Working Together to End the Cycle of Poverty

It’s been two years this month since Promising Pages formed a partnership with Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte to bring books, smiles, and hope to children in our community. Our first ever volunteer was Michele Smith of Huntersville. Together Michele and Kristina wrapped 300 books at her home and took them down to Crisis where there were gone in an astonishing. "2 hours." It took Kristina and Michele 3 weeks to collect those books and get them ready. It was then Kristina new something bigger needed to be done to help these children have more access to ownership of books.
 During those two years we have distributed thousands of children’s books to kids and families who find themselves in need of Crisis’ services. In addition to financial education and assistance, Crisis also provides clothing, furniture, and household appliances to families experiencing poverty in the Charlotte area. According to Nicole Pulliam, a Promising Pages volunteer who also volunteers with Crisis, “Crisis' mission is to educate the public about the harsh realities of poverty, provide financial counseling, and try to if not eradicate the number of people and/or families suffering economic hardships.”

Smith Wrapping for Crisis 1/11

“Sounds like a great organization,” you might say, “but what does it have to do with Promising Pages?” I think Nicole says it best: “Crisis, with its task of providing the educational tools to improve area families' (adults) financial stability, and Promising Pages fostering the philosophy that through increased literacy the newcomers (children) will have the tools necessary to end the cycle of illiteracy in some families and become successful in life by obtaining higher levels of education that will equip them to compete within our ever changing job market.” Our work at Crisis usually only lasts about 45 minutes to an hour at a time, but the impact that it has on everyone involved is astounding. Oftentimes families experiencing financial crisis have immediate concerns that need to be addressed: whether they will have food on the table that night or if their heating might be turned off, for example. It’s understandable that books for their children might not be their first priority. However, it is still a very important one, and this is where Promising Pages comes in. By having the opportunity to introduce a book into a child’s life, a book that they might not be getting otherwise, kids can develop a love of reading that extends beyond the classroom’s requirement and can propel those children to be successful later in life. “For many children we meet this is their first exciting experience in association with a book,” says Promising Pages founder Kristina Cruise. Likewise, by Crisis offering financial assistance to those families in need, they have more time and energy to focus back into their family. The circle this generates has the potential to become strong enough to break the cycle of poverty.

John, The first boy we gave a book to

Sometimes, though, our efforts hit a road block. Consider this story from Kristina: “One little girl refused our present because she "didn't like books and didn't like reading." She was 8. At first I was shocked and depressed but then I realized that we have to work harder because there are other little boys and girls that have not yet tuned that very dark corner. Maybe if we would have gotten to her a little bit sooner. I know in my heart what her life will look like in 10 and 20 years and it's was sad. She now serves as my inspiration to work more stead-fastly because every day our books are helping other kids from eventually feeling the way she felt that day.” I felt this story was worth mentioning because it really shows that there is an incredible need for the books we collect to be redistributed into our community. If we can reach children with these books early enough, before they have time to “fall through the cracks,” there’s no limit to the difference we could make.

As a fairly new member of Promising Pages, my first experience with Crisis happened back in December. It was one thing for me to be told about all the great experiences our volunteers have had working with Crisis, but it was quite another to stand in that waiting area and see it for myself. I remember that upon first walking in, I noticed a lot of sad faces in that room. Most kids could have cared less about a guy dressed up in a bright yellow suit leading a group of people holding huge canvas bags through the crowd. However, the mood in the entire room changed what everyone realized what we were doing there. Kids were laughing, racing back to their families with their new books. Some of the bolder children even came back and asked if we had any books they could have for siblings back home. 

            If you are still interested in the impact of our work with Crisis, please check out this post from July: http://promisingpages.blogspot.com/search?q=the+girl+in+the+waiting+room

Or, you can do us one better and sign up to volunteer. www.promisingpages.com/volunteer. Like Kristina says: “It's honestly hard to describe or do it justice in words. It's just a feeling that you know you are a part of something very, very special.”

--Carley Foster, #readysetread