"These kids need a place to go that's constructive; we are the only constant thing some of them have in their life." Allie and I stood before Mary, a high school teacher who volunteers at McWhirter, as she filled the air with pleas for the children. Every Tues., Wed., and Thurs. night the parents of students who attend McWhirter elementary participate in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes hosted at the school. All of the kids, ranging from 1-8 yrs. old, are ushered into one room to hang out until Mom or Dad is finished with their ESL lesson.
It's very rare that both Mom and Dad would speak English or even have the time away from work to attend ESL classes. Mary told us of one Mom who worked at Church's Chicken during the evenings to pay the rent. As a result,
her 8 year-old son was practically raising her other infant child. "We have a very special connection with these families," Mary avowed with intense eyes that spoke with sincerity and love.
Mary continued to stress the fact that, for these kids, school is a haven. Unlike the majority of well-to-do kids in American public schools, the McWhirter students love school so much that they never want to leave. Why would any elementary-aged student want to stay in school all the time? Most of them are on the free-lunch program so going home means skipping a meal or two. When they are at McWhirter during the ESL classes, Mary and her Mother will bring snacks and sometimes clothes for the kids to eat and take home.
McWhirter represents provision and faithfulness. The school has air conditioning/heat, food, caring faces, and hope for a future; something many of the students are deprived of when they go "home." "Home" is a relative term for these students. Allie and I stayed for an hour to listen to Mary and then went home because they only had a few students that night (Wed. night). Mary said a lot of these kids go to church Wed. night, which she agreed was a good thing. "I don't know a lot about Jesus," she started, "but I love what y'all want to do here." We assured Mary that we were there to love people and not boost our attendance; she was relieved.
Here is how you can help. They need most help on Tues. and Thurs. nights with the kids. If you don't like interacting with kids for some sick reason (jk) then commit to making snacks to bring for these kids, or whatever kind of food you can cook. If you have clothes to give some of these kids, then gather them together and drop them off or get them to us. In summary, there are many different ways you can serve other than showing up on Tues. or Thurs. We don't need everyone to show up on Tues. and Thurs. so don't feel bad if you cannot. Pray for these kids, serve them however you can, and stay tuned for more updates.
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