It Really is a Wonderful Life!
Most of us are familiar with the Frank Capra Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. We know of the “gift” that George received when his guardian angel, Clarence, let him see how the world would be had George never been born.
For the past two years, I have had the privilege of working at Charitable Union in Battle Creek, Michigan. It is the oldest non-profit in the area, founded in 1887 by an ecumenical group of women who called themselves “the ladies of social responsibility.” This special group of women saw a need in town and did something about it. School aged children walked the street, kids who should have been in school. What was the problem? The ladies approached the youth and asked them why they were not in school. The kids responded that when they went to school the other kids made fun of them because they did not have clothing appropriate to wear.
And so it began… the ladies organized….worked hard….asked for help….and began gathering and making clothes for those poor children. Kids who would then go back to school with their heads held high, because they looked like all the other kids in school….they were no longer different…and they felt good about themselves. Their lives were changed….Today, the story is the same… at our recent anniversary dinner to celebrate the 122nd anniversary of Charitable Union we heard the story of Sam, a man who had come to Battle Creek in 2003 feeling “emotionally, spiritually and physically bankrupt”. He went directly to the VA Hospital and into drug treatment. Like many who struggle with addictions, Sam relapsed. At one point he lived under the bridge with the other homeless of the city. He would come to Charitable Union for clothing. Because of Charitable Union, he said, “I could walk around town and look like everyone else.”
As much as the times have changed in the past 122 years, some things remain the same….So, I wonder what would happen to the estimated million, men, women and children who have come into Charitable Union to receive clothing, bedding and small household items, free of charge over these past 122 years, if there had never been a Charitable Union….
….how many kids would never have gone to school because they did not have clothing that made them feel like their classmates?…how many Sam’s would there be who gave up and died because there was no hope of change?
…how many deaths would there have been because the homeless did not have adequate warm clothing, or a sleeping bag, to keep them warm? And how many families would have been forced to make different choices to clothe their children and themselves because there was not enough money to clothe, house and feed their needs?Imagine, this city, Battle Creek, without Charitable Union…. and then ask yourself….how can I help to ensure that 1000’s are helped each month, each year…. Where are our “ladies and gentlemen of social responsibility” today?
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Contact
Phone: 269-964-7234
Fax: 269-966-2535
patti@charitableunion.org