T-shirts

Ok, I have no idea what I am doing. Normally I am carefully crafting my blog post, but this is pure stream of consciousness. Warning: there will be no paragraph breaks, little or no proofreading, etc. It was one week ago I posted the last blog about Corey and his passion for helping people in Haiti. Well we finally received approval Wednesday from the main school district office to sell the HELP HAITI shirts at school, so we scheduled four consecutive Thursdays during both lunches. Yesterday was the first day--pretty simple set-up--table with shirts on it, PAL students standing/walking around wearing their shirts, music blaring from behind our table. Since we had just found out the day before that we could begin selling, we weren't able to have any announcements leading up to Thursday that shirts would be available. So we sold like 9 that day, but a bunch of kids were like "man, if I had known, I would have brought money--can I get one tomorrow?" So as of this afternoon, we are up to about 30 shirts sold (combination of adult staff members and students). We ran out of smalls and XLs, so I placed an updated order this afternoon before leaving campus. Then tonight got a call from Coach Heather at Cal State wanting to help out by having the women's tennis team sell them at the men's basketball regional tournament all day Tuesday--looking for 50-100 shirts. . . .yesterday morning dropped a few off to the counselors at Serrano Middle School over by San Manuel casino, and they said when they return from being off track their campus will want to sell them in April. Then there is Cajon High, who currently has last year's GV Pals. Other ideas being thrown out: get a kiosk at a mall, create a website, section off neighborhoods and go door to door . . . .My 8th graders are really into this, but because they have limited mobility/freedom, a lot is falling on me right now . . .So I'm thinking, "Should I just quit my job and sell t-shirts for Haiti full time at this point?" Perhaps not. But anyone who knows me at all knows that I've done crazier things than that . . . .

HELP HAITI

Corey, one of my 8th grade students at Golden Valley MS, was in my office a few days after the earthquake in Haiti last month. He was with a handful of his classmates, and with just a few minutes before the bell would ring for the next period I asked them which country they would want to visit if they could go anywhere in the world. I heard typical responses at first like Hawaii, Italy, Japan, etc. When it was Corey's turn, he said "Haiti". I asked him why he would want to go there, and he said he wanted to help the people affected by the earthquake.

Corey's response made a lasting impression--it resonated in my heart for days. Corey is a naturally gifted leader--elected president of the Peer Assistance Leaders group on campus, captain of the basketball team, enrolled in high-achieving GATE classes, etc. He is also a deeply spiritual young man, and is known to be found in church 2 or 3 evenings a week--and more--not because his parents say he has to--but because he has an intense longing to be there whenever possible.

Within the last couple of weeks, he has been in my office much more than usual--not because he needs counseling or is in trouble, but because he is leading an effort on campus to sell t-shirts to students and staff that say "HELP HAITI" on the front, with all profits to be donated to Compassion International. Today we dealt with the usual district garbage about following correct accounting procedures, etc. Last weekend he went to Stater Brothers with his father to see about setting up a table in front to sell the shirts (the space is reserved through March for Girl Scout cookie sales), and was in my office this afternoon with a few other PALs composing a letter to be faxed to the Stater Bros headquarters. He is also talking about starting a website thru which these shirts (black fabric with either hot pink or teal graphics--very striking!) could be sold world-wide.

Yesterday, I prayed with Corey in my office. I pray for my students all the time while driving to work in the morning; but that was the first time I remember actually praying over a student while I've been a public school counselor (ok, go ahead, fire me), and I'm thinking it will not be the last. He and 3 of his closest friends began asking me more about Compassion International. They knew I sponsored a child from Ecuador, because I have Andres' picture on my desk. Before I knew it, they were hovered around my computer scouring through children in the Dominican Republic who were in need of a sponsor. (Their first choice was a Haitian child, but Compassion has suspended child sponsorships from that country until the situation has become stabilized). They realize that for $38 a month, they could pool a portion of their lunch money and begin a "joint" sponsorship.

As I sit at my computer at home on this Friday evening, I am exhausted. Along with working as the "advisor" for this effort, I have a full plate of the usual counseling duties. But, as it always has been, the zeal of youth is contagious. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been placed in the path of such a passionate individual. True, he is looking to me for leadership. But I am looking to him for inspiration. And I am truly inspired . . . .