The Diocesan Dialogue
Current Issue
March 2008

The amazing $21,000 St. James Youth Group story

Based on an op-ed piece written by Terry Palmer, St. James

The St. James Youth Group teens couldn't get a newspaper story out of their minds. A grandfather had frozen to death in his truck. Up to now, winter was just strictly fun kid's play. It was skiing, snowboarding, and goofing around. The youth group had suddenly discovered what older folks know from years of reading the news, years from seeing lines in front of a soup kitchen, and years of passing men huddled in a doorways shivering in discarded blankets. It is the "other" side of winter. Winter is the time human beings can die of exposure, be crowded out of a shelter due to a lack of space, and lose their homes because they can't meet utility bill demands.

St James Youth Group brainstorms on an upcoming project during a weekend "Lock-in" at the Parish. Dialogue photo.

Being kids, they didn't know you can't just go out and raise tens of thousands of dollars for a shelter to put a dent in the need—especially with a bake sale, a car wash, and some other church activities. It is a good thing they didn't know how pie-in-the-sky such a goal might be—otherwise they might not have raised over $20,000 dollars in one month alone. How? With a bake sale, a car wash, and some other church activities. Two youth group parents, Terry Palmer and David James, fueled the enthusiasm. Why not set $200,000 as a goal? This way $20,000 seemed like the reality it was.

The St. James Youth Group members did what a lot of congregations forget to do... they talked to those in other churches. It didn't matter that a Methodist kid next door might make better cookies and who needs a theological debate with a Latter-day Saint when he or she can help you save homeless people who may freeze to death tonight. They formed the Youth for Youth Alliance. By the time they gathered up neighbors and others, they had Lutherans, Greek Orthodox members, and others all joining in.

It is true the bake sales and car washes weren't enough. They had an idea. Kids work well at night. They spread out and put pink flamingos in various yards. Surprised homeowners found out they could call the Youth for Youth alliance and, for a price, get the kids to remove the lawn flocks of fake feathered Flamingos perched on solo wire legs. For the more traditional approach, the youth staged a Christmas concert.

They also started going to businesses. An ERA real estate office staged a walk-a-thon for the cause. Other civic organizations pitched in. The Parish adults cheered them on. At one bake sale, it appears a parishioner suddenly felt a cookie was worth a thousand dollars.

A local radio station, X-96, pleaded with its youthful audience to donate to "the Road Home" shelter as part of a Radio-a-thon. They told the story of how even a couple dollars makes a difference.

The music stopped and tears started when the Youth for Youth Alliance walked into the station with a check for $21,040. No grandfather should ever freeze to death in a truck.

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