Families First continuously strives to provide solutions for children and families facing life's greatest challenges. It is our long history of service that has established Families First as the leading non-profit family service agency in the state of Georgia. With so many families facing difficulties, now, more than ever, is the time to empower the community to support strong families and healthy children. Recently, storms have caused devastating destruction in communities all over the United States; tearing down buildings, ripping through homes, and steadily breaking down the very fabric of family security. The media is replete with images of devastation and despair. However the staff and residents at Weaver Gardens recognized they could do something about the hundreds of families left homeless after a deadly tornado ripped through Pratt City, Alabama, a little over 2 months ago. Weaver Gardens is a transitional living program that provides efficiency apartments and supportive services for mothers aged 17 to 26 who were previously homeless and have one child less than a year old.
At Families First, we strive to provide a place and be a place where families can receive support but also where they can give back to our larger community .This week’s blog captures the reflections of the residents and staff of Weaver Gardens after their recent community service trip to Alabama. It is inspiring to witness our clients truly serve as catalysts for change in the community. Albert Einstein once said, "The value of a man resides in what he gives and not what he is capable of receiving." These gracious women recognized that we all have responsibility for our communities and our children and we all can and should be community builders “raising the village.”
Kim Anderson, Families First CEO
A woman prepares for a wedding in a small church in Pratt City Alabama. She decorates the front of the sanctuary in blue, white and silver. She takes tiny pieces of material, carefully folds them in perfect pleats and places them on the organza. Other women from the community gather to assist her in her endeavors; handing her push pins, placing materials on the bulletin board, chatting about the guests. Just down the street from this church, a building lays in ruin. Debris fills the streets. All around the church are what seem to be scenes from an apocalyptic movie. But still, this little church and the members come together to rebuild a community in desperation.
155 miles away in College Park, Georgia, a group of young mothers and staff at Families First’s Weaver Gardens decide to do something about the devastation in the community of Pratt City.
“I had been watching the devastation on TV, not just in Alabama but other states as well,” says Brenda Jones, Families First staff at Weaver Gardens, “One night I thought about it and I knew I had to do something. When I told the residents, they thought it was a good idea.”
Mrs. Jones began planning right away to identify a place in Alabama in need of help and the residents began stockpile supplies to donate. After a month of collecting diapers, formula, canned goods, clothing, toys and other necessities, they loaded up a van with a group of 5 Residents, 5 babies, 3 staff, an after care youth, a mother-in-law, a load of donated supplies…and a partridge and a pear tree! Ok, well maybe not the last two items, but the Residents at Weaver Gardens definitely gathered enough supplies to have Christmas in June.
Pratt City is a small town of about 600-800 people outside of Birmingham, Alabama. “If you blink, you will miss the town,” says Mrs. Jones, jokingly, regarding the size of the city, “The storm just wiped the town completely out. It was a very emotional trip for us but we are anxious to go back.”
A church called Sandusky Church is where they dropped off all of the goods.
“The pastor, Pastor James Willcutt, really inspired me,” says Mrs. Ayeala Kitwana, another Families First Staff who went on the trip, “There were people of different ages, different races coming together with the goal of cleaning up their community.” Pastor Willcutt found friends and people who wanted to volunteer with bulldozers to help clean up the debris.
“People were literally picking up branches and twigs; one at a time—that is how much they wanted to help out” says Mrs. Kitwana. “They all knew that if they did not come together to rebuild, it would be very difficult to get the people to come back to such a damaged city.”
Mrs. Jones said that she hopes that other young people who receive services from Families First will have an opportunity to participate in projects like these.
“Many residents may come to Families First with a sense of entitlement or self centered motivation. But after an experience like this they quickly learn to come together to say ‘what can we do, what can we give back’?” Mrs. Jones says, “Through giving back, they are not only impacting an entire community but they are teaching thier children to do the same."
“I was shocked to see all the damage”, says Samantha, a resident at the Weaver Gardens, “I realized that no one was living in the houses so I’m thinking, where are they living? They lost everything! It makes me look at my situation a little differently. I mean I have water. I have food. I have detergent to wash my clothes…I can wash my clothes and they can’t. You hear things but it is different to actually see it. I would love to go back to help out and clean up the debris.”
“Many times our youth don’t get that exposure,” says Mrs. Kitwana, “We move fast in this society and we do not always get a chance to say, let’s go see, let’s go take a look. Our youth are not exposed. Their world is right here. We cannot expect them to expand their vision if they never witness or experience the pain of others or the joy of giving back.”
Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Kitwana envision Families First in the community, not just in Alabama, but here at home as well. They see community service as an opportunity to challenge a young person to grow out of their shell and see community development as a personal responsibility.
“I wish that other homes would do what we did. It is more than just going to the town, they all got the experience,” says Mrs. Jones.
Now, back in College Park, Georgia, the young ladies at Weaver Gardens look at things a little differently. They understand a little more, they’ve experienced a little more, and they appreciate a little more. They know the power of service and the impact that they can make and they know this because they actually went into the community and did something. They can say that at a tiny church in the middle of a tiny city in Alabama, they had an opportunity to realize the value of giving back and the impact that it has on the community and themselves.
“There is a big human family out there and it makes you more human when you are able to make a connection so that you know that you are not on an island.”
Mrs. Ayeala Kitwana