Currently, I am working on a committee that is organizing a 5k race to raise money for Bright Beginnings Inc. Bright Beginnings is a daycare for children age six weeks through five years old. The families and kids who are the recipients of Bright Beginnings' services are homeless. According to the Bright Beginnings website (http://www.brightbeginningsinc.org/ ), there are 3,000 homeless people living in Washington, DC today. Of that number, 600 are under the age of five. Right now, there are 150 children enrolled in the Bright Beginnings program and 150 more on the waitlist. Recently, the organization was able to raise enough grant money to build a second center that will accommodate 100 more children. If you do the math, even with this new building, there will still be over 300 homeless children in DC without a place to go throughout the day. During a crucial development period in their lives, these children lack safety, stability and encouragement essential for growth. Bright Beginnings provides a safehaven and a positive learning environment which facilitates child development.
I volunteered to staff a Bright Beginnings Connection one evening in January in order to see the organization's work first hand. I am not someone you would describe as "child friendly" and the though of spending two hours after work surrounded by little kids was daunting. I was quickly put at ease by the openness and excitement with which the children greeted me. I had little arms reaching up to give me hugs and several kids climbed into my lap without hesitation so that I could read a book to them. Before the first hour was up, my heart melted, and I was sold on Bright Beginnings' cause.
After playing with legos, reading books and feeding the kids a dinner of mac and cheese and salad it was time to say goodbye. As I was walking to the metro one of the little boys broke from his mothers grip and ran past me. I grabbed him to keep him from running into the street. When I passed him off to his mom he asked me if I could come home with them. I wondered where home was for this family. I thought that they were probably on their way to a shelter where they would join a group of other families with children who did not attend Bright Beginnings and perhaps did not have toys to play with or books to read or even a healthy meal to eat for dinner. I hope the funds raised through the 5k in May, will allow for more homeless children in DC to attend Bright Beginnings.
PLEASE help support this very worthy organization by making a donation or attending the 5k by following the link below!!
http://www.active.com/donate/2012BB5K/yekaterinaplitsyna
