For those of you who don't live in Kenmore, here is the article that I wrote for the Kenmore Connection. On a side note, First Glance could still use your donations to continue doing the great work that they do. Click here to make a donation. Enjoy!
I love Kenmore, plain and simple. I've lived most of my natural life here, made some of my best friends on Saxon Ave, and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. When I became an adult and it came time for me to buy a house, I only looked in one zip code - the 44314. I can't help it, I just love it. However, like any good love story, this relationship has had plenty of rocky moments. In Kenmore we have all the problems and issues that come with being a post-industrial, inner city community.
Through it all, I've defended our town even when it wasn’t easy to defend and I felt like I was being loyal for the sake of loyalty. It was sad. But last summer, I found some hope. I can't remember exactly how I found out about them but I know that when I did, I was ecstatic.
First Glance, a teen outreach center on Kenmore Blvd, is the medicine for what ails us here in Kenmore. By reaching out to teens and helping guide them in their formative years, they're helping to lower crime, keep kids drug free, and make our community a better place, through a variety of methods.
They have a program that helps young mothers learn parenting skills and supply them material help that is earned through a point system, not just handed out. Another program, named Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, is a teen girl abstinence program where the girls hang out, have fun, take field trips, and eat. Wednesday nights are skateboarding nights. Here, kids can (legally) show off their skills and hang out with other skaters on an indoor course. They also have two open recreation nights where the kids can come in, hang out, and be themselves. There are computers, basketball, skateboarding, video games, and food. Through all these programs, First Glance serves several hundred students from the community.
However, the biggest service that First Glance offers is hope. When a kid is struggling at home, has no place safe to go, or is a teen mom, they need to know that there is hope that this situation isn't going to be like this forever but that it can change for the better. Volunteers at First Glance are there to reach out and offer comfort and guidance and let them know they can make better decisions. They can choose to be a good person. And maybe one day they can make a difference in Kenmore for someone else.
I started volunteering at First Glance back in October on the Thursday open recreation night. When I started it didn't feel like I was doing much. I go in, hang out with the kids, make small talk, and it's over. I really didn't feel like I'd done anything significant. In my mind, I thought I would be given a more distinct job, not just show up and hang out.
Since then I've learned I was very wrong. Where First Glance shines is the forum they provide for us volunteers to connect with these kids: a non-threatening place for us to get to know these kids and provide help without judgment. Over time, a few of the kids started warming up to me and I began finding things out about their lives. You find out that their parents are divorced and they are living with their mom and grandma. That they get picked on at school. And that they don't have very much money.
That's about as far as it's got for me, the new guy. I've only gotten to know a couple of kids and at this point, they're only talking to me. My real test will be when one of the kids comes to me with a real problem looking for help - how will I handle it?
I'm excited to be a part of First Glance. I'm excited to see how their efforts are going to change Kenmore. I'm excited because one day, because of First Glance, Kenmore will be a place that people will be proud to be loyal to.
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