Journey 4~ OCTOBER 2008 (65,000 miles and still going!)
So hard to believe I'm still on the road, but it still makes sense. People still remain clueless about homeless kids and families. HEAR US has powerful tools to raise awareness, and has plans to develop and distribute new tools, so let's get going! (ACTUAL 09 route in YELLOW)
What I Plan to Achieve:
- Conduct presentations on homelessness of children and youth
- Distribute HEAR US awareness-raising materials
- Film a short documentary REACH: Connect Your Children to Education, ala My Own Four Walls, about kids homeless because of incarcerated parents
- Generate a Compassion Epidemic!
SEPTEMBER 09 -Time to shake the cobwebs off! My friends at DeKalb's Mike's Auto and Truck Repair got Tillie in good shape, and EVEN WASHED HER! Took a couple of trial runs to Indiana and Michigan. Did some filming, presenting, and selling stuff! I'm ready to go on the road again...so motivated because of the stories being shared by courageous families and youth about their "invisible" homelessness--staying with family/friends and/or motels to avoid sleeping like stray dogs on the street.
AUGUST 09 - Another cool month made life in Tillie very pleasant! Worked on our documentary and did some traveling, flying to Mississippi to share My Own Four Walls with their state homeless education conference for M-V liaisons. Orders for materials kept me busy, as did arranging for presentations and filming opportunities for this next trip. Getting ready to hit the road.
JULY 09 - No complaints from this happy camper who enjoyed Illinois' record cool July! Lots of work in the film editing lab at NIU with Dr. Laura Vazquez on the feature-length documentary, "On the Edge." It will be awesome! My friends at Sacred Heart Monastery in Lisle are generous and supportive, giving me space and all I need to do the work of HEAR US. Lining up speaking and filming engagements for the next tour.
One good sign--some states are beginning to catch onto the value of HEAR US materials. Mississippi and Kansas have orderd hundreds of videos and books. We guarantee that using these materials will profoundly affect the way people identify and assist homeless students. Proceeds from sales support HEAR US. A win-win...
JUNE 09 - Plans to travel to Boston, DC and beyond were upended by a family tragedy. So I missed the Horizons for Homeless Children conference. I did spend many hours in the editing lab with Dr. Laura Vazquez, my video partner, shaping the feature-length documentary on homeless families. It will be a powerful eye-opener!
And I heard from the mom I wrote about in this blog who found out about HEAR US through Google. She shared the details of her story which makes the way SD 129 handled her situation too outrageous for words. More on this will be forthcoming...Let's just say I'm glad I will be in the Aurora area for a while.
MAY 09 - Time to regroup and make plans for the next venture. Sadly, the HEARTH Act passed and was signed into law with a very inadequate definition of "homeless" that excludes many children and youth. We're determined to improve not only the definition but the way this country approaches homelessness.
APRIL 09 - Leaving Julianna and Co. in Phoenix was hard--her story will be continued in our documentary, On the Edge. But Reno beckoned, and lots was going on there! I met with and presented to early childhood providers at a NV conference, sharing both MOFW and REACH videos. Filmed at their new family shelter (finally!!) and met folks living on the sidewalk down the block from the women's/men's shelter. Headed back doing mostly backroads...a fascinating view of America.
I'm back in IL, preparing for a trip next week to NYC--presenting at Columbia University School of Social Work and my Mom's high school, Mother Cabrini.
MAR. 09 - New Mexico, both Las Cruces and Deming, gave me lots to do! The LC school district hired me to enlighten people in the community about homeless kids. And I had some follow-up filming to do with women that we've been following for our documentary, "On the Edge."
I boondocked most of the time in NM, with no access to electricity other than my generator. Grueling, but quite worthwhile. And at the local congressional office, they reported getting "tons and tons" of Piggies messages asking Congressman Teague to sign on as co-sponsor of HR 29. Did he? Still waiting to hear.
Then to AZ, with a quick flight to Rochester, NY, to present at the annual homeless education training sponsored by Advocates for Children and the NY State Education Department. Hanging out in the beautiful Phoenix area and then onward to Reno, and points between and beyond.
FEB. 09 - Heading south and westward, I visited Melissa in Florida's Panhandle, where the state flower is foreclosure and for sale signs. Melissa continues her job as an advocate for the local homeless coalition. Then to Angela in LA (that's Louisiana, not Los Angeles!) who has started to work for an agency that helps people with AIDS. Across the state of TX without going on Interstates (no small accomplishment, and quite revealing) I met with some incredible women in Dallas about some possible projects then to El Paso, University of Texas, where I shared HEAR US videos with education students. Not a boring month! And check out these photos of a 2009 Dust Bowl storm I encountered.
JAN. 09 - The Gwinnett County jail visit was incredible--women poured out their stories that broke my heart. The newest HEAR US undertaking, REACH, is an essential project to make sure kids don't get lost when parents get shuffled off to jail. I'm working on posting some clips to let you hear from parents and kids about how homelessness is a traumatizing factor when parents go to jail.
Also will be heading back to some of the families that Laura and I filmed a year ago for our feature-length documentary on homeless families, "On the Edge."
DEC. 08 - If you have to park your RV anywhere in GA, especially in the Atlanta area, Stone Mountain Park is a great spot! I could look out over a lake as I sat in Tillie, really working--on some tedious, but essential tasks. The holidays are times I don't even want to bother busy liaisons or shelter/school staff.
I did manage to connect with officials in the Gwinnett County Jail, and they agreed to let me interview women inmates who are mothers of school-age children. The Atlanta Journal Constitution expressed an interest in covering the visit.
NOV. '08 - Wow! The NAEHCY conference was a great event! Heard lots of incredibly positive feedback about MOFW. Met new and old friends. Sold lots of stuff. Our newest endeavor, REACH, generated a ton of excitement.From DC to GA, via NC. Met Anita Woodley, producer of WUNC's "The Story," a public radio show hosted by Dick Gordon who also joined our meeting. They expressed interest in some of the HEAR US stories.
From my temporary base near my Mom's in GA, I flew up to Saratoga Springs, NY for their Hunger and Homelessness Awareness events. Skidmore College invited students and community members to my presentation Thursday night. Friday morning I spoke to area educators about homeless students.
OCT. 08-Following an incredibly successful Bene-Feast fundraising dinner, screening the REACH film at Cook County Jail, and a delightful, simple cook-out with HEAR US board members following our monthly board meeting, I took off for PA, their first statewide conference on homeless children and youth, where I gave the keynote address to a crowd of about 200. Reactions were extremely positive and sales of HEAR US materials were awesome!
I planned to hang out in the Harrisburg area and get caught up before going up to SUNY, Fredonia for my next presentation. Best laid plans...my Dad, who had been languishing in a skilled care facility, died on Oct. 10, and I headed down to GA to be with family.
Returning a week later, I scooted up to Fredonia, stopping first in Harrisburg to connect with Melissa, one of the My Own Four Walls "stars" to give her a copy of MOFW. This articulate now-15-year-old girl was quite surprised to see me at her door. I'd say their housing isn't much better than being homeless. We had a brief visit and I was on my way.
John, the lead student who arranged for my SUNY visit, was quite efficient and hospitable. He and his colleagues kept me busy, a worthwhile visit that will hopefully be repeated.
From Fredonia to Syracuse, to the youth conference. Smaller crowds, but good contacts. I got out of Syracuse as the nor'easter blew across the state, right in my path. Snow isn't my favorite weather, but I managed to get out of it and safely parked in Westchester County so I could head to NY, Columbia University.
Trains are the only way to go to NYC. Had a great presentation at Columbia and welcomed a new advisory board member, Markus Redding, a SW professor at CU, to our HEAR US team. I raced from NY to DC for the NAEHCY conference. Pat Van Doren joined me and helped handle the activities at our display table.
To read more about previous trips:
