Several years ago, I worked for a major corporation that donated to the
United Way.
The United Way supports several non-profit organizations, and I was asked to
visit
some of them as part of a corporate liaison team.
My visit to the San Antonio
Children’s Shelter was a major wake up call for me. While I had the
chance to
visit with several smiling children, it was the solemn, five-month-old baby
in two leg
casts that moved me. The little boy that watched our every move, cigarette
burns
covering his arms and legs. The young girl hiding around the corner, one
side of her
swollen face a solid, black bruise.
I couldn’t imagine the horrors they had been through in their short,
innocent lives.
As a young, carefree twenty-something, I gazed at my surroundings in near
shock.
While I knew the violence was out there, my visit made it personal. It put
faces with
the statistics and news stories. It made me realize how fortunate I was to
have grown
up in a poor, but loving family.
I pray that one day there will be no need for their organization. However,
in the
meantime, I’m so grateful they’re around to help.
Joni Hahn
3 comments posted.