How Kids Can Help Homeless Children
While writing my latest novel, The Boy Who Painted the World, I did research on homeless people – specifically, homeless children. The main character of the book, Indigo, is a ten-year-old homeless boy and I wanted to understand a little bit about what his world is like. I came upon some pretty scary statistics:
There are 100 million homeless children around the world.
There are 2.5 million homeless children in the United States. That means there is likely to be one homeless child in every classroom.
That’s a lot of kids without a permanent roof over their head. These children might be sleeping in a shelter, a motel, or even in a car. They’re under a lot of stress, which causes them to do poorly socially and in school. Their circumstances can affect them great later in life with both physical and psychological issues.
What Can I Do?
Every person, no matter how old, can help, and it doesn’t have to be anything mind-blowing or difficult. Even a simple smile to someone on the street can cheer someone up.
Here are some easy ways that you can make a difference:
- Give money: Carry some small change with you and give it to people who are asking for money on the street. That money may just buy them their next meal.
- Donate clothing: Save old clothing and shoes that you no longer wear and donate it.
- Donate toys and books: Donate gently used toys and books that you are no longer using.
- Volunteer: Volunteer some of your time and help out at a shelter or soup kitchen. You can also tutor kids and help them out with their homework.
If everyone person does a little something, it can go a long way to alleviating the hardships of the homeless.
Links to websites that can help you take action
Stand Up for Kids: http://www.standupforkids.org/
School on Wheels: https://www.schoolonwheels.
Volunteers of America: https://www.voa.org/
The Boy Who Painted the World
Author: Melody J. Bremen
Published 2017
About the Book: Indigo is a boy with a dream. He spends his mornings in a refrigerator box, his afternoons shoveling snow, and his nights in the basement of a homeless shelter. But during every free moment, he draws and dreams of becoming a famous artist. His best friend Jade looks after him, but she is arrested for shoplifting and he’s left all alone. With his box of pencils under his arm, he sets out on a quest to search for Jade and discovers a whole new world… full of the art he loves.
His journey brings him friendship, family, and the courage to hold onto his dreams.
About the Author: Melody J. Bremen writes books for middle grade and young adult readers. She lives on a distant planet where all they do is write and read books. (Sometimes they eat jelly beans.) She has a faithful computer named Oswald.
Visit Melody’s blog: http://melodybremen.com/blog/
Sign up for Melody’s newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/newsletter-sign-up
Thank you, Melody, for this important guest post!
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So glad to have found this book for my almost-10-year-old grandson’s birthday; he has a heart for people who need help and he loves art. I was surprised to see that it has a 2017 publishing date. I’ve just read the beginning, but it looks really engaging!