What Can You Do?

Why Should I Get Involved?

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Can you make a difference in the life of a child?

A child needs a hero in their life. In the October 4, 2002 Columbia Business Times there was an article written by Dana Battison, our Executive Director, entitled Instilling Hope By Being a Hero To A Youth. Here is an excerpt from the article:

What if you had no heroes and no hope? What if the whisper of hope in your ear was drowned out in a chorus of defeat? Unfortunately, that is the case for many of today’s inner city youth, even here in Columbia.

When daily crises in everyday life dominate the thoughts and words of all the adults surrounding such a youth, it is difficult for the child to learn the self-discipline to plan for the future. When the paycheck doesn’t cover the bills for today, it is hard to think about saving for tomorrow.

So, if you were a 10-year old growing up in poor circumstances in the central part of Columbia, who would be your hero to help you plan your escape? Who would bring an outside perspective to your life and paint a picture of a better tomorrow that you could believe in? Who would encourage you and silence the voices of defeat long enough to give hope a chance? Who would stand beside you as a friend, helping you plant your feet on the ocean floor to see over the crashing waves of a crisis? Too often for these children, there is nobody available to play that role.

Heroes nurture that sense of value and purpose that youth need, and they can reinvest the capacity for hope. They stretch the young mind to believe that it can be or do more than it ever thought possible. They challenge youth to develop fresh hope for the future.

Your community needs you as a hero. Find a way to make a connection with the next generation. Share a story. Spend a little time with a child to increase his or her capacity for hope.

With you as a hero, he or she can learn to plan, save, and be responsible too. These children are the future of our business community and of our world. Let’s fill that future with hope.

You Can Volunteer as a Mentor

Our youth need mentors who will commit to one hour a week to play chess, table tennis, or air hockey, have a beverage with them, and show interest in their lives and concerns.

You Can Volunteer as a Tutor

The youth need tutors to help them with their homework once a week for one hour after school. Education is very important to The Intersection, all of our youth are required to do a half hour of homework when they arrive before they may get involved with recreational activities.

You Can Volunteer to Teach a Class

We have had a variety of classes taught to our youth: dance, art, science, cooking, sewing, etc. If you have a skill that you would be willing to share and teach to our youth we can definitely use your talents and abilities.

How Do You Volunteer?

Everyone who volunteers at The Intersection must fill out a volunteer form. You may send an e-mail to theintersection1@yahoo.com and we will send you a volunteer form to fill out or stop by The Intersection and pick one up.

 

You Can Support Us Financially.

61% of our annual budget comes from private donations. It costs about $1,100 per child to provide a full year of character building, enriching activities in a supportive, caring environment at The Intersection. Your financial support helps to shape the future of our city one child at a time. We also need goodies for the merit bank store such as: notebooks, pens, candy, movie passes, etc…

Your support makes it possible for The Intersection to ‘Make Connections That Change Lives’.

We have received over $69,000 in Youth Opportunity Program Tax Credits through the Missouri Department of Economic Development Youth Opportunities Program that are equal to half the value of cash donations. Here’s and example:

For more information about the Youth Opportunities Program go to the Missouri Department of Economic Development home page at: www.missouridevelopment.org

Your YOP contribution will support:

A Sandwich Shop will be up and running in the near future that will bring employment to some of our youth and provide funding for Intersection programming.

The Intersection is supported by tax deductible contributions and grants. If you are interested in donating you may use the donate now button below or call and ask about the Youth Opportunity Program Tax Credits we have available. All donations may be mailed directly to us at:

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The Intersection is a 501(c)3 non-profit grassroots organization. We have been listed in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Best Practices manual as one of the most effective grassroots organizations in the nation.