A letter from a Sunday Friends supporter to our founder (reprinted with permission):
Dear Janis,
Good Day to you! I’m finally putting pen to paper and responding to all the wonderful letters and notes I receive from you and from all the wonderful and grateful families in the Sunday Friends program.
I have to tell you that the Thank You letters from the families have a big impact on me and my thinking. I see the parents and the children express so much love for each other and so much gratitude for what they have and receive. It reminds me to keep my focus on what I do have. Their letters and drawings warm my heart in a way not felt in many other hours of my life right now. Thank you, to you and to the families, for those letters.
I want to continue to support Sunday Friends because I believe in the program and am grateful to have the resources to support the program. You are helping others and reminding others to help themselves. I am going to increase my support to $175 a month effective immediately. Please let the families know that their letters are warm and wonderful! I appreciate all of you! God bless you and your workers and volunteers, Janis. My prayers are with all of you and the families in the program. Thank you for all that you do!
Sincerely and prayerfully,
Ms. Aragon
A letter from
a Sunday Friends supporter to a colleague (reprinted with permission):
A few weeks ago, my wife and I spent a Sunday afternoon with a group of children in San
Jose. Many of these kids were homeless, all were from low income families.
When we arrived, we went to help prepare lunch for the families. Here’s the
thing – even though we volunteered to make lunch for these families – the
kids did most of the work. What was going on here?
Sunday Friends was empowering these children.
All we did was supervise
them and give them tickets for their work. The tickets were currency
that they earned for their efforts. At the end of the
day, they used these tickets to buy items at the “Treasure
Chest,” a store full of items donated by the community. Later in the day, while some children shopped at the store, I worked with others with flash cards to
improve their English and math skills.
We had a wonderful time working with these families. It was great to see these kids (and their parents) obtain school binders or a sweater or diapers or a doll – items that they otherwise could not afford. Even better, it was great to see their pride – in their contributions to the program and in their having earned the items they were buying. They were not receiving “handouts.” Moreover,
they were not “clients” or recipients of our volunteer services.
Rather, all of us were working together.
This is the vision that Sunday Friends is realizing each week – providing
a supportive environment for homeless and low income families to learn
and practice effective social and economic life skills.
Children and parents work together with volunteers, improving self-confidence,
pride, work ethic and family unity.
David Waksberg
Palo Alto
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