The Power of Empathy

As we come into this Christmas season, let's try a bit more empathy and engaging with those around us who might be struggling during this time.

Empowered Bystanders

Engaging with The Hanger

Our heart is helping those in foster care is one of care and prevention. Sometimes kids enter the foster care system from either domestic violence or sexual abuse situations. They are without their families and often split up from their siblings. As kids mature, there are less and less homes available for them, so they end up in facilities that were created for teen offenders, not kids without a home. We institutionalize our children and leave them in homes where further abuse and neglect can happen. But there are bright spots in the foster care system – organizations like CASA advocate on behalf of the child and provide the stability and care most of the children don’t get otherwise. Our hope is that if we can affect kids in foster care we can not only stop generational domestic violence, but create safe places so kids don’t runaway and become susceptible to traffickers and other predators. So much in the cycle of violence, abuse and neglect could be ended if we had better foster care with more loving homes ready to take in one or two children and stick it out with them. Currently only 3% of those in foster care go to college. If we had mentors in the foster care system, people to engage and stay with a teen, to be there for them and provide the stability of an adult in their life, we could increase that number!

How does that relate to clothes and cowboy boots? One of the biggest ways to fight the stigma for kids in foster care is to help them experience normal activities other kids don’t have to think about. Teens in foster care are given a $90 stipend for clothes when they are 13 or 14. That’s it! After that the teen better hope someone in the house left behind clothes or they go through high school with one outfit or don’t go at all. By providing clothing to The Hanger we are giving high schoolers a way to build their wardrobe and hopefully stay in school.

It’s the little things that we can do. If being able to get a prom dress means a girl will get to experience that night and feel a bit more like her friends (who never have a consideration for new clothes, shoes, etc. because of their home situation) that is incredible. It is a step – a small but vital step.

Join us in coming alongside those in foster care. Donate here.

What We’ve Been Doing

Over the last year two Boy Scouts have approached us to help with their Eagle project. In both cases we asked them to create bags for The Milton Foster Children’s Fund. The first did 24 duffle bags, complete with a fleece blanket, a flashlight, a deck of cards and other fun items. The second made over 40 drawstring backpacks. They also donated school supplies, right at the time the teens were getting ready to go back to school.

Our donations have increased since the opening of The Hanger earlier this year. The Hanger is a shop specifically for teenagers in the foster care system in Teller and El Paso County. Any child 14-21 who needs to can come in on a Saturday and trade work time for items. It is an incredible way for teens to get clothing, shoes, and other supplies they need as well as experience working in a retail environment. Since the start of the year we have donated backpacks, clothes and duffle bags to The Hanger as well as granting some specific wishes for cowboy boots and a full length mirror. We were also able to provide food for a fun event The Hanger hosted for the teenagers thanks to a generous donor!

It’s been a busy few months over there at LTHF. We’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with a variety of groups within our community and have been able to deliver supplies to our partner agencies around town.

To help us provide more wishes and items our partner organizations needs donate here.

BagLadies Donation

We had our monthly meeting on Monday night and the ColoradoStrong Bag Ladies surprised us with fabric for our Seams program, socks, underwear and kids sweat outfits! Thank you ladies!!! These supplies will go a long way in helping our partner agencies!

Coffee and Contributions

Join us for a cup of coffee at the Downtown Perk (14 S. Tejon Street) this Monday (Dec. 10^th) at 6pm for our monthly meeting. Please bring any supplies you've collected for the Milton Foster Children's Fund Christmas drive.

We are collecting new items for teenagers including PJs, sweatshirts, underwear, socks, and gift cards to Target and Walmart so the teens can go buy their own clothes.

Or you can take items to the Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy (1490 W. Fillmore Ave). They are open Monday - Friday from 9 - 5:30.

Fall Update

Come hear what is going on
 

Things are really taking off. We have a long list of things we would like to accomplish through the end of the year and into 2013. Come to our planning meeting to learn more, share your ideas and hear about what LTHF is up to!

When: Monday, Nov 12th 
Where: Downtown Pikes Perk (14 South Tejon Street)
When: 6:00 pm.

Help a Foster Care Child This Christmas

This Christmas, LTHF is partnering with the Milton Foster Childrens' Fund to collect Christmas gifts for teenagers in the Foster Care system.

We are collecting new items for teenagers including PJs, sweatshirts, underwear, socks, and gift cards to Target and Walmart so the teens can go buy their own clothes.

We are working to find businesses who will donate items for the fund. Go here to donate, bring your items to our meeting next Monday or drop off items at CIMT. 

Drop off Location!

The Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy is now a drop-off location for us! Located at 1490 W. Fillmore Ave (next to Coronado High School), they are open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5:30. Thank you CIMT for opening your doors to us.

Help a Foster Care Child This Christmas

We are teaming up with the Foster Children's Fund to collect Christmas gifts for teenagers in the Foster Care system.

Most teens in the USA spend $1,000 a year on clothing!!!

Teens in the Foster Care System are given a ONE TIME clothing stipend of $87. The teenagers need basic items such as:

• Clothing
• Toiletries
• Nail Polish, hair ties, etc. 
• Sport Items
• Pajamas
• Socks
• Gift Cards to Target and Walmart to get underwear 

We are also looking for businesses in the area that would be willing to help us in our efforts to ensure these teenagers get what they need.

Want to help out? Email letthemhavefaces(at)gmail(dot)com. We will be collecting items through the middle of December.
 

May Needs

For May we are collecting the following:

 

• Duffle bags (perferably travel size) 
• Plastic Totes (42 gallon or larger)
• New Sports Bras (various sizes)
• Toiletry Bags (shampoo, deodorant, lotions, chap stick,
  toothpaste, toothbrushes) 

You can coordinate a pick-up by emailing LetThemHaveFaces(at)gmail(dot)com.

Or you can donate the funds and designate which item you would like us to purchase.

Playground Tickets On Sale

Tickets for the Playground screening in April are now on sale. Go to Stargazer's website or call 719-476-2200.

Help Launch LTHF!!!!!!

Dear friends,

To help get Let Them Have Faces off the ground, we are doing a campaign on IndieGoGo. Click here and help launch LTHF!

We are raising $5000 in 60 days
and can only do it with your help!

Funds will go towards an event that we have planned in April and will allow us to get some of the start-up work done - including a new website and some products for our partner organizations.

You can also give through the New Horizons Foundation here.

Help spread the word about LTHF. Together can we bring awareness, education and advocacy for victims of violence in our communities!

It Starts with Education

Here at LTHF we start with three basic ideas: awareness, education and advocacy.

It has to work in that order. To find out about something and become a voice for it, with no real idea of what is happening, the core problems or what is already being done, is detrimental. Too often new initiatives get started because a) someone did not want to work under someone else's plan; or b) they did not take the time to find out what was already being done.

You have to tell someone about what is going on:

There are domestic victims of human trafficking (a lot of them!)

Before someone goes to purchase a child overseas they are abusing a child at home. 

Then you educate, you talk about stats, how it happens, responses, prevention, who the authorities on the subject are. Give people resources. Pull them into a dialogue about the topic. This can be done (rudimentary) in one meeting. But it should be a discussion over time. Don't just parrot a stance to someone, help them make it theirs and let them figure out how to spread the word.

In Denver, there are an average of 225 arrests a year of minors being prostituted

The average age is 12 - 14

A third of all runaways are pulled into prostitution within the first 48 hours

How we can classify 17-year-olds being prostituted as victims and 18-year-olds being prostituted a criminals is unreasonable and unfair. If she has been abused since she was 12 - how can she go from being a victim to a criminal in one day?

Then you tell them how they can respond. How they can get connected. Most people are not called to move overseas and start their own NGO. Some are, but there is a lot of preparation and humility that goes with that. There are resources helping victims in your area you can get connected to.

Give shoes or other supplies

Donate time or money

Speak out for better legislation

This is what you can do to help a victim of violence. It is so small - a pair of shoes, and yet it can have a profound effect. It's a pair of shoes - and it can be given without a second thought. But to know - to be made aware of the problem, educated to what is happening and given ways to assist - to be fully aware of what this seemingly small donation can do - makes the giving of shoes that much sweeter and better for all involved.

All of these shoes will grace the feet of survivors of violence and help them start their path of (hopefully) healthy healing. All were donated by people in the community!

speaking engagement

I am speaking tomorrow at an organization here in town. Please pray it goes well and that I am able to speak coherently and say what this group needs to hear.

Pray that we are able to collect what we need and that this is the first of many meetings with the people there.

Will update on Monday!


Until then, this is one of the best responses I've read to the Penn State scandal. From Love146.

 (excerpt)

...McQueary acted the coward and failed. Real men protect children. Matt Millen, ESPN Commentator and Penn State star friendly with all of the men involved, broke down and wept on the radio.  He said this …

“… This is more than a football legacy. This is about people and if we can’t protect our kids, we as a society are pathetic.”

...This is exactly the sort of thing men say: that the failure to protect women and children is inexcusable. But often later, when we sit down with our Task Force groups, volunteers who have joined us on the front lines of the fight against the exploitation of children, most of the angry men are absent. It seems that often men filled with righteous indignation and courage at the Love146 table in a church lobby or on a talk radio show, become a radical minority when it comes to the actual work of justice. A quick survey of  Love146 Task Forces suggests that women out number men 5-1!

Winter Needs

The weather is changing. Things are getting colder. And so with the changing of seasons our needs change too.


For the winter we are looking for:

• Closed-Toed Shoes - ballet flats, tennis shoes, etc. 
• Socks
• Sports Bras
• T-Shirts and Sweatshirts

I am also looking for someone who could help with website design. I don't know enough to really be able to do what I would like to do. If you know of someone contact me.


If you are in the Colorado area and are interested in hosting a Her Shoes event, please let me know.


Blessings friends,
Manda