Our
tenure at Holy Cross has been a very fruitful and imperfect season.
Sometimes kids break things, We see the brokenness in their own hearts.
Sometimes kids reject us. We sense their own rejection. Sometimes kids
will lash out at us. We feel the results of somebody abusing them.
Most folks do not have any desire to work in a place where your heart is broken once a week. It's hard to explain why you might want to be here. Our time here has been truly rewarding and we have been blessed immeasurably. Volunteers are hard to come by, especially in a place where devalued children act disrespectful. Police are regular visitors to our neighborhood. Gunshots, drug deals and threats of violence are the norm in the area around the Youth Center. Kids soak up their surroundings and bring them inside our walls.
Children need discipline and supervision. We have not always been adequate in those departments. But when I talk to many of the thousands of young people who have come through our doors in the last 10 years, they speak about relationships. A kid knows he can come in and hear someone look them in the eye and say: "It's good to see ya!" Some kids stop in for a moment of feeling validated and then they are on their way. They know that even if we do throw them out, they are welcomed back unconditionally.
We used to keep the gym open until 1am because there are kids on the streets with nowhere to go. Nobody knows how many homeless kids live from "couch to couch." If someone would ask me what I would do with a million bucks it would be this: We would create a 24-7 youth center. A place where young ladies could go to talk about the child in their womb. A place where young men could learn the game of life through a disciplined approach to basketball. A place where jobs are created through an entrepreneurial program. A place where Bible studies teach young people how to apply the love of Jesus to their broken hearts. It would be a 24/7 Relationship Center.
In our gym, it was common to hear: "Pull your pants up!" "Watch your language!" "Respect the ladies!" We focused on character and Boaz Basketball. During our last Block Club Basketball season, all the young men heard about the Love of Jesus all summer long. The whole community heard about the love of Jesus all summer long. It was exciting. The guys smoking dope near the court were politely asked to stop and they did. The guys using foul language were asked to stop and they did. We do have some supervision that people may not see.
We are very grateful for our season at Holy Cross. We will continue to operate the Center for the foreseeable future. It's a time of expansion for Youth With A Purpose Inc. Growth follows pruning. We are mentoring in the Buffalo Schools and reaching over a thousand children each year. Sometimes we take them camping. The owners of the cabin sometimes urge us to have more supervision. We try and provide that.
I spent most of yesterday in Federal Court listening to Prosecutors talk about the bad kids. I hurt for these kids. I feel like we have let them down by not providing enough opportunities to be good kids. Thanks again for caring.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
http://www.youthwithapurpose.org/
Most folks do not have any desire to work in a place where your heart is broken once a week. It's hard to explain why you might want to be here. Our time here has been truly rewarding and we have been blessed immeasurably. Volunteers are hard to come by, especially in a place where devalued children act disrespectful. Police are regular visitors to our neighborhood. Gunshots, drug deals and threats of violence are the norm in the area around the Youth Center. Kids soak up their surroundings and bring them inside our walls.
Children need discipline and supervision. We have not always been adequate in those departments. But when I talk to many of the thousands of young people who have come through our doors in the last 10 years, they speak about relationships. A kid knows he can come in and hear someone look them in the eye and say: "It's good to see ya!" Some kids stop in for a moment of feeling validated and then they are on their way. They know that even if we do throw them out, they are welcomed back unconditionally.
We used to keep the gym open until 1am because there are kids on the streets with nowhere to go. Nobody knows how many homeless kids live from "couch to couch." If someone would ask me what I would do with a million bucks it would be this: We would create a 24-7 youth center. A place where young ladies could go to talk about the child in their womb. A place where young men could learn the game of life through a disciplined approach to basketball. A place where jobs are created through an entrepreneurial program. A place where Bible studies teach young people how to apply the love of Jesus to their broken hearts. It would be a 24/7 Relationship Center.
In our gym, it was common to hear: "Pull your pants up!" "Watch your language!" "Respect the ladies!" We focused on character and Boaz Basketball. During our last Block Club Basketball season, all the young men heard about the Love of Jesus all summer long. The whole community heard about the love of Jesus all summer long. It was exciting. The guys smoking dope near the court were politely asked to stop and they did. The guys using foul language were asked to stop and they did. We do have some supervision that people may not see.
We are very grateful for our season at Holy Cross. We will continue to operate the Center for the foreseeable future. It's a time of expansion for Youth With A Purpose Inc. Growth follows pruning. We are mentoring in the Buffalo Schools and reaching over a thousand children each year. Sometimes we take them camping. The owners of the cabin sometimes urge us to have more supervision. We try and provide that.
I spent most of yesterday in Federal Court listening to Prosecutors talk about the bad kids. I hurt for these kids. I feel like we have let them down by not providing enough opportunities to be good kids. Thanks again for caring.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
"Find new ways,
in as many ways,
in more excellent ways,
on all of your days,
to show love."
Bob Kuebler
YWAP Director
YWAP Director
Youth With A Purpose
In School & After School
In The Mountains & In The Hood "All Children Are Gifted"
In The Mountains & In The Hood "All Children Are Gifted"
157 Locust Street
Buffalo, New York 14204
716-830-8240http://www.youthwithapurpose.org/
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