News article about us

Below is an article from the "Kearney Courier" newspaper on July 26, 2007

[Like all news articles it leaves more questions than it answers and it is not totally accurate (for instance it insinuates that it is a kid's group). The majority of the people showing up to help and donating food are adults... but it was Cody's dreamchild. Cathy was realistic enough to realize that there would have to be a lot of adult involvement for it to succeed. Sad to say, but there are even parents who will not allow their kids to go along ever because they feel they would be in danger.

The article also does not mention Sheila who is the lifeline of the group. She has actually bonded with a couple and spends her day off visiting with them. She takes them to the City Market and brings them to church and to her home. She has become a kind of extended family member to Paula and Marvin.

All of those who have participated in our Under the Rail Road program have been changed by the experience.]

+

Kearney Kids aim to Bring Hope to the Hopeless

Most people can remember a time when they were stopped at a red light and saw someone on the side of the road asking for something. Maybe he asked for money or food or a job, but he said he needed something that he could not provide for himself.

And while some may crack their window and slop out a few dollars, others just look away hoping for the light to turn green or even curse at the person, telling him to get a job.

But a group of Kearney kids are hoping to change not only the general public’s impression of the homeless but their own, too.

Brooke Alexander is one young woman who crossed the social barriers and sat under an area overpass in an effort to bridge the gap between her and those who are homeless.

“I’ll admit that the first time I went, I was nervous,” Alexander said. “I was apprehensive about what I’d see and how they’d react to us being there.”

Alexander said it didn’t take long for both sides to open up to each other.

“Once we started talking,” Alexander said. “They were respectful, friendly and welcoming.”

The group was started after Cody Bates, 16, read the book, “Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America” by Make Yankoski.

He said the book made him more aware of the needs of his community. He also said after reading it he and his youth pastor, Cathy McIntire, decided to get a froup together to do more.

“I wanted to be more involved in my community,” Bates said. “When we approached these people , we asked if they would like our help, and they said they would.”

And while there are groups all over the Kansas City area reaching our to the homeless, McIntire said that this group was different.

“We’re trying to meet them where they are,” McIntire said. “A lot of these people don’t want us to come in and change their lives; they just want to be accepted as a person.”

But whether the goal is to change lives or not, reaching out to those in need has changed the life of Bates.

“The experience of knowing these people has opened my eyes,” Bates said. “It has shown me another part of our world and that this isn’t a problem happening in another country, it’s happening here.”

Alexander also said helping the homeless had deeply affected her life.

“Knowing these people has helped me put my priorities into perspective.” Alexander said. “ My possessions are not everything, I think about what’s really important now.”

Both Bates and Alexander said spending on day with the homeless people would change what others thought when they drove by.

“These are good people,” Alexander said. “They’re not drunks or doing bad things.” Bates also invited people from his community to help.

“It’s such a great program,” Bates said. “Just take one day to say hello, and it will make a difference.”

But these youth don’t just sit and talk with the homeless people; during the winter months they bring the food and ask what they can do to make their lives easier. Bates said each week they would ask, ”If you could only receive one thing this week, what would you ask for?” Bates said that they would ask for propane so they could prepare warm meals on camp stoves or they would ask for firewood so they could keep from freezing during the long winter nights.

“There are literally 12 people living under the overpass we visit,” McIntire said. “in the winter months we visit every week and every couple of weeks once it warms up.”

McIntire said the group member were more than just someone to talk to; they were people who cared about making a difference in the lives of the homeless.

“We are giving them help in all areas of their lives,” McIntire said. “Recently we helped a woman get a mammogram, and we try to help with other needs like that that they can’t meet on their own.”

After seeing the need in the community, McIntire helped start the BackPack Program here in Kearney. The program provides food and other necessities to elementary-age children and their families on a weekly basis.

“I know for me knowing that I’ve helped meet someone’s needs is very rewarding,” McIntire said. “We want them to feel loved and valued, and I think they do.”

Staff writer Carrie Alexander can be reached at carriealexander@npgco.com