Laura's quilt honoring Tim Wilson |
The immediate ELM focus is collection of blankets to keep tragedy at bay and a base level of comfort for those unable to secure one of the limited available spots in area shelters.
First Call to ACTION: scour your home for unused (or rarely used) blankets, clean and donate them to one of the many receiving facilities around the city. For drop-off locations, visit the ELM Donate a Blanket page.
Blankets are the beginning. In Laura's words: This campaign has no end. We’ll just keep at it until a bridge is no longer “home” for anyone and until every man, woman and child in our city has enough of a support system to weather the bad times, no matter how bad they get. And, when we’re done in Atlanta, we’ll move on to other communities.
Second Call to Action: Sign the ELM pledge - a book with the signatures will be presented to Atlanta Mayor Reed. The pledge is simple and powerful:
I promise to support those who offer care,I pledge to see the men, women and children whoare homeless in my city as fellow citizens, worthyof kindness and consideration.
resources and real change that help our neighborsfind food, shelter, employment and a return tostability.I add my name to others who believe that every life matters.
To sign the pledge, go the ELM Pledge page.
On the ELM website sidebar is a Mother Teresa quote that brings home the magnitude of poverty and how it extends will beyond physical survival into emotional realms. From Mother Teresa:
"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."
As Laura, I live in Buckhead and know many beautiful individuals who live within the streets by their first names. One of my missions is to bring Dignity back into their lives along with survival needs. There are so many simple, caring acts we may do - an easy one is eye contact with a friendly "Hello" More to come in future posts.
See the IMPACT Blog post, Ties That Matter, for details on Laura's organization that trains refugees to make gorgeous products from donated ties.
Please join me in congratulating Laura for her fortitude and taking ACTION with practical, immediate results. It is the power of individuals like Laura that will crest humanity into a dimension where love, dignity and abundance are the foundation. We may only arrive by actions of the Heart driven by Love.
No comments:
Post a Comment