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JAYPLAY = 10.18.2007
WANTED: Volunteers
Whether it's for a particular event or a weekly session, lend a helping hand to those who need it
A frequent visitor and volunteer in the kitchen of the Lawrence Community Shelter offers a Mountain Dew while listening to the Chief's game.
By Adrienne Bommarito
John Carland graduated from
The University of Kansas with a
Bachelor's degree in History.
He served a year in Vietnam as
a demolition specialist. He got
married and bought a house
in west Lawrence. He earned
his stock broker's license and
founded a financial service
called Premier Capital
Services.
Then, in the blink of an eye Carland's life turned upside-down.
Premier Capital Services went broke in 2000 and lost millions of dollars. Everyone in the company lost their job, including Carland.
To add to his stress and misfortune, Carland's wife of 23 years divorced him.
"I live at the Salvation Army and am looking for a job," says Carland.
Carland's tribulation put him in a place no one wants to be; on the streets.
Last January, the social service agencies in Lawrence conducted a census and found that 373 people living in Lawrence are homeless; half of that number is families. Compared to the 82,263 people living in Lawrence, as reported by Money Magazine in 2006, the small number that is homeless but that doesn't mean it's not a problem.
A general stereotype of the
homeless is that they have lost everything because they are drug abusers.
"Drugs and alcohol are not the reason. It's more of a coping method; not the cause," says Hillary Bowker, Kansas City Mo. senior and co-director for the Jubilee Café for the Center of Community Outreach, a campus centralizes volunteer activities.
Bowker has volunteered at the Lawrence Community Shelter, 214 W. 10th St., for the past year. She listens and talks with the guests at the shelter.
She says that the general stereotype of the homeless is wrong, and that they all come from poverty grounds and have different history.
Some go through bad divorces and lose everything. Some have mental illnesses and can't afford help and can't find or keep jobs because of their illness. Some just have financial trouble that they have never been able to kick. Some do have drug and alcohol problems. Some have mental disorders. Bowler, says just have a case of bad luck.
Don Huggs, volunteer director at the Lawrence Community Shelter, says many of the homeless just need to know that someone cares. The shelter provides that feeling along with
Lend more Hands
Trick-or-Treat So Others Can Eat
A program created by the Center for Community Outreach Volunteers will trick-or-treat for cans in Lawrence neighborhoods on October 30. Contact Kate Mallula or Mitchell Ross at 785-8403-4073 for more information.
"Share the Warmth" Coat Distribution
Put on by the Salvation Army, volunteers are needed to sort and set-up from November 26 through 29 and for the distribution from November 30 through December 1. Contact the Salvation Army at 785-843-4188 for more information.
Thanksgiving Meals
Put on by the Salvation Army,
Lawrence Humane Society
volunteers are needed for the packaging of the meals on November 16 and for the distribution on November 19 and 20. Contact the Salvation Army at 785-843-4188 for more information.
Lawrence Humane Society Volunteers are needed to assist the animals in playing and bathing. Contact for more information. 785-843-6835.
An organization for mother's recovering from substance abuse. Volunteers are needed for office work and for playing with the women's children while they are in session. Contact the Lawrence Humane Society for more information, 785-843-9262.
First Step House
A short-term visitor of the Lawrence Community shelter sleeps on the back porch. He said he was planning on heading home to Oregon soon.
a place to hang out at during the day and mats for 31 people to sleep on during the night. Yes, some people get turned away.
"What volunteers do here is show some compassion and care," Huggins says, "Just by being here that message gets carried out."
Wes Walder, Corps Officer for the Salvation Army, says it has the capacity to house 60 every night, but about 40 to 50 individuals show up. Twenty-four bunkbeds are attached to the Salvation Army.
Unlike the Lawrence Community Shelter, the Salvation Army gives breathalyzer tests to individuals wanting to spend the night. The rule operates like the driving rule: that those blow 0.08 and above are not admitted. The Lawrence Community Shelter does not turn away people based on alcohol levels.
Tour the Work Force pairs volunteers with individuals who accompany them to the Lawrence Workforce Center, 2540 Iowa la, and walk them through the steps of finding a job.
Not only does the Lawrence Community Shelter provide nighttime housing but it also helps individuals find jobs. Four programs were created to assist in the job hunt:
Good Dog Gourmet Biscuits
Back to Work is a program that connects individuals with a job coach to find and keep a job.
and Treats demonstrates all parts of a business. Individuals make and package gourmet dog treats, then sell them at the Farmer's Market, as well as to pet stores and veterinarians in Lawrence.
Casual Day Labor which allows people needing assistance with moving furniture or doing yard to hire an individual for the day.
The Lawrence Community Shelter provides dinner at 8:30 p.m. for the 31 individuals chosen to sleep there. It also supplies breakfast—coffee and cereal—every day for them and Fridays on those mornings the Jubilee Cafe, offers breakfast.
The Center for Community Outreach puts on the Jubilee Cafe which is held in the basement of the First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.
The Salvation Army offers a community lunch on Mondays, Wednesday and Friday from 12 to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 p.m. for the night guests.
Around 100 individuals show up for breakfast at the Jubilee Cafe. The cost to host the breakfast each morning averages $150. The church budgets $500 every month and the Church Committee makes up the difference by donations and fundraisers.
Volunteers are needed for
the Jubilee Cafe, the Lawrence Community Shelter and the Salvation Armv.
If you are apprehensive about helping out at the shelters, volunteer to make dinner for the Lawrence Community Shelter. Dinners are made by volunteers at an off site location and can be something as simple as spaghetti
or sandwiches. Contact the Lawrence Community Shelter at 785-832-8864 for more information.
Contact the Center for Community Outreach in room 405 in the Kansas Union or visit their website, www.u.edu/~cco, for more information on ways to volunteer.
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