A volunteer, Isabelle, teaches Spanish.
“I like science best. We’re learning about rocks,” the girl declares as she settles into a chair. Her smile reveals two front teeth waiting to grow in. She is in the first grade and has lived with her family at the shelter for several months while they search for housing.
Soon she is joined by four other elementary aged children, all eager to begin Learning Hour. No one has remembered their backpacks. A staff member sends the kids upstairs to retrieve them and they all return breathless, plopping their bags onto the table.
And so it goes. Learning Hour at the shelter takes place four afternoons a week. Elementary aged residents are joined by volunteers who help with homework and computer skills. A Spanish teacher comes in once a week. The kids are each given a journal and are encouraged to use this as an outlet for the many emotions they may experience during this time of instability in their young lives.
An afternoon at Garfield Park
Learning Hour serves a very practical purpose. Children experiencing homelessness often fall behind their peers in school. Volunteers provide one-on-one tutoring. But beyond this, it is invaluable in many other ways.
Experiencing homelessness, living at a shelter, can be scary and isolating for a child. Learning Hour helps build relationships, both with other children and with the volunteers. Peer support is an important part of this process. Kids living at the shelter often develop lasting bonds with one another, finding friends who understands what they’ve been going through. We’ve also developed an informal partnership with Archbishop Murphy High School and currently have eight students who volunteer. It is always heartening to see the learning, laughing and relationship building that happens when kids help kids.
Our hope is that this time spent in the activity room each afternoon helps the children not only achieve in school, but also build trust, confidence and a safe, supportive place on their journey to a permanent home.
Students from Archbishop Murphy High School provide peer support.
The garden may not yet be in bloom for the season, but it still provides lots of great hiding places for an Easter egg hunt. Children at the shelter enjoyed a visit from Jelly Bean the bunny, and fun was had by all.
![Be a Champion for Families Experiencing Homelessness]()
Everyone needs a champion, especially families experiencing homelessness. May 5th is The Seattle Foundation’s “GiveBIG Day of Champions.”
From midnight to midnight, donations made to Interfaith Association through the GiveBIG website will be stretched with a partial match from event sponsors.
Homelessness can end – one family at a time. If you’re looking for a chance to really make a difference in the lives of local families, May 5th is a great day to do it.
GiveBIG here
Sixty percent of residents who stay at our shelter each year are children, which is one reason why we love it when young people volunteer with us. The energy and enthusiasm they bring is contagious. And the learning that happens when peers support peers is a two-way street. We thought we’d highlight two great ways in which youth have made a difference at the shelter recently.
Learning Hour with students from Archbishop Murphy High School
We currently have eight students from Archbishop Murphy High School who volunteer as tutors during learning hour, a weekday evening program for elementary school children. Over the past two years, we’ve developed a great informal partnership with the high school and have welcomed a dozen additional student volunteers during that time. The learning, laughing and relationship building that happens is invaluable.
A Birthday Book Drive
When Thandiwe planned her 11th birthday, she decided to do something a little different. Instead of getting gifts from her friends, she wanted to give back. She called Mr. P., our Children’s Advocate, and asked if the kids at the shelter needed new books. Of course! Thandiwe and her friends gathered over fifty new books to stock the shelves of the children’s activity room. What a great idea for a memorable and meaningful birthday. Thanks Thandiwe!
![Be a Champion for Families Experiencing Homelessness]()
Wednesday, April 29th: 5-8pm
Shawn O’Donnell’s Restaurant
122 – 128th Street SE, Everett
You have to eat anyway, right? So why not make it count? On April 29th between 5-8pm, Shawn O’Donnell’s restaurant is donating 20% of all food and beverage purchases to The Family Shelter.
Drop by for a quick bite to eat or linger for the silent auction. Either way, you’ll make a difference in the lives of homeless families in our community.
Silent auction items include:
- Cypress Farms horseback riding lessons
- Seattle Storm tickets
- Brooks running shoes
- Lottery tickets themed basket
- …and more
We hope you’ll join us!
This spring, volunteers through the Leadership Snohomish County Young Leaders Project will be hosting a deep cleaning (and possibly a small remodel!) of our children’s room.
They are in need of cleaning supplies for this event and they would also like to help us gather extra supplies so we can stock up at the shelter.
If you are interested in donating cleaning supplies, please call our admin office, or contact us through the form below. Thank you!
[contact-form-7 id=”944″ title=”Volunteer interest”]
