Click and see what took place at StreetLight this Christmas!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5425762627014767921
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5425762627014767921
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Operation BackPack
I lie awake tonight because what weighs on my mind is that, “you missed it”. The call was put out to you, but you never came. by Maria Petrou – StreetLight Director
Friday, December 12, 2008 was the night the winter storm blew in. While the hustle and bustle of rushing to company Christmas parties and last minute shopping took place, Riverfront Avenue and 1st Street SW there were over 300 homeless people huddled in line anxiously waiting.
Less than one week prior, the realization (that whether because of the economy or the unknowns), our donations for Operation BackPack took a drastic drop. In previous years, StreetLight, which is a mobile youth centre for street kids, had received between 500-600 backpacks each year that were filled with the essentials a homeless person needs as they aim to survive the harsh reality of living on the streets. This year StreetLight received only 120 backpacks and panic sunk in. How on earth were we to turn away the potential hundreds of homeless who would come to our Operation BackPack party because the promise of a Christmas backpack could not be fulfilled?
The urgent call was made across our city begging for people to take action and as Calgary does so well, once again the community pulled together and made a miracle happen. In less than a week, the number of backpacks went from 120 to 475 packs stocked full of hygiene items, warm gloves, socks, food certificates and even a little first-aid kit. The donations of blankets and clothes went from one garbage bag full to a packed office full! Then the storm of December 12th hit.
Panic once again began to take over and as I watched our StreetLight trailer trudge through the extreme conditions, I wondered, “Would the homeless even dare to come out to this party now?” My cell phone rang and rang throughout the whole drive and my volunteers, my photographer, and my cooks, were all scattered across the city struggling to make it downtown to our destination. Many were forced (and all were tempted) to turn around and call it a night. Tears of defeat fell down my face.
I looked at my volunteer who was tailgating StreetLight and asked her if she was “in”. We agreed that if we had to pull this party off alone – it was going to happen! We pulled up downtown and just blocks away from our destination, there they were... they were pushing baby strollers through the thick snow, they were hunched over under blankets and pushing against the cold wind – they were coming! I couldn’t believe it! My heart began to race! As we turned the last corner to park our trailer, there they were, hundreds of homeless, standing in a line shivering, anxiously waiting for us to arrive and fulfill our Christmas promise. As I guided the trailer into its parking spot I kept yelling to the crowd, “Thank you for coming! Thank you! Thank you!”
The moment we parked StreetLight, we hit the ground running! Burgers got flipped, people were fed, hot Starbucks coffee was passed out and even the fire department that joined us handed out blankets and clothes. My dedicated team of volunteers handed out the handcrafted backpacks and dispersed Tonka trucks and dolls to little kids who immediately began to play with them in snow... and I think to myself, “How could you have missed it?”
In the midst of all that hustle and bustle, car horns screaming at each other and others fighting to get the best deal on that last Christmas gift, on a downtown street, there was the real spirit of Christmas taking place.
The following morning, after the intensity of the night, I realized that not a single one of the news stations we had invited to cover this story had made an appearance. They missed it. How could they have missed it? The story isn’t about StreetLight, it isn’t even about media coverage for pride’s sake. The story is about the need. Hundreds of homeless lined up for hours in the middle of a storm, most losing their chance at shelter for the night... all for a Christmas backpack and a bite to eat. The story is about the heart of this city. It’s about the graciousness that was shown by those who made the choice to give of themselves and their comfort, to make a miracle happen. It’s about my team of faithful volunteers who are committed to love those who aren’t always easily loved and know the homeless by name. It’s about giving a homeless kid a Tonka truck to play with. Even in the midst of a blizzard there is so much that we could see, if we just dared to look!
The one man, who didn’t miss it, was Rafal Wegiel our photographer. He stood in the middle of a snow bank surrounded by those who live on the streets. He got it. He captured the moments that so many missed that night. With camera in hand, he caught the intensity of the need, he “got” why we do what we do and he did it out of the kindness of his heart and the desire to stretch himself.
That night my faith grew immensely. Operation BackPack was an event that was stocked full of unknowns and “what if’s”. But in the end, we were right, the need was there and Calgary could, and did, step it up a notch this year to make sure that miracles do happen! It may not have been a Miracle on 34 Street, but rather a true miracle on Riverfront Ave and 1st! My prayer is that we never get too busy to care about others before ourselves or miss those precious opportunities to get what matters most and look beyond a storm. It’s one of the best gifts we can afford ourselves.
Friday, December 12, 2008 was the night the winter storm blew in. While the hustle and bustle of rushing to company Christmas parties and last minute shopping took place, Riverfront Avenue and 1st Street SW there were over 300 homeless people huddled in line anxiously waiting.
Less than one week prior, the realization (that whether because of the economy or the unknowns), our donations for Operation BackPack took a drastic drop. In previous years, StreetLight, which is a mobile youth centre for street kids, had received between 500-600 backpacks each year that were filled with the essentials a homeless person needs as they aim to survive the harsh reality of living on the streets. This year StreetLight received only 120 backpacks and panic sunk in. How on earth were we to turn away the potential hundreds of homeless who would come to our Operation BackPack party because the promise of a Christmas backpack could not be fulfilled?
The urgent call was made across our city begging for people to take action and as Calgary does so well, once again the community pulled together and made a miracle happen. In less than a week, the number of backpacks went from 120 to 475 packs stocked full of hygiene items, warm gloves, socks, food certificates and even a little first-aid kit. The donations of blankets and clothes went from one garbage bag full to a packed office full! Then the storm of December 12th hit.
Panic once again began to take over and as I watched our StreetLight trailer trudge through the extreme conditions, I wondered, “Would the homeless even dare to come out to this party now?” My cell phone rang and rang throughout the whole drive and my volunteers, my photographer, and my cooks, were all scattered across the city struggling to make it downtown to our destination. Many were forced (and all were tempted) to turn around and call it a night. Tears of defeat fell down my face.
I looked at my volunteer who was tailgating StreetLight and asked her if she was “in”. We agreed that if we had to pull this party off alone – it was going to happen! We pulled up downtown and just blocks away from our destination, there they were... they were pushing baby strollers through the thick snow, they were hunched over under blankets and pushing against the cold wind – they were coming! I couldn’t believe it! My heart began to race! As we turned the last corner to park our trailer, there they were, hundreds of homeless, standing in a line shivering, anxiously waiting for us to arrive and fulfill our Christmas promise. As I guided the trailer into its parking spot I kept yelling to the crowd, “Thank you for coming! Thank you! Thank you!”
The moment we parked StreetLight, we hit the ground running! Burgers got flipped, people were fed, hot Starbucks coffee was passed out and even the fire department that joined us handed out blankets and clothes. My dedicated team of volunteers handed out the handcrafted backpacks and dispersed Tonka trucks and dolls to little kids who immediately began to play with them in snow... and I think to myself, “How could you have missed it?”
In the midst of all that hustle and bustle, car horns screaming at each other and others fighting to get the best deal on that last Christmas gift, on a downtown street, there was the real spirit of Christmas taking place.
The following morning, after the intensity of the night, I realized that not a single one of the news stations we had invited to cover this story had made an appearance. They missed it. How could they have missed it? The story isn’t about StreetLight, it isn’t even about media coverage for pride’s sake. The story is about the need. Hundreds of homeless lined up for hours in the middle of a storm, most losing their chance at shelter for the night... all for a Christmas backpack and a bite to eat. The story is about the heart of this city. It’s about the graciousness that was shown by those who made the choice to give of themselves and their comfort, to make a miracle happen. It’s about my team of faithful volunteers who are committed to love those who aren’t always easily loved and know the homeless by name. It’s about giving a homeless kid a Tonka truck to play with. Even in the midst of a blizzard there is so much that we could see, if we just dared to look!
The one man, who didn’t miss it, was Rafal Wegiel our photographer. He stood in the middle of a snow bank surrounded by those who live on the streets. He got it. He captured the moments that so many missed that night. With camera in hand, he caught the intensity of the need, he “got” why we do what we do and he did it out of the kindness of his heart and the desire to stretch himself.
That night my faith grew immensely. Operation BackPack was an event that was stocked full of unknowns and “what if’s”. But in the end, we were right, the need was there and Calgary could, and did, step it up a notch this year to make sure that miracles do happen! It may not have been a Miracle on 34 Street, but rather a true miracle on Riverfront Ave and 1st! My prayer is that we never get too busy to care about others before ourselves or miss those precious opportunities to get what matters most and look beyond a storm. It’s one of the best gifts we can afford ourselves.
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