Clyde CYO Kids Giving Back The Clyde CYO ... - ClydeKansas.org

Clyde CYO Kids Giving Back
The Clyde CYO youth and sponsors along with moms and a family all ventured to
Omaha, Nebraska on February 27, 2011 to help serve a meal to the homeless and
donate items.
“Why Omaha?” I have heard many say from our parish. Many in our parish may not
have known why Omaha, but it didn't matter, they gave abundantly to help support the
project.
It began last summer as I approached one of the CYO sponsors at, of all places, the
swimming pool. I shared my story of losing a twin brother in Omaha, whom we knew
had been living “homeless” and “on the streets”. Through his death we found a man and
his family, Dave Laney, who was serving meals to the homeless in downtown Omaha
every Sunday. They started with just a pot of soup and bread and it started a chain
reaction where now they serve meals to anywhere from 100 to 300 homeless and needy
people. They now have other people, organizations, churches that volunteer time, food,
clothes, money to help with the project. Dave calls his project “Starfish Ministry” after
the famous story where a man is walking down the beach tossing starfish back into the
sea and the young boy asks him why he does it because there are so many he couldn't
possibly save all of them. In the story, the man simply replies to the boy, “It matters to
that one,” and he tosses another back.
This is just a family, like yours and mine. I was amazed at how it all worked, the time,
the compassion, and the healing that they do for so many. This man Dave and his family
knew my brother, in fact tried to help him and grow a relationship with him. When he
passed, they mourned his passing as they had lost a friend. You see, he calls all of the
homeless on this corner in downtown Omaha where they serve his friends. After my
brother's death, my family made a trip to meet him and his family. Through meeting him
and his family, my eyes had opened and my heart opened to how these are all people,
the homeless, they all have families who miss them, kids who miss their parent, a mom
or dad who miss them, and even a sister who missed her brother.
My life had now changed and I wanted to help these new friends. I thought, our youth
need to see this to experience things that happen where we have no control, to open
their hearts to giving and not judging, and just to see that homelessness can happen to
the best of people through a death, through a divorce, through addictions, or through a
job loss. I felt deeply that this experience of going to Omaha to help serve a meal,
bring donations, cookies and just our smiles to share could make a big impact on the
lives of these kids.
So, in February the kids set out to collect donations of clothing and hygiene products to
donate. With that the kids even decided to take dessert to serve at the meal so they
baked 150 muffins and 150 granola bars. They packed goody bags and tied them shut
with a prayer from the CYO Kids of Clyde. At the end of the month we gathered early on
Sunday the 27th, we loaded the cars with our “goods” and the sponsors led us in prayer
for our journey. We traveled 3 hours to that corner in downtown Omaha, ready to give,
to share and show a smile.

It was a cold day on the corner and we didn't know how many would show for the meal,
but at lunch time, here they came, around 120, many carrying their belongings in a bag
or a backpack. I am sure the kids wondered, where do they live, why are they
homeless? These are the same questions we as adults have as well. But we were not
there to judge but to serve and our kids did that so well with smiles. We handed out the
goody bags and so many people said thank you and God Bless as we left our donations
and our prayers for them. I think we all left that day feeling “warm” inside, feeling good
for the deed and I pray that we all left with a better understanding of compassion and
giving.
If you see these kids, sponsors, teachers and moms please thank them for their
dedication to this trip. Ashley Seifert, Michelle George, Morgan Feight, Laura Wilson,
Laci Cyr, Reed Bergstrom, Damian Cyr, Dalton Porter, Grant Rogers, Blake Quillen, Lucas
Bulleigh, Collin Sykes, Curtis and Audra Walters, Eric and Darci German, Nicole and
Derek Drake, Kristi Koch, Denise Cyr and Keri Feight.
They made a difference that day, and “it mattered to that one.”
Wendy Genereux and family