of East Baton Rouge

I got a text this morning from a child of mine. I taught him about 30 years ago. He was about 10. Funny, but he's still my child and always will be. That's the thing about kids, a little time can make a world of difference. I had a teacher who changed my life in less than five minutes. His name was Mr. Tucker and he was my 8th grade Louisiana history teacher. He spent a great deal of time trying to teach us the names and locations of the parishes in Louisiana but none of that stuck. What stuck was a quick conversation he had with me as we were changing class. As we started filing out he asked me to hang back a minute. Before the next class started trickling in he said, "You know that you can reinvent yourself, don't you?" The hook was sunk. Now he had my attention. He told me that high school was a completely different opportunity and that I could be a different person there, if I wanted but that I would have to change a few things, starting with the people I hung out with. He asked me to watch my buddies for about a week, if I liked what I saw then by all means continue on but if not, I might need to get new friends. He was right, they were goofy. I spent the summer on a boiled egg diet, not his suggestion but was a spin-off choice. I lost about 20 pounds. I also created a chemical peel from oatmeal that I read about in a Teen Magazine, also not his suggestion, but, once the red went away, I had a beautiful complexion and never had pimples again. I spent the summer with my grandparents in Mississippi, so I wasn't tempted to run around with my former little group. When school started I was brand new. That summer was the beginning of who I am now. Mr. Tucker believed that I could be better and he told me so. That's all, but that was everything. I became a teacher because of Mr. Tucker. I was a very good teacher, because of Mr. Tucker. It took was less than 5 minutes but has changed the lives of hundreds of kids who I have had a chance to visit with. I learned from him that it only takes caring to change the life of a child, and I do care.

The week before we began to notice an unusual increase in young moms with little children stopping by early and then off and on throughout the day. We have a “give away” library so we encouraged them to come in to let the kids choose a couple of books and the moms to choose books or magazines for themselves. We also share the resources we have and give them a list of additional resources (that I hope one day will be located at the Family and Youth Service Center [FYSC]). Monday a mom came in with a 4-month old baby girl and the sweetest little 1 year old boy. It was about 9:30 am but already 93°F. The little boy was dressed in a winter weight, full length one-piece long-sleeved sleeper that went all the way down to the footies covering his hot little feet. I have some small toys in my office to give to the little kids so he stayed occupied and happy. The baby was sleeping and my new little friend’s mom laid her head back in the chair she was sitting in and went to sleep as well. She woke up when the baby started stirring and started gathering their belongings. Everything they owned was stuffed in plastic grocery bags, hanging from the handles of the baby’s stroller with my little friend climbing into the net below the stroller to ride underneath. I gave them some bottles of water, a few little toys, crayons for my friend, wipes for the mom to wipe faces, little hands, and bottoms (when needed) and watched as they left, praying that I would see them again to ease my fears and know my little friend and his sister are alright. She was searching for a place for them to sleep but Baton Rouge only has three shelters for moms with children and they were full. She fled here from New Orleans with hope that we would have more resources. Such a sad mistake. I used to believe that I know poor because I lived it but I was wrong. “Poor” is not about money. My parents didn’t have two extra nickels to rub together and we were always running our hands through cushions to find change to buy milk. I grew up playing with my sisters and cousins. We never went hungry, had a roof over our heads, and always had a bed to sleep in. One bed for all 3 of us, but we had a bed. Then I grew up and began to understand how it felt to be the mama and worry about the children. When Duke was in law school it was tough. We wouldn’t have made it without the “old house” that Mrs. Welch let us live in. Money was so tight it was hard; really hard. When my pantry was empty Mama always knew. We would often eat at my parents’ house. When it got “icebox cold” in our house or suffocatingly hot Mrs. Welch would have “sleepovers” for our children so they would be safe and could sleep comfortably. My kids grew up playing with their cousins just like I did. They never went hungry and always had a roof over their heads and a bed to sleep in. I have eaten white rice with margarine for supper, paid the water bill with cans I collected, been so cold I couldn’t feel my fingers. I grew up in a family that barely made ends meet and had years as an adult that felt even worse because I was the mama. But I’ve always had family so I have never been “poor”. I do not know how these girls lost their families. Some never had them. The world already has enough people who judge. It’s not my job. If there’s judgement to be had, I’m going to leave that to the only One who knows the whole story, God. My job is to try to make certain that when my time of Judgement comes God will know I tried my best. The Family and Youth Service Center is a “No Judgement Zone”. We are a non- profit and have suffered from financial cuts but I believe in the Power of God and His Love that is seen through the angels that walk among us. If we had the additional funds I would love to have a Day Stop for homeless moms at the Center. Imagine a place where moms and their little ones would be safe and out of the heat and weather. A place with resources that empowers the moms and strengthens the children. A place where we would no longer watch a mom with a 4 month in a stroller and a 1 year old riding underneath walk off to find their next stopping place until they walk back to the shelter hoping to find that a different mom has not made it there in time. I do not understand this world or the difficulties faced by children. I believe that this time on earth is not even a blink compared to eternity. I do not believe that God is involved in any way in the evils around us. People have free will and cause evil. I do believe that God sees all and God sees us and how we react to the evils. Do we shake our heads as we turn away; judge those who suffer; help; or do our very best to help? The Family and Youth Service Center is filled with God’s love and people who are there with one purpose: to help. We always need friends to join us. There are so many ways to help: donating monthly, one-time donations, round-ups with your credit/debit card, and donating items and/or time. Please always feel free to contact us with any questions.