December 15, 2004
STEP program seeks Christmas cheer
Group provides homeless Traverse City teens with basic items during holiday
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Spanning the spectrum from hope to despair, Randall Ward sees the best and, well, the more challenging parts of the community.
The STEP program coordinator for the Traverse City Area Public Schools, Ward helps homeless or needy students throughout the district. STEP is an acronym for Students in Transition Empowerment Program and Ward estimates the program serves hundreds of students. The program provides counseling, tutoring and liaison to area human service programs to help homeless students stay in school.
Many of the homeless teens crash wherever they can, move around a lot and do not have a stable environment - meaning money, food, clothes, parents or home - to count on.
"I'm looking at Traverse City High School and we have kids living on their own and living with other people and trying to make ends meet, single parents," Ward said. "We have elementary school children whose mom or parents are trying to make it work."
As the Christmas season approaches, Ward has been asking the public for donations to help these young people. He sees a need for the basics, such as winter coats, gloves, hats and boots as well as food or other personal care items.
These modest requests grabbed the attention of Randy Burgess, the director of small groups and outreach ministries at the Faith Reformed Church. Burgess heard a public service announcement on the radio last week and called Ward late Friday afternoon. By Monday, despite the snow day, he caught Ward at his desk and said his church was ready to help.
"I had seen a little notice in the Record-Eagle a few weeks ago, almost an anonymous note looking for help for homeless teens and I cut it out and tossed it into a file," Burgess recalled. "After hearing the announcement, I called Randy up and realized the enormity of the situation. When children are involved, it becomes personal real fast."
A small announcement to parishioners over the weekend opened their hearts, closets and wallets. By this Friday, the last day before the schools begin Christmas break, Burgess will bring Ward a financial donation from the church as well as clothes and other items from parishioners.
For the Faith Reformed Church, this is just the beginning of a long-term connection between the congregation and the STEP program, Burgess said. It is part of the church's growing emphasis on local issues for their mission and outreach programs.
"As you look over the landscape of Traverse City, you see a lot of things, the nature, the beauty," Burgess said. "It's amazing that in a community where people chose to come and live in a second home that there are so many people who are homeless. For some reason that seems to be below the radar."
Ward is hopeful that as the word spreads of the plight of homeless children and teens, other churches, organizations and individuals will step up to help, both this season and throughout the year. Coordinating with schools throughout the district, he is determined to provide something to as many of these young people as he can before the Christmas break.
"We can use winter clothing, general clothing, individual families adopting other families, cash donations," said Ward. "Right now, we're trying to put together some food boxes."
"We're looking at Christmas help for some of these families and some of these young people who otherwise are not going to have a whole lot of anything at Christmas time," he noted.
For more information on the STEP program or how to help, call Randall Ward at 933-8991.