Back

Please Mr. President

OUR CAMPAIGN LAUNCH IN LOS ANGELES, JUNE 20, 2009 – Union Rescue Mission

The children came in all shapes and sizes, and every glorious shade of…brown, black, white. Most had smiles when they arrived despite feeling beaten down.  All had smiles of hope when they left. 
While some children wrote their letters to the President and painted their pictures, others painted t-shirts that will be brought to Congo and given to their brothers and sisters in displacement camps. Moms learned to design and make pieces of jewelry; and, each one walked away with at least one creation to call their own. 

Lunch arrived and after eating pizza, surprise guests arrived when actors from Twilight, Nickelodeon shows, and the new Hannah Montana movie came to work with the kids, paint, help write letters, and take photos with their fans.

As our volunteers left, we passed out a TAKE ACTION flyer so they could continue to support the local organizations that were our partners for the day, and expand the work to their own communities donating their time volunteering, mentoring, creating local workshops.  Volunteers, adults and teens alike, were already signing up to come back to tutor and mentor at the Union Rescue Mission.

It was the kind of day that most of these kids and their parents rarely see.  For those volunteers who helped that day – from our teachers, to our artists, to our writers, to our friends, and our kids, to the great staff at Union Rescue Mission – the end of the day brought tears over stories we shared, kids we played with, Moms and Dads we hugged.  Memories captured in these photos, paintings and letters…not soon to be forgotten.  And, we knew we had accomplished our goal – and that everyone there had seen firsthand how one person CAN make a difference.

Please Mr. President… will you listen?