A year ago, two MBA students formed Hike4Kids, a charity to raise money for neglected and abused children. Their classmates rallied around the cause and helped raise over $10,000 for a school for blind children in Cameroon (founded by Brook James, MBA’13), and the St. Louis Family Resource Center. This semester, Michael McLaughlin, MBA’14, is launching a broader effort to create more opportunities for Olin students to volunteer and help neglected and abused children in the community. The new student organization is called: Unite4Kids.
Read about Hike4Kids co-founder Michael McLaughlin’s back-to-back hikes of the Appalachian and Ozark Trails that helped raise awareness for the cause and led to the creation of Unite4Kids.
Michael and other student volunteers will be contributing to this blog to share events and experiences sponsored by Unite4Kids. Here’s a message from Michael McLaughlin:
This past Monday I came across one of the most beautiful singing voices I have ever heard. The voice belonged to a 15-year old girl, who sang “Mama’s Song” by Carrie Underwood.
Despite having no musical accompaniment, the young lady managed to impress the audience enough to earn a standing ovation. And where might you ask did this performance take place? At a local high school or recital?
It took place at a local youth agency, because this talented young lady has lived in state care for over 2 years. She is what the staff refer to as a “lifer,” someone who will spend a substantial portion of her formative years living in state care, because there are no family members willing or able to care for her. And what is this young lady’s crime? What did she do to end up where she is? Nothing. Her crime is that she was born into the wrong family.
While most people undoubtedly resent or fight with their parents throughout their childhood, they are typically not forced to endure the indignity of being thrust into the care of the state because their parents do not love them.
I personally have experienced this feeling, and I can say that without a doubt it is one of the loneliest feelings in the world to know that your own parents do not find you worthy of their love.
After I heard this magnificent singing performance, I was saddened to think what might have been, had only this young lady been born into a different family. I imagined her singing at a school performance, with loving parents smiling in the crowd as she regaled the audience with her talent. Everyone would applaud, and most assuredly congratulate her parents on what a talented daughter they had. The future would be bright.
But as things stand, I cannot say with confidence that the future will be bright. Because the youth living in state care face daunting challenges that few of them are able to overcome, and it all starts when they “age out” of the system and are forced to fend for themselves.
With no family or support system to fall back on, is it any wonder that such youth find solace in the sense of community offered by gangs, or in the short-term high offered by drugs? The miracle of it all is that any such kids go on to live happy, fulfilling lives. I asked the COO of the youth agency what is the most important factor in determining whether one of the kids goes on to live a decent life. “Whether or not they make a connnection with someone,” she replied. She went on to say that such a connection could be with anyone; a staff member, a friend, a teacher– it just had to be someone who cares.
Starting this March, a group of Olin students will be preparing monthly dinners for these youth, in the hopes that we can foster such connections. Here’s hoping that we can successfully connect with some of these youth and let them know that although their parents may not care, there are others in the world who certainly do.
Check out www.Unite4Kids.org or like Unite4Kids on Facebook to learn more.
