I sobbed and covered my face as I watched “60 Minutes” last night. PAUSE ~ watching “60 Minutes” has become a Sunday evening routine for Cullen and me. I mean, I love the show and I just love sitting all nestled up under his arm as we learn more about or discover for the first time some of the most interesting happenings of our times. PLAY ~
(CBS News) More than 16 million children are now living in poverty and, for many of them, a proper home is elusive. Some cash-strapped families stay with relatives; others move into motels or homeless shelters. But, as Scott Pelley reports, sometimes those options run out, leaving an even more desperate choice: living in their cars.
I was blown away by the optimism and mature mind-set of the teenaged siblings who spoke to the reporter on behalf of their father who was “camera shy” as the reporter nicely put it.(60 Minutes)
Pelley: How long have you been living in this truck? Arielle Metzger: About five months.
Pelley: What’s that like?
Arielle Metzger: It’s an adventure.
Austin Metzger: That’s how we see it.
Pelley: When kids at school ask you where you live, what do you tell ’em?
Austin Metzger: When they see the truck they ask me if I live in it, and when I hesitate they kinda realize. And they say they won’t tell anybody.
Arielle Metzger: Yeah it’s not really that much an embarrassment. I mean, it’s only life. You do what you need to do, right?
But I was moved to a loud sob as a tear slid down the face of DeAngelo Coat, a Black man, who spoke of feeling like “less than a dad, I guess… or a husband because I cannot provide for my family…” when asked what was running through his mind as he stood guard on a cooler in the emergency room parking lot of a hospital while his family slept in a car.
I adore working with children. I take pride in my ability to communicate with them and I keep it all the way real when asked about my career trajectory or just the challenges I’ve faced growing up as a woman of color in NYC. While my story isn’t one full of extreme hardship and overcoming damn near impossible obstacles, I’ve lived and I do have a story to tell. Young children need to hear our stories so that they know the possibilities that await them. Because of my passion for children, I volunteer with various groups within the NYC area and I encourage you to do the same in your area. But somehow this just doesn’t seem like enough… as I continue to do more, I am asking for your support.
At this very moment, I have 566 followers on Twitter. I have decided to donate the difference between today’s number of followers and the number of followers on January 1, 2012 in dollars to a charity that supports homeless families. As the days countdown, I will do my research on which organization I will support. I will also ask friends, family and companies to match my bottom donation… wish me luck. I just need you to help spread the word! A dollar per follower… Your Follow My DollarSpread the word… we’re about to change lives!
#YourFollowMyDollar Fighting homelessness…XO
PSM
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