Back to school blues

Our resident children are back to school, but their first week wasn’t the school start that we hoped for.

Last week, one of our youth broke his ankle during football practice. To say he’s disappointed is an understatement. He’s tempted to disregard the doctor’s instructions and cut off his cast and return to the field. It’s difficult for an active youth who has the talent to be the star of his team to “rest” and “take it easy”.

One of our youngest school-age children went off to public school for the first time. Her first day went smoothly and she came home telling her mom she loved school, but on her return trip home the second day, the bus had a minor accident. The school principal called Hope Alive to notify her mom about the accident and the bus delay. When asked if someone could come pick her up, the principal replied, “no, all children have to stay on the bus until the investigation by the police and school system is complete." It was nearly 5:45pm when she finally stepped off the bus to meet mom at our driveway – hot, tired, and very hungry. She told her mom, “the bus ran over a stop sign, but didn’t kill it!”

During their first week in the after-school program, our school-age residents complained about how heavy their backpacks were as they trudged up the driveway. They complained about the snacks that were prepared and they didn’t mind telling you they’d prefer not to do homework. (Keep in mind these are all boys!) They sheepishly admit though that they like school and their teachers and are making new friends.

We are grateful to God for the stability He offers each family at Hope Alive and the hope of a promising future. Contrary to statistics for homeless children, our youngest residents DO attend school regularly, improve academic performance and grades, identify and address learning disabilities and developmental delays, and progress toward high school graduation!

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, we are searching for a full-time preschool teacher and a part-time aide to expand our children’s ministry staff to meet licensing regulations to meet the needs of our youngest residents. Help us spread the word. We can't take more children until these positions are filled. Check out our website at www.hopealiveministries.org for details.

And one more update … we are more than half way toward our $25,000 Challenge Grant goal! You can find information on this special dollar-for-dollar matching grant opportunity on our website too. Until next week …

Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director