Homework Plus

Yesterday, I volunteered again at Palama for Homework Plus.  Barbara Kozlovich, my dad's wife, is head of this fabulous after school program.  Palama is a very poor district of Honolulu.  The kids are in elementary school and can come to this place for two hours after school to get homework help.  Some are excelling and others are very far behind.  They are all needy and even if they don't need help they ask just to have someone sit with them and offer encouragement.  There are rules and the teacher, Lynn, makes sure they follow them.  The kids love her.  They earn points for getting their work done correctly, for cleaning up anything that they used, for reading  and for learning something new.  I taught them some sign language.

With the points they earn they can buy things from the "store".  They can purchase snacks, trinkets, or school supplies.  These kids wouldn't have much to eat if not for free school lunch and the snacks they get  from Lynn.  It is a shame that this program has lost it's funding.  They are trying everything they can to keep it going.  I'll be volunteering each week as long as I'm here.   Wish I could do more.

Interesting

This afternoon, I met Elkie.  I was standing on the sidewalk watching the waves.  The woman next to me commented on the warm, humid weather.  I turned and smiled.  She took that as encouragement and began to talk.  She was dressed in blue and white Hawaiian capris and a matching blue shirt.  She was not homeless or in need of anything but conversation.  What a fascinating woman!  She was a retired archaeologist from Victoria, Canada in Hawaii for a symposium.  She is currently studying the weather patterns.  We discussed the storms back east and the drought in California.  She was charming.

Ending our talk with a chuckle about the people who do not believe our climates are changing, she said she was going to soak up some sun on the beach.

Life is so very interesting.

Lenny

I met Lenny while walking to Ala Moana Beach Park.  I was walking over the bridge and Lenny was sitting in the sun next to a big pile of his "stuff".  As I walked by, he asked if I had any change.  I gave him a few dollars and knelt down next to him.  I asked him a few questions.  Yes, he was homeless, he didn't know for how long or even why.  He was in his 60's and had a toothless grin.  His clothes were torn and dirty.  He had nothing to say but as I got up to leave he grabbed my hand and thanked me for being nice to him.

When I first decided that I needed to acknowledge the homeless, I believed I had something to offer them but as it has turned out they have given me so much more.

Cherry

It was early afternoon, Cherry was sitting up against a wall next to the Catholic Church on Kalakaua.  Her blanket was stained and her clothes were dirty.  She smelled of beer and sweat, her teeth were chipped and yellow, her matted hair looked as if it hadn't been washed in weeks, mud was caked under her fingernails.  I handed her some chocolate and told her Happy Valentine's Day.  She was very appreciative and started to talk so I sat down and listened.

Her entire life, I'd guess she was in her late 30's, has been in Hawaii.  Most has been spent on the other side of the island.  Much of what she was talking about didn't make sense.  She talked about people she knew as if I knew them too. She told me how she was homeless because she could not stay in any homes because the people didn't believe in Jesus and they used God's name in bad ways.  Jesus would not like if she stayed with people like that.  Even church people's beliefs were suspect.  She knew God loved her.

She asked my name as I got up to leave.

"Debbie, Debbie, Debbie, thank you so much.  Debbie, Debbie..."  I smiled, turned and walked away to the echo of my name being repeated over and over and over.

Rob

Last night I met Rob as he was sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk near the old International Market Place. Dressed in a clean Hawaiian shirt and shorts, he was reading what I assumed to be a Bible. I would guess he was in his 50's, was almost bald with neatly trimmed grey facial hair.  A sign in front of his bag said: HUNGRY.  I handed him a few dollars, introduced myself and asked him for a story.

His eyes lit up as he said, "If you're looking for something sad, you've come to the wrong place!"   His smile was charming.  I said I was interested in anything he felt like sharing.

I sat next to him and listened as he wove his tale about coming to Hawaii seven years ago and being homeless since then.  His hands became animated as he told me he was an artist and a lucky one too.  Lucky because his friend had a little extra room where he lived and he told Rob he could store his art supplies there. Rob believes he will make it big one day.  His current goal other than  making art is to get an iphone so he can take pictures of his art work and sell to people passing by because he cannot carry the work itself all the time.

He said he actually enjoyed sitting where he was because he met such interesting people.  He thanked me again for the dollars and said he used the donations for either food, the laundromat, or the bus.    I thanked him and as I got up to leave I confessed that I didn't remember his name.

"I'll give you a hint," he said.  "It's Rob! Now that's a good hint, isn't it?" he laughed and waved.

Amazing

It was a beautiful day on Waikiki Beach: sunny with blue sky peeking around the patches of white clouds, tourists happily splashing in the warm water, and children’s laughter skimming the air. Ideal except for the nagging memory of Anderson Cooper’s documentary about homeless people I had just watched the previous day.  He talked about how we dehumanize them, we ignore them, try not to look them in the eye.  Yes, I have been guilty.  There are many homeless in the areas here where I walk every day.  Today I needed to be different.  It was time to look them in the eye, to acknowledge they were there and to talk. 

I approached a man sitting in front of a planter on Kalakaua Blvd, the main street on Waikiki Beach.  He had a bucket next to him with a sign:  JOBLESS, Donations needed.  I dropped a few dollars in and sat beside him.  I introduced myself, his name was Shawndy.   Then I asked if he had a story to tell me.  First, he questioned me about what kind and I said anything would do.  He shared that he has lived in Hawaii he entire life, he’s 29 now.  He wanted me to know that he is not homeless.  It concerned him that too many people thought that.  He lives in a 3 bedroom house with his parents, brother, brother’s wife and some kids and maybe more family members.  I couldn't keep up.  He sleeps on the couch in the living room. 

I asked if he ever had a job and, giving no excuses, he said not really.  He shared that people could be mean.  Once they had hung him out the window of a high rise.  He has been beat and had his money stolen.  He talked about not understanding people who whined about why god had given them such obstacles.  He thought it a waste of time to be sad, mad or angry. 

“I kill them with kindness,” Shawndy said of those who were angry.  “Sometimes it just makes them angrier,” he grinned saying he had no time for such emotions. 

“And those who ignore me?  I kill them with kindness!” He laughed.  As we were chatting, a man stopped with a soda.  Looking uncomfortable, he asked where he could put it.  Shawndy nodded towards his lid covered bucket.  When I got up to leave, Shawndy also got up.  I thanked him for his time and for sharing what he did.  I couldn't shake his hand because he had no arms.  He was no more than 3 feet tall and moved with a severe limp.  He was barefooted and had 2 toes on each foot.  I nodded and smiled and he did the same.  As I turned to go, the 4 inch numb protruding from his shoulder was reaching around the cup as he dipped his head to take a drink.

I was humbled.