Added on March 24, 2014 News News

Sixth Grade School Project Turns Into A Life Lesson

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It all began with a small article in the Scholastic Scope, an educational mini-magazine specifically designed for grades 6-8. In the November edition, an article called “I Was Homeless” was published. It was written from a young man’s perspective about living very comfortably until his family’s life was turned upside down and they lost everything. Sixth grade teacher Ms. Ariana Beers saw that the article sparked a flame in some of her students, she pushed a little further.

Ms. Beers carefully watches her students during the presentation.

Ms. Beers created a WebQuest surrounding the issue of homelessness. A WebQuest is “an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.” It is a classroom-based exercise, but forces the students to think analytically, not just collect information from the internet. They also practiced interpreting data (charts, graphs, infographics) regarding this national issue. Many students were shocked to find that homelessness is not ‘someone else’s problem’, but is found here in Washtenaw County and indeed, closer to home than they realized.

Students felt the need to unite together and mobilize efforts to help. Ms. Beers initially contacted Manchester’s Community Resource Center regarding this project, but was referred to the Alpha House instead because of their more immediate need. Alpha House is a family shelter in Ann Arbor that directly supports families with children who are experiencing homelessness.

The entire sixth grade was split into groups. Each group independently decided how they wanted to help. Students asked family and friends for donations. They sought donations from local businesses. Some approached their church families for help. Every student was at least involved in the planning stage of each project. Beyond that, it was up to the student to decide how involved to be.

How successful can a group of kids be? How much impact can they really have?

Let me tell you, these students rocked the house! Together the entire class raised over $3,710 in cash AND a car and a half full of supplies to be donated to the Alpha House to assist in their mission to combat the effects of homelessness. GREAT JOB sixth graders!

In the pictures below, you’ll see that there were so many supplies donated that Ms. Beers had to make two trips to get it all to Alpha House! There was a variety of items including clothes, books, bedding, toys, cleaning supplies, school supplies, movies, and stuffed animals. Ms. Beers indicated, “I am so impressed with their innovative ways to fundraise, the passion and excitement they demonstrated throughout the process, their genuine interest in learning more about the topic of homelessness and, furthermore, how they can help.”

Backseat of the first load of supplies headed to Alpha House

Part of the first load of supplies headed to Alpha House – packed to the ceiling!

The Alpha house had no idea what to expect when Ms. Beers contacted them to say that the sixth graders had collected donations. Volunteer Coordinator, Mrs. Kathy Koehler, was astonished to see the fruits of their labor. “There are a lot of individuals whose lives will be touched” by their work.

Mrs. Koehler was honored to come to the middle school last Thursday, March 20^th, to speak with the sixth graders and thank them for their generosity. Kathy expressed her heartfelt gratitude toward all of hard work. She shared with them the history, the mission of Alpha House, and how all of their donations will be used. “I never imagined it would be this much,” she told the group.

Kathy Koehler answers students’ questions about Alpha House

Mrs. Koehler discussed with the sixth graders that the Alpha House describes itself as, “an emergency shelter for children, and their families, who are experiencing homelessness.” She then continued to discuss the difference in perception between labeling someone as “homeless” versus stating that the person is “experiencing homelessness”. The students responded that “homeless” seems permanent while “experiencing” a situation is viewed as a temporary situation. There are characteristics of every person that do not change, however, homelessness is not necessarily one of them. The goal of Alpha House is to change homelessness for a family.

The Alpha House started as Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN) of Ann Arbor. IHN is a partnership of congregations within a community helping families who are facing homelessness. It was a rotating shelter between a number of churches. Many of the IHN programs are still run this way today. Each church takes a turn hosting those who are homeless. Families stay at various churches for one week at a time, and during that week, the host church takes responsibility for meals and provides a warm space to stay. This almost always means a sleeping bag or thin mattress on the floor of a fellowship room or in a basement. It is a difficult life when families are without a home. It adds an extra layer of stress when they are forced to move every week while still trying to sustain some kind of routine for the children.

After 10 years of having a rotating shelter, St. Joe’s Hospital allowed the Ann Arbor organization to rent the building that is the currently known as Alpha House. The rent: only $1 per year.

Students listening and ask question about their donations.

The Alpha House shelters up to six families at a time. There are currently 10 kids in the facilities, ranging in ages from 4 months to 15 years. Alpha House provides meals, a stable place to stay for up to 90 days, services of a social worker, specialized services like resume writing or financial counseling, and access to local social service agencies. The families are given access to assistance, but they are required to do the work themselves. During the maximum 90 day stay, they will be required to find a job (if needed), find childcare (if needed), save money for housing, and find a home to live in after their stay at Alpha House ends. According to Kathy Koehler, exit interviews are completed every time a family leaves Alpha House. There has not been a family yet that has not commented on how amazing it is that so many people care about them: The staff, the volunteers, and the community that bring it all together.

It is an astonishing reality that Alpha House accomplishes all they do without a budget. None. Zip. Zero. They have received grants for minimal staffing, however, the food, clothing, school supplies, and even their own cleaning supplies are all donated. Volunteers cook and serve the meals as well. Every night, 365 days of the year, a hot meal is served at Alpha House through the generous donations of the community. The result: Nationally, nearly 80 percent of the families that IHNs serve go on to long-term housing.

It is because of these charitable donations that Kathy refers to the Alpha House as the “Community response to homelessness”. It takes the entire community to keep the Alpha House going, but it’s been going strong for almost 22 years. There are almost 2,500 volunteers each year that pass through Alpha House. Some volunteer once and some often. All donated time is graciously accepted and Mrs. Koehler encouraged the students to speak with their parents about volunteering.

Payton Alexa, left and Madelyn Harris

After the presentation, two students were able to speak with The Mirror about their experience. One student who was inspired to help is Madelyn Harris. For the project, Madelyn grouped together with a few other girls from Bethel church. They collected statistics about homelessness and one Sunday morning appeared in front of their congregation to make their plea for help. Madelyn said that during the time that they spoke about homelessness, she heard gasps and sighs coming from the crowd as they listed the eye-opening statistics. The congregation was so moved that over $100 was collected on the spot. The church also donated cleaning supplies to be used at Alpha House.

Madelyn then went to the Pyramid Office Supplies store on Main Street. The Alpha House had requested school supplies for the children as part of their wish list. The Pyramid happily donated to the project and Madelyn added the supplies to the growing pile items at the school.

It wasn’t enough for Madelyn. This project became a family mission. Realizing how passionate Madelyn was about this project, her grandfather went to Menards. There, he grabbed a large laundry basket and began to stuff it full of paper towels, cleaning supplies, and anything else that Alpha House could use for its operations. Madelyn said she expected a small donation, but was astonished and moved by her grandfather’s generosity.

Seeing the interest in her daughter, Madelyn’s mom suggested that they watch a movie together. The movie: The Pursuit of Happyness. The film is based on the true story of Chris Gardner’s nearly one-year struggle with homelessness. Will Smith plays Chris Gardner, a single father who encounters a series of setbacks, eventually leaving him without a home and without a permanent job. For the sake of his son, and himself, he never gives up hope throughout the desperate times. He does whatever it takes to give his son the best life possible under poor circumstances, even when that means keeping them both warm and alive by sleeping in a subway bathroom.

Both mom and daughter were weeping at moments throughout the movie and began downright sobbing at the end when Madelyn’s father, not realizing the impact it would have, came home with the family Christmas gift of a large flat-screen TV with blue-Ray player!! Now, it is certainly not unusual for families to purchase home furnishings, or spend money on a family vacation, or any number of other indulgences. It was purely the timing of the event. Though her family had to save to afford the luxury, Madelyn had come to realize how fortunate her family really is and how hard it must be to experience homelessness. They did, however, have to explain to her father why his mere appearance in the doorway sent both women into crying fits!

Another sixth-grader, Payton Alexa, also experienced life-changing emotions during this project. Even before Ms. Beers divided the students into groups, Payton was called to action. She felt compelled to research Alpha House. Surfing through their website, Payton found pages of relevant data, information on how homelessness affects children, and moving videos. She says, she immediate felt, “I have so much. They have nothing. I have too much now.” So, with the support of her mom, she wrote letters to neighbors and family asking for winter hats, mittens/gloves, and scarves for the children at Alpha House. She collected about 20 items to donate.

Once she was placed in a group, she also solicited the support of her church family and a local business. Their plan was to have a luncheon to raise funds for Alpha House. With the permission of Linda, the owner of Fredonia Market, she set up a donation can to offset the cost of food, and together with the church, they held a luncheon. Nearly all church members attended, over 90 people in all. Together they raised about $300.

One little spark. One spark can start a fire in our youth. Regardless of the methods used to collect donations, or how involved a student was in the process, every penny, every hat, glove, or piece of clothing will be put to use to combat the effects of homelessness. In the end, families right here in Washtenaw County are being helped, and some students’ lives may have been changed forever. It may just be the best lesson these kids will ever receive.