After attending a public information meeting Jan. 14, I was compelled by the suggestion of a fellow attendee to take some form of action; hence this letter.
Before I do that I want to thank Barry McLeod for the invitation and information he shared with us.
After the meeting, I asked myself a few questions and put them to the reader. Did you have a warm meal last night? Did you have a warm shower before getting into your warm bed? Did you have a warm and friendly chat with a loved one before you fell into slumberland?
Did you know that there are children in our community that do not have these simple pleasures or amenities in life?
I am blessed with a warm and wonderful life. These vulnerable youth live on our streets, cold, lonely and hungry.
They are often invisible and forgotten – they are homeless.
Many have come from broken, abusive homes, either having been forced out or simply ran away too frightened to return.
Mission does not currently have an emergency shelter for these vulnerable members of our society. They need a safe, loving environment for recovery and to learn life skills to enable them a rich life. They say it takes a community to raise a child.
I look forward to working with other volunteers to make a difference.
Ernestine O’Rourke
Mission