Jesus loves the city’s children I love Hamilton; The Hammer. I met my wife here; my four children were born here and I’ve lived here for nearly 18 years. I have the opportunity to see thousands of amazing children each week through my work with City Kidz and I’m constantly reminded why I love this city. Say what you will, and many people do, this is an awesome city, filled with awesome people. So why is it that Hamilton still has one of the highest child poverty rates in the country? Over 22,000 children in Hamilton still live in poverty. According to Stats Canada, this means one in nine in our country, but a whopping one in four in our city and three out of four in the neighborhoods where City Kidz is involved. It’s deepening and it’s widening, even while the awareness has never been greater.
Presently at City Kidz over 1,800 children are being impacted each week. Over 900 children are transported on one of our big red City Kidz buses to attend the Saturday programs, and each week over 1,800 children receive a personal home visit by a loving, caring volunteer or staff member. We’re just one solution, in a city full of hurt. We’re doing our part to build hope and resiliency, but if we’re going to break the cycle of hopelessness and end child poverty what we need is more sustainable, collaborative solutions. One-time social-justice events are helpful to raise awareness and to advocate, but change can only happen if there are people who are willing to commit themselves to long-term compassion strategies. I am often asked why we decided to start City Kidz. I’m always a little perplexed at the question, because we didn’t decide to start anything. We loved God and we loved children, and because we love God, and because we love children, we must respond; do what we can to help. City Kidz is that response. I may have been the pioneer, but hundreds of others have responded as well, because we simply cannot, and we will not, sit back and hope that someone else will step up, while thousands of children are suffering. When you discover that someone you care about is hurting, suffering, and needs your help, you do what you can because it is the right thing to do. Jesus instructed us to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbour as our self. Love God and love others, simple. Why complicate it? That is why our mission carries these four simple messages: God loves you and has a plan for your life; we love you and we care what happens to you; it’s great to be a kid and it’s okay to have fun; and whenever you are presented with a choice, you always do what is right. Last week a four-year old, who had just finished attending the Kinder Kidz program, looked around at the auditorium and with wonderment said to a volunteer, “You did all this for me?” It was a precious moment, and she was right. We did it all for her. As long as one child still remains who needs to know that they are loved, that they matter, and that they have a destiny, we will be here. ■ |
