action who had a special place in his heart
for disadvantaged children. He put his faith into practice.
We remember him fondly and will miss him dearly." His
wife Cindelyn and sons Russell and Wescott survive him.
LUM
Afterschool Program (ASP) Begins 5th Year
Twenty-five children grades
K-5 enjoyed opening day of LUM's Afterschool Program on Tuesday,
August 19. This year's student body comes to us from six Lafayette
School Corporation elementary schools. The program takes place
at LUM's Program Center building on N. 4th Street. LUM provides
the children with transportation from their school each day.
Snacks are provided, homework and tutoring time is next, then
depending on the day, there are educational enrichment programs,
religious ed., field trips, games and recreation.
Our theme for this year is "Exploring the World Around
Us." We have trips planned to Wolf Park, Pizza Hut, Great
Harvest Bread Co., The Purdue Airport, Don & Louise Jewell's
Farm, as well as regularly scheduled swim time, library visits,
religious ed., Spanish and computer classes.
LUM's Afterschool Program provides an educationally stimulating
environment for children each day LSC is in session, so that
their parents may complete their workdays without worry about
their children's whereabouts and safety. Andrea Penner, a
certified elementary teacher, directs the program. Melissa
Hiede, a senior in Elementary Ed. at Purdue is the aide.
Afterschool
Program Needs:
Van
Drivers: Pick up children from school in 15 passenger van
and deliver to LUM, 2:30pm to 3:30pm any or all afternoons
each week. $7/hr. We follow the LSC calendar. Contact Andrea
Penner - 423-2691, ext. 18.
Snacks
needed: granola bars, trail mix, fruit snacks, drink mix,
drink boxes.
Supplies
needed: construction paper, glue
sticks, pencils, white erasers, scotch tape, napkins, small
and large ziplock bags.
LUM
Announces "Dignity U Wear" Pilot Project
Poor children don't get
to choose the world into which they are born. Too often it's
a world filled with realities beyond their control
realities like worn, wrong-sized, hand me down clothing. When
a child is ashamed about what he's wearing, that child's confidence
and self-esteem suffer. But if that child could walk into
his classroom with brand new clothes, his head held high,
that child's outlook and hope for the future might be brighter.
The Lafayette Urban Ministry and Steinmart of Lafayette are
partnering with Dignity U Wear of Jacksonville, Florida to
provide new clothing to local children and their parents who
are living in poverty. Philanthropist and Holocaust survivor,
Henry Landwirth, founded dignity U Wear in April of 2000.
"I know what it means not to have clothes to be
stripped of dignity and to give up all hope. When I see children
suffering indignities, I know we have to help." Landwirth
started dignity U Wear to create real change in the lives
of children and adults in need.
Dignity U Wear creates
partnerships with key manufacturers and retailers who provide
new clothing. These items are collected and warehoused, then
made available to helping agencies, like LUM, who provide
them to needy children and adults at no cost to the recipients.
The recipients may choose up to 20 items of brand new clothing,
including shoes, coats, and undergarments, up to 4 times per
year. Recipients may choose sizes, colors, and styles, and
the items arrive with original tags and packaging!
LUM has chosen 15 families to participate in the pilot project.
LUM Board President Harry Meyer says "Dignity U Wear
is like a food bank only with clothing. We're helping
to assure that perfectly good new clothing, that might otherwise
be destroyed, is finding it's way to children and adults who
have desperate need for it." Our first Dignity U Wear
order will be placed during September. We'll let you know
how it goes. Questions? Contact LUM at 423-2691, or email:
lum@lafayetteurbanministry.org.
Summer
Lunch Cookout!
The
Lafayette Urban Ministry Summer Lunch Program finished its
2003 season with a hot dog barbecue on August 15th at the
Bridgeway Apartment Complex in Lafayette. The program provides
good nutritious summer lunches and recreation for children
at Bridgeway throughout the summer from the day after school
lets out to the day before it goes back in session. 183 different
children participated in the program this year - 2,545 meals
were served. Special thanks go to the many individuals who
volunteered in the program and to Patti O'Callaghan and Jeanette
Jaques who staffed it!
Briefly
Noted
- A new Alcoholics Anonymous Group (AA) will meet at
the Lafayette Urban Ministry Program Center (525 N. 4th
Street) every Tuesday evening beginning September 9th. The
group
will meet in the first floor conference room beginning at
7:30pm.
- Overnight Volunteers
are needed in the LUM Homeless
Shelter. Help provide a safe and caring place for the homeless
in our community. Volunteer one evening, or as
many as you'd like. Serve from 8:30pm to 7:00am (includes
5 hours
of sleep). Training is required. September training dates:
Thurs. 9/11 or Mon. 9/22 6:30pm to 8:00 at the LUM Shelter
(525 N. 4th Street). Contact Joyce Boehm 423-2691, ext.
22, boehm@lafayetteurbanministry.org.
- Meals for the
Homeless. Volunteers are needed to provide
meals for up to 46 guests at the LUM shelter a great
project for individuals or group who enjoy cooking. Call
LUM to
reserve a date and for additional information. Ask
for Joyce Boehm 423-2691, ext. 22, or e-mail jboehm@lafayetteurbanministry.org.
- Creating a
Just Society Conference Developing
Strategies for Local Action.
When:
Saturday, October 25th
Where:
Central Presbyterian Church, 31 N. 7th Street
Registration:
$10 (includes continental breakfast lunch and conference
materials)
Sponsored
by: Unitarian Universalist Church
Contact:
463-5879
2003
LUM Open Golf Tournament
A
benefit for Lafayette
Urban Ministry's Emergency Homeless Shelter
Friday,
September 19
12:00 noon
- evening
Coyote
Crossing Golf Course, West
Lafayette
Registration Fees
& Sponsorships:
- $90 Single
Golfer
- $200 Hole Sponsor
- $360 Foursome
Includes:
18 holes
of golf, cart, green fees, refreshments, BBQ lunch, awards
cookout and great prizes!
Schedule:
12:00pm BBQ
Lunch, Registration
1:00pm Shotgun
start
5:30pm Putt-Off!
6:00pm
Awards Cookout
For
more information or entry forms:
Contact
LUM at 423-2691 or visit
the LUM website: www.lafayetteurbanministry.org
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