Real Life Stories

I used to think the kids in Roswell were all the same. Same income as my family. Same access to food and clothes. And then I started volunteering at my neighborhood elementary school. I don’t think that way anymore.

When you see children come to school with no lunch, wearing dirty clothes and carrying tattered backpacks, you realize their lives are very different from your children’s lives. I had no idea. I knew I had to do something to help, but I didn’t know how.

I learned about the STAR House after-school program though a local service organization. It’s a safe place for kids in North Fulton who don’t have anywhere to go at the end of the school day. Many of these kids end up home alone and in trouble. At STAR House, they get tutored and mentored in a secure, nurturing environment.

I’ve decided to include STAR House as a part of my regular monthly giving. I’ve seen first-hand how STAR House helps at-risk children turn their lives around. These kids may not have the economic advantages that my children have, but they’re children just the same who deserve a chance.

Too many children go home to empty apartments at the end of the school day. For the children in the Jackson family, even that wasn’t an option. Their home was sometimes their car, or when they were lucky, it was the floor in an apartment that belonged to a friend of their mom, or anybody who was willing to let them stay for a day or two.

Life had been like this for nearly a year. When their school’s social worker became aware of the situation, she immediately went to the STAR House site director at their school and pleaded for them to be placed in the always full program. These children were so desperately in need of structure
and stability. Somehow space was made, and it made every
difference for the Jackson family.

Khaden & Malic quickly settled into the routine of STAR House. They were happy to be with friends after school. They were excited to have snacks every day. Before long, with the support of their STAR House coaches, Khaden started to sound out words, and Malic began to master multiplication tables. Their mother was able to commit to full time hours at the child-care facility where she works, and was able to save the money needed for a security deposit for the apartment they now call their home.

Joining the STAR House family helped the Jacksons achieve the stability that kids need to succeed in school and to become thriving members of the Roswell community.