Amy Hatkoff

*
From the foreword by Marian Wright Edelman

Every morning, as we wake up, one hundred thousand American children wake up homeless.

Every thirteen seconds, as we get out of bed, an American child is reported abused and neglected.

Every fourteen minutes, while we shower and brush our teeth, a baby dies in America.

And every thirteen hours, before we go back to sleep at night, an American preschooler is murdered.

This book was inspired by my experience working with the children of the Prince George Hotel in New York City. The Prince George was the largest welfare hotel in the world. At the time I was there, it housed more than two thousand children. ...To me, these children were the unsung heroes of a war being waged in America. They withstood the deprivation, the violence and the humiliation of their poverty and their circumstances, and still wanted to celebrate and be a part of life. To me, these children represented what was most noble about the human spirit, and they seared indefinitely in my mind the magnitude of the resilience of the human soul. I felt that if people could know these children the way I had come to know them, and recognize their capacity to help them, they would not think twice about reaching out.

This book was written to tell the story of these children and the millions like them living in America. It is born of the faith that their situation, both unacceptable ad unimaginable, can and will be different, and of the conviction that it is within the capacity of each and every one of us to make it so. It is our hope that in reading this book you will be moved to join with others in our most important task, that of saving our children.

"If we can't care for children and secure for them a future filled with promise, not despair, then all the other achievements of this society will be diminished. There is no more important test of a nation's place in history than the condition of its children."
"People think that unless they can devote themselves like Mother Teresa, they will not make a difference; and this is not true. One person reaching out to one person can make an incredible difference, both in the life of the one being touched, and those that he touches."
HUNGER

How does it feel to be hungry?

"...like I ain’t got nobody." –Kamal, age five
"...like nobody is taking care of me." –Harry, age seven
"...like I shouldn’t exist." –Wilfred, age fourteen

"Hunger is something that we always think of in terms of another country. We don’t understand how terrible hunger is in this country for children."
"Very often a child in our program will ask for food to feed their entire family. They hide food in clothing or furniture or behind a bookcase so they can retrieve it later and have enough to feed their families."
It is hard to imagine that in this country, so rich in resources, millions of children go hungry every day. Yet five and a half million children, or one out of every eight American children under twelve years old, is hungry. Millions more children stand to meet this fate if this problem goes unaddressed... There is enough food in this country to end childhood hunger. This section offers steps we can all take to accomplish this end.

CLOTHING

"Thank you for the clothes you have given us because if it wasn't for you we would not have any new clothes."
"...These children ...may not have a home, but when it comes to their clothing for the school year, they will be just like the other kids."

Provide a child with back-to-school clothes
Many children miss school because they are embarrassed about what they have to wear and fearful of their classmates' making fun of them. Purchase an outfit, or several, for one or more children. Contact a children's program to find out what sizes are needed. Get your friends and coworkers to participate, or ask your company to join in.

In 1986, Connie Kennedy and her friends purchased new school clothing for ten homeless children. In 1991, her organization, Back-to-School Clothes for Kids, provided new school clothing for more than 640 children. To start a similar program in your community, call 914-576-6053.

Help children get school supplies
Millions of children cannot afford the basics needed to do their schoolwork. Put together a back-to-school package for one or more children... A social service agency or volunteer center can help to set this up, or you can call a shelter directly.

Teach the Children in San Antonio, TX, was founded by Nick Monreal, Jr., after he saw a student use a crumpled piece of paper from a garbage can for schoolwork. Today, thousands of children receive school supplies from chapters across the country. To start one in your community, call 512-680-0217.

Friendship and Simple Pleasures
"We've erected a wall of silence around the children of our inner cities. We've stopped listening. We've stopped believing... We must stop to listen, to believe their stories, to respect their yearning to have a childhood... filled with innocence and play and hope. We must finds ways to break the silence."
"If just one person had paid me some attention, my life would have been totally different."

Many children at risk do not have positive role models or sufficient guidance. Their parents may be too overwhelmed by the stress and demands of their own lives to have the time or the capacity to listen, pay attention, or encourage their children. For far too many children, some of the basic experiences that we take for granted about childhood are missing…A relationship with a supportive, constructive individual and provision of positive, childhood experiences can…make all the difference in the direction a child’s life takes... The following are examples of how you can affect a child’s life in a direct and positive way.

DEVELOPING TALENT
"The most important thing is to free the imagination of a child because it's limitless and has nothing to do with class, rich, poor, black, or white. The way to improve society is to ensure the future of its artists and this can only happen by freeing the imagination of the child."

There are countless ways in which you can help a child develop a talent or an interest. It can be as simple as sharing something you love to do. Here are just a few examples.

Shooting Back, started by Jim Hubbard, a photojournalist, teaches homeless children how to use a camera. The children’s photos have appeared in Life magazine and have toured the country. To find out more, write Shooting Back, 1901-18th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20009.

After seeing youths vandalizing cars in her church’s parking lot, Delores Beall founded I Am That I Am Training Center in Dallas, TX, to provide arts programs, tutoring, and friendship to children and youths in need of attention and direction.

*Information and statistics were collected in 1991