I had a dream two night ago (that I am convinced is prophetic) about me establishing and opening a non-profit community center called Hope for Humanity.
It was an awesome dream.
So here is a little history for the reason why I want to do this before going into what exactly I'd like to offer at this community center:
I was lucky enough to grow up in middle class America. Unless my parents hid any financial struggles from us (my brother and I), we never wanted or needed anything. I had a really great childhood. We got tons of presents for our birthdays and Christmas, we got big baskets of candy for small toys for Easter, we never went a summer without a week (or so) long vacation. Growing up, I thought that was how everyone lived, so I was very ignorant towards poverty since I never experienced it.
And it wasn't until I was about 21, when I moved in with a (ex) boyfriend and we lived together (on and off) for like 2 years until he decided to leave his job when he didn't have one lined up (I did the same a year earlier although the job that I had lined up became unavailable at the last minute). He had two kids, we had two dogs, two cars, and lived in an $1050 (after rent and utils) 3 bed/2 bath duplex in Live Oak, Texas.
We got our water turned off for like 3 weeks, our electricity got turned off for 2 days, and we NEVER had any food. We ate what I brought home from work. After he started a job, ironically, about a month after, we had a lot of problems with our landlord because the original owners of the duplex sold property to another guy who raised the rent $150 a month more and failed to let us and I think the people who lived next to us, know. So court battles and all, we got evicted. And I had to leave my bigger dog with our next door neighbors and last time I saw him was August of 2010 :-(
Luckily, fortunately, that is my only experience with poverty. I was extremely fortunate in that aspect.
In my hometown, there was a YMCA where my mom worked for 17 years (she was sort of the glue that held that place together) and I'd go there everyday after school, I was a very active kid, creative, and always enjoyed going to the Y for sports or to hang out with my friends. When I was about 14, the Littlestown Y hired a new sports director named Mick Harner. On Friday nights there was indoor floor hockey that I was really into and I'd always end up sitting around and talking with him afterwards. I always saw him as kind of a mentor because he really made me think about what I was doing in life, and I give him credit for me allowing myself to have or try out a ton of ideas since we all need to find our calling.
I believe that everyone, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what their history is (sound like a Backstreet Boys song yet?), deserves a decent life. In my dream (and this is my goal) I had established and opened a community center that provides many services for lower class and poverty stricken families.
Here are some of the services I'd lvoe to provide:
°Classes such as English (for non-English speaking individuals), Spanish (because being bilingual is a huge benefit now), healthy cooking, urban farming (container gardening, vertical gardening, urban livestock), art, music, and also have tutors for children who need help understanding their schoolwork so they can do better and have a brighter future.
°Day care, after school care, and holiday/vacation care for school age kids whose parents are having a hard time affording expensive day care.
°A gym for kids, teens, and adults who enjoy being active, social, and playing on community sports teams.
°A healing center where members can take yoga and pilates classes, a meditation room, and receive massage and reiki treatments (as a massage therapist, I have to point out that massage is NOT a luxury, it's very much a necessity, especially for peope whoa re struggling with poverty).
°I'd love to have a HUGE community garden where people who are taking urban farming classes can pratice (or others can volunteer), for families who can't necessarily afford to aways eat local, fresh produce.
°Also, since I can never leave animals out of my mind, I'd love to have an animal shelter on the property where people who can't have pets (for any reason) can enjoy the company of some animals and kids to learn a bit of responsibility of caring for animals.
° I'd like to offer addiction rehabilitation programs with life coaching.
°Mentoring programs.
°Soup kitchen.
°And also perhaps if I can get a big enough building, an area for families without a home to stay until they can pick themselves up.
I realize (I say that but I probably have no idea) the work involved in this, I've done a lot of research. But I have had a wonderful life, I have been blessed with having my needs and even wants met. I need to give back. Send positive energy into the Universe so others can receive it. I need people to know that they are cared about and there ARE people willing to help them.
I'd hold a lot of fundraisers and do whatever I can to fund the center and I'd like to get kids to learn the value of giving back also, for example, I'd like for the holiday/vacation programs to go on field trips to elderly homes to visit with the elderly who don't really have family who visit, to visit terminally ill patients in hospitals and maybe make some art or something for them, etc...
I realize that this is a dream and a big one, but I won't let that deter me from doing all that I can to achieve it.
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