Giving From the Heart

Give of yourself and experience the true joy that comes from giving from your heart. Following are three local organizations that exemplify the act of giving and dramatically improve the lives of those who have experienced devastation and hardship. Your donation would help them help others.

Project Adventure Kids
Covington, Georgia

Tom finally reached the top of the 45-foot telephone pole, and as he looked down at his friends from Project Adventure Kids encouraging him down below, he knew he could do anything he set his mind to. Climbing to great heights is just one of many ways the leaders at Project Adventure Kids help kids to gain confidence and trust with their peers while facing disturbing issues from their past. As they jump off of a high pole attached to a harness their leaders will ask them, “What are you jumping out of—and what are you jumping into?” Questions such as these help the kids put their traumatic past behind them and find courage and strength to become successful young adults. Through this and other hands-on methods of looking at a problem without shame and taking the time to talk about it and deal with it, the kids at PA are able to move beyond their experiences instead of using them as an excuse for failure.

Tom is truly a Project Adventure Kids success story. He 
remembers feeling very small and scared when he visited his father in jail as a young boy. His mother died from alcohol abuse several years later and for the next few years Tom was herded from one foster home to the next. Within several months of arriving at PA’s Independent Living Program, Tom was earning all A’s in school and had achieved a level of self-confidence and happiness that had been sadly lacking when he arrived. But Tom’s story is not isolated—the success rate at PA Kids is 83%, significantly higher than the national standard for foster kids.

Donna Auchenbach of PA Kids stresses that the organization succeeds because they are doing so much more for the kids by treating them like family. She adds, “Cindy Simpson, the Director, and all the other staff know each and every one of the kids, their story, their fears and their goals—just like a family would.”

To donate an item on the Project Adventure Kids wish
list, to volunteer your time or make a cash contribution visit
www.projectadventurekids.com.

Lekotek of Georgia - Making a Difference for Children with Disabilities
Atlanta, Alpharetta, Kennesaw, Duluth and Fayetteville

Lekotek, meaning “play library,” was founded in Sweden
in the 1960’s by parents whose children had disabilities to help parents educate their children rather than place them in institutions. Lekotek of Georgia had its humble beginnings in 1983 in the basement of Easter Seals and has since grown to include one main center in Atlanta and four satellite locations.

Lekotek serves families with special needs kids such as Yael, who was born with hydrocephalus and faces challenges due to significant developmental delays. At the Lekotek Center, Yael’s beautiful eyes shine as she manipulates an oversized computer keyboard to match up pictures that are displayed on the screen. She loves to sing and is thrilled when the buttons she presses produce some of her favorite songs. The sense of accomplishment, joy and purpose that stem from being able to manipulate a toy and produce an effect is an added bonus when children who are confined to a wheelchair or otherwise challenged play with the specialized toys and computer equipment at Lekotek of Georgia.

Helene Prokesch, founder and director of Lekotek Georgia, explains that she and her staff will adapt battery powered toys so they can be operated by pressing a large round button referred to as a 'switch' among therapists and special educators. This same button makes it possible for children with differing physical and cognitive abilities to access the computer and unique staff written software.

Lekotek leaders, trained in special education, use selected toys, computer programs and adapted devices designed to help the children participate in play while developing fine motor skills, language and cognitive abilities. During one-hour play sessions leaders model for the children and their families how to use the games, often using just their voice, blink of an eye, or the slightest movement of their head. The families can then take home the toys and equipment for extended periods of time, facilitating heightened interaction with parents, siblings and friends.

Amy, an articulate and outgoing young lady with Down syndrome, came to Lekotek at the age of three months and now holds a part time job. She still remains very involved in Lekotek by participating in activities and helping with fundraisers. While preparing a mass mailing she shared, “Lekotek is my life, I love coming here.” Her mom, Shawn Ballew, adds that Amy learned to walk with a Lekotek toy, met her best friend at Lekotek, and participated in summer camps and family camping trips arranged by Lekotek staff. Lekotek has five local centers including Atlanta (main center), Alpharetta, Kennesaw, Duluth and Fayetteville. To date nearly 4,000 children and families in Georgia have received services.

To honor or memorialize a loved one with a donation or to sponsor a child or special toy, visit www.lekotekga.org.

Hosea Williams Feed the Hungry and Homeless
Atlanta, Georgia

Hosea Williams was a man on a mission—literally. After serving as an executive on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s staff, he married councilwoman Juanita T. Williams. While juggling the challenges of serving as an Atlanta City Councilman, state legislator and county commissioner in the 1970’s, he began his charitable work of feeding the poor and hungry of Atlanta, addressing the needs of poor people not just locally but on a global level. His travels included a slew of Third World countries where he met with leaders to bring about better conditions for the struggling and suffering masses.

“My father’s life was other people. If you put him in a forest all alone, I don’t know who he would have been,” shared Elisabeth Omilami, Hosea’s daughter and the Executive Director of Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, “He lived the lives of those around him and their troubles and their needs became his. Growing up in our home meant constant extremes—both tragedies and privileges. There was always a sense of impending crisis, never a calm moment.” Mrs. Omilami viewed her father’s holy mission as a war he battled on a daily basis. She is in the process of writing a book about her father entitled The General’s Daughter.

Hosea and Juanita T. Williams both passed away in 2000 just months apart. Shortly thereafter, Elisabeth Omilami and her husband were on their way to Los Angeles to pursue their acting careers when a homeless woman stopped them and asked, “Who’s going to take care of us now?” For the “general’s daughter” that was a question that could not be ignored. Ever since that fortuitous encounter Atlanta’s most needy, including the working poor, have been served by Elisabeth and her incredible staff and team of volunteers. Since 2002 they have worked year round to provide support to nearly 40 families a day. They have incorporated rent and utility assistance, temporary housing for families in crisis, education, medical care, and small business start up support along with the traditional holiday dinners that feed approximately 50,000 people with the help of 1,500 volunteers. These heart-warming sevencourse dinners are served at Turner Field and are co-sponsored by the Braves Foundation and Sheriff Brown’s office. Holiday events also include a medical clinic, barber and beauty services, clothing, toy and book distribution, entertainment and inspirational speeches.

The physical and emotional support of each of these holiday events and the number served is staggering. The budget necessary to run the operation is just as overwhelming. Although there are many generous corporate and individual sponsors that help Hosea Feed the Hungry, this year alone saw the loss of several major cash donors and they need to constantly seek help from new sources to be able to continue accomplishing their goals. As Elisabeth Omilami puts it, “There’s a war out there—but it’s on the streets of the city.” In recent years Hosea Feed the Hungry has seen an unfortunate increase in requests for help from the working poor, including many with college degrees who have worked all their lives but lost jobs or came into hardship through varying circumstances.

So many Americans, including some of the wealthiest and most powerful, have known hunger and need. It is incumbent upon those at the top of the “wheel of fortune” to remember those at the bottom and lend a helping hand. Everyone truly has something to give—let us continue the giving beyond the New Year with the realization that when the presents are put away, the needs of the poor are still very present.

Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless is currently looking for volunteers and cash donations to help with their upcoming Christmas dinner event. For more information visit www.hoseafeedthehungry.com