Safe Kids

It is a harsh world out there, but it also is full of opportunity and wonderful things.  That is the part we want our kids to see and experience.  It is impossible to keep them from seeing and facing obstacles and pressure situations all together, but keeping them involved, busy, and helpful to others is the way to keep them as far away from these things as possible.  It doesn’t matter how old you are, people need to be needed, important, useful.  The Sandpoint Teen Center has provided a place specifically carrying out these things for teens.   They have been going strong for 6 years now, and for the first time they have a part-time paid director.

“We want to provide a place where they (teens) can socialize, but we still enforce respect,” said Sandpoint Teen Center board member Joan Avery. “And we need to respect them as much as we want them to respect us.”

‘Avery said fellow board member Dr. Gary Hopkins, an adjunct professor of public health at Loma Linda University, has performed research worldwide and his findings strongly confirm that teens have a much higher chance of avoiding drugs and alcohol not only if they have a caring adult in their lives, but also if they are given an opportunity to serve others.’

They provide anything teens need.  The center has a fully loaded kitchen, a Foosball table, a ping pong table, playing cards, board games, Wii, and a study place for the kids.  The center makes sure to get the kids involved with many community activities, like the gingerbread contest in Ceder Street Bridge in Downtown Sandpoint from December 11 through December 17.  This community event will be another chance for kids to be a part of a positive thing.

“One of the most important things is keeping the kids socializing with each other and the community,” fall director Andy L’Heureux said.

“It’s not necessarily quiet in here, but it’s fun and it’s manageable,” Avery said.

This is an amazing place for teens, and if you would like to find out more information there is contact information below.

“Teens need to be shown how they can to contribute to and become a part of the community,” said Avery.

L’Heureux agrees. “We are building bridges between the generations.”

Sandpoint Teen Center members, parents and volunteers work to remove graffiti Friday afternoon from the wall and floor of the tea house and stone entryway of Bonner General Hospital's Healing Garden. Supplies to remove the graffi were donated by Merwin's and Sandpoint Super Drug after teens who attend the center offered to remove the graffiti as an act of kindness. (Photo by CAROLINE LOBSINGER)

References

1. Teen Center

2. Picture

One of the blessed kids who received toys from Toronto Star Santa Fund

After losing a father at 6 months old and a mother at 14 years old, Joseph Atkinson was left with his 7 siblings to fend for themselves, which they had pretty much been doing his whole life.  Life was tough for this boy in the later 1800’s, which ended up bringing out a drive in him to help other kids who were suffering great hardships.  “Hunger torments them. Mother is too ill to shield them. Their clothing shames them. The world’s pain creeps in before they have any defenses up.”

In 1906 Atkinson created The Toronto Star’s Santa Claus Fund, an organization based on his vision of bringing some happiness to disadvantaged children.  With his immense empathy and compassion, Atkinson was able to raise $150 dollars and his church, Little Trinity Anglican, helped pass out the toy-filled stockings created to 373 children.  The stockings included toys, nuts, candy, wool socks, and “the biggest, sweetest orange,” all handed out on those forlorn alleys by horse drawn carriages.

The first Christmas of World War 1 in 1914, 10,000 kids were blessed with these amazing gifts, and throughout this time of unbelievable hardship, $8,000 was raised!

Joseph Atkinson’s dream is alive and thriving today, while the 2009 goal is to give out gift boxes to 45,000 children!  Grainne Heaney is a 14-year-old volunteer high school student who has been participating for three years and she loves it.  “I saw some of the kids at the door and they were really excited. Helping those kids was a great feeling.”  She spent the first two years going door to door watching the children’s eyes light up, and now she is one of about 100 student volunteers who are helping to put together the 45,000 packages together.

This is absolutely amazing, one person can do so much.  This has been proven time and time again.

References

1. Teensv

2. Joseph Atkinson