MOUNT VERNON — The adult volunteers with Children@CrossRoads at Gay Street United Methodist Church recently sought a new mission project, one that could be easily understood by the children. Coordinator Janet Jennings said Mount Vernon’s new homeless shelter was one of three possible projects.
“I thought it was important that the children have a say in choosing the project. Having to decide would help make the point that there are many in need and we can’t help everyone, but we can help someone,” said Jennings. “Since 2008 is an election year, why not vote? Because many of the children are just learning to read, we used a picture ballot. I explained that the first picture showed a classroom in South Sudan, Africa. The children there are poor and sometimes go hungry. For just $37, we could buy lunch for one of them every school day for six months.
“Then I pointed to the picture of a boy and a goat. For $75, I told them, we could buy a goat, making it possible for two families to have a dependable supply of milk that would help them have better health and more income. And, I added, it would be a nice pet. I was sure they would vote for the goat.
“The third photo, of a sleeping man, stood for the Mount Vernon [homeless] shelter that was in the planning stages [then]. I said it would be just down the street ... a place where a man temporarily without a home could spend the night on a cot in a safe shelter. We could buy blankets to cover them and keep them warm.”
Jennings said that when the 39 ballots were counted, all of the adults were surprised the No. 1 choice of the children was blankets for the shelter.
“It could have been because the weather had just turned cold the night before, or maybe children just like blankets,” she said. “I don’t know. And, surprisingly, the goat came in third by just one vote.”
