City Kidz Is the Place To Be!

It happened the other day when I and a member of my Executive Team,  Shawn Donnelly, were out doing our second official night of home visits.  There we were minding our manners at the door and one boy, realizing that it was City Kidz at the door, came leaping out from behind his Mom to give us one bear hug each.   With the hug he reminded us that the last lesson’s theme was love.  “City Kidz is the place to be, ‘cause they love and care what happens to me!” was our memory moment for that week.

We at City Kidz Ottawa have been working VERY HARD to reach a small band of children since about May of this year.  Lots of extra hours on the evenings and weekends (we all work full-time and don’t get paid to work for City Kidz) because we all believe in what we’re doing.  But I don’t think Shawn or I were expecting such an awesome reaction by one little boy this soon into the program.   We just had our third program today, so this grinning hug was a breakthrough of sorts and an encouragement to both of us.

I am very excited.  So is Shawn.

…And ONE for all!!

Officially Launched

After weeks of preparation, City Kidz Ottawa is up and running as of October 2, 2010.  It was a great day!  Everything went like clockwork including the arrival of the bus and every child brought to the program seemed to have a wonderful time.   This week’s lesson “It’s Great to be a Kid” began the first of a four-part series which introduces the City Kidz Four Most Important Things  that every child should know:  God Has A Plan, You Are Loved, It’s Great to Be a Kid and Do What’s Right. So many children these days are under a great deal of pressure long before they’re ready both psychologically, spiritually and physically.   It’s part of the City Kidz mandate to give children permission to enjoy their childhood.  From the Sneaker Search to the object lessons, to the final pie-schmucking, each child had an opportunity to learn and re-learn Saturday’s Memory Moment:  “Let’s have fun and celebrate, ‘cause being a kid is super great!” 

This day was a success and has encouraged all of us on the  leadership team for the future.  But it wouldn’t have happened without a great deal of support from City Kidz Leaders Todd Bender and Trevor Thomson and Peace Tower Church in Ottawa.  Also, there’s a whole lot of other people who pitched in their support and cooperation to help pull our first day off.  All of you know who you are.  Please accept many thanks from City Kidz Ottawa!

We at City Kidz Ottawa are very excited about what is going to be taking place in the next few weeks. We believe that this is just the beginning of something really big in Ottawa!  And we get to to it all again on  October 16th, 2010!! 

…And ONE for all!!

A Huge Sigh of Relief

As you are aware by now, City Kidz Ottawa is a new branch of the larger ministry called City Kidz which has been impacting Hamilton children for over 15 years. Each week dedicated volunteers in Hamilton go out to visit the children on their City Kidz routes. Year round, they have kids running up to say “Hi”, parents calling to their children “It’s City Kidz!!” Always there is a tone of excitement. When they visit the kids who live in a townhouse complex, there will often be kids running up to them, walking with them, wanting to carry the flyers, the clip board – even the pen! During the summer, there is an additional question, how many weeks until City Kidz?

I know this will hold true for Ottawa in years to come thanks to our supporters. The City Kidz Ottawa team and I were out just the other day handing out flyers for our grand opening on October 2^nd at the Hardini Centre in Vanier. It wasn’t raining that day and there were LOTS of kids out so we had a chance to tell them about what was coming to the area. I wish you could have heard the excitement in the voices of the children as they asked about City Kidz and discovered it was a fun program just for them, that was free. One little boy, turning seven this Saturday, was quite concerned that he’d miss it because it was his birthday party. We assured him that it wasn’t starting until October 2^nd and he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

After several months of hard work and prayer City Kidz is really going to be a reality in Ottawa.  The City Kidz Ottawa Playhouse Theatre will officially open our doors on October 2nd reaching Ottawa children, impacting their lives and transforming our community….one child at a time!

…And ONE for all!

No Job Too Big

I haven’t added much lately because I’ve been consumed with getting everything ready to start us up.  I now have a team of three incredible leaders who will be involved in the Saturday Program and Home Visits and have a heart for children.  I also have one very dedicated volunteer who’s planning the fundraiser dinner to be held in the fall.  Not to mention my team of advisors who have been doing a great job advising all summer :) There’s a lot to do!  I am in constant contact with Todd Bender and I’ve been meeting with the stakeholders in Vanier.  I’ve also been speaking with some of the local churches.  I have not had one negative response!  And the good news is, based on the opinions I’ve been getting from local community leaders, we need to start planning more buses now!   

If you are wondering how such a small team is going to pull off such a huge venture, don’t underestimate the people power effect.  We have been accomplishing a lot believe it or not.  But the reality is, we can only go so far and will eventually level off to sustain a small group of children. Right now we only have enough people and budget to sustain one busload of children every other Saturday.

City Kidz’ vision, however, is to reach every child in this city and to make this happen we’re going to need your help.  We’re still in need of volunteers to help run the Saturday program, home visits, administration and fundraising.   Whether you choose a  a short term or long term volunteer commitment --- we can’t do this alone!   City Kidz is a grass roots organization --- it’s growing from the heart of the people who love Ottawa’s children  and want to see them reached.  I know there’s more of us who can and want to help.  I know that we will eventually be able to see this dream to reach every child come true.  I’ve seen what can happen in Hamilton.  I am a believer!

You could say it’s been a pretty busy summer, but it’s all worth it.  All of us at City Kidz Ottawa are determined to see this dream become a reality in Ottawa.    Will you help?

…And ONE for all!

She’s One of Ours

She has lived with neglect and abuse most of her life.  She’s been beaten, battered and bruised, and yet even today she continues to thrive and continues to have hope for her future.  Meet Dee*, she’s one of ours, she’s a City Kidz kid.

Dee began attending City Kidz when she was only 5 years old.  When we first met her, there was an emptiness in her eyes, she was hollow, she was sad.  She manipulated, lied, stole, swore, and her behaviour was unmanageable.  She did what any child living in poverty, neglected and abused, would do, she survived.

In and out of foster homes since she was 5, Dee now lives with her alcoholic grandmother, although most of the time she’s bunking up with her friends to avoid the dysfunction at home.  She doesn’t like living there, but to her, it’s better than being permanently placed with strangers.  She has a baby brother who is cared for by the Children’s Aid Society and another brother who still lives with relatives.  Her life is complicated and her days are filled with challenges, but every Saturday she finds her way to City Kidz to serve as a Jr. Leader.

When she was assaulted by a stranger on her way home from a friend’s house, the first to receive a phone call was her City Kidz friend and mentor, Susan.  Susan called the police and stayed by her side until morning.

When she broke her finger, injured her collar bone, showed up on a cold winter afternoon with no coat, was left at home scared, alone and hungry, when she needed a ride or just needed someone to talk to, City Kidz was first to hear, first to respond.

Today Dee has hope, she remains resilient, and her future is bright.  It’s unmistakable.  It’s in her smile, her walk and her actions filled with compassion and empathy for others.  She will likely continue to grow up in economic poverty, but instead of poverty being a liability, it has become an asset.  She is learning to take disadvantages and turn them into opportunities.  She is an example of the power of hope, love and faith.  Even though much of her external environment remains hostile, she is learning to develop an internal confidence and peace.  Her life is representative of thousands of other children who brave the challenges of inner city poverty every day.  Her life encourages us and motivates us to continue to search for more children.  City Kidz is a major part of Dee’s life, and Dee is a major part of our lives as well.  Each Saturday when we watch Dee as she leads, we see her strength, her resilience, her joy, and we say to ourselves, “She’s one of ours.  She’s a City Kidz kid.” 

All for one, every last one.

Rev. Todd Bender

Executive Director, City Kidz

*names have been changed for privacy.

 

…And ONE for all…

City Kidz Ottawa Finds a Home

It had to happen eventually.  All the phone calls, miles driven and various locations investigated by myself and a couple of dedicated volunteers, had to eventually pay off with a location for the City Kidz Ottawa Playhouse Theatre.  Finally, thankfully, a perfect site, the Hardini Centre, emerged out of the blue one day when I was driving around in  Ottawa’s east end.  I immediately made some phone calls, had an opportunity to look inside  last week and after having a great meeting with the building coordinator, all systems are go for City Kidz to hold our Playhouse Theatre there twice monthly on Saturdays!!  I am excited, because the Centre is absolutely perfect for what we need!  First of all, it’s a community centre privately owned by the church next door  (which I never would have found online because they don’t advertise) and has a lecture/theatre style room that suits the City Kidz Theatre format.  The other great thing --- this is the icing on the cake --- the Hardini Centre is also home to many of the local community services such as the food bank, snow suit fund and community resource centre.  This will make it very easy for City Kidz Ottawa and these services to connect to work together in a continuing effort to  help the families of the district.   What a great starting place!  Thank you to everyone who has prayed and for the many great suggestions that were given.  It took a while,  but it was soooo worth it!   Okay!  How simple was that?!?

…And ONE for all!!!

To Answer A Question

Someone asked me today why I’m doing this?  Why am I spending all day at a job that I get paid for, only to return home and spend the majority of my free time trying to launch City Kidz Ottawa for free?    Here’s the gist of my answer: 

Despite the fact that Canada is considered one of the richest nations in the world, one in six children lives below Statistic Canada’s Low Income Cut Off, which varies depending on family size.  In 2001, the Low Income Cut Off in Canada for a family of three was $28,560.00 before taxes.  Stats Can also reports that in reality, most of those children live in families with incomes well below this level.  

As for Ottawa, many consider this city affluent.  It’s true this a government town and the capital of Canada, which spends millions every year to keep the city looking beautiful for tourists.  But while it may not be all that obvious if you don’t reside here year round, in fact there are at least 32,000 children living in families whose income levels are miles below the LICO.  Many of these are new Canadians, lone parent families or families affected by employment shortages.   Most would welcome a financial leg up, so to speak if one were to appear. 

Unfortunately, while Ottawa is doing its level best to meet these needs, most of our social assistance programs are stretched to the max and there’s just not enough funding to go around to help these families improve. As a result, there are possibly 32,000 children that are suffering with poor nutrition, inadequate housing and inadequate access to appropriate childcare.  It’s a problem.

Wouldn’t it be nice to treat some of these 32,000 children to an afternoon off from all the stress?  Maybe give Mom and Dad a break by picking the kids up by bus to bring them to the City Kidz Playhouse for a fun filled afternoon with games and songs and great friends and then delivering them home?   All for free!?? City Kidz does just that!! 

But the City Kidz mandate also goes deeper than that.  City Kidz exists to transform the lives of inner city children, break the cycle of hopelessness, and end child poverty.  We do this by inspiring children to dream big and to rise above their circumstances.  We instill faith based values and teach children to do the right thing and we provide new experiences and environments that inspire kids to unlimited possibilities.

One report I read says every kid has the right to have fun, grow and succeed.  I agree.  That’s what City Kidz is all about. 

That’s why I’m doing it.  Wouldn’t you?

…and ONE for all!!