Up early today for a learning program at denUM (Denver urban Ministries). We did a “Penny Game” and joined up with another youth group (from Woodland, Texas) for a stressful adventure, “The Game of Life.”.
During this exercise we were confronted by a barrage of incredibly challenging decisions while having the goal of making it through a single month working within each of our family group’s situation. (When laundry day came, One of our youth was heard saying, “we brought our laundry to my mom’s. That’s what moms are for. (Yes, Nancy, that’s your boy!) Emma Carray’s group walked 4 miles to work because they otherwise couldn’t afford food. All of the family groups had to forgo being involved at their children’s schools and couldn’t take part in after school programs, buying tennis shoes, or other school extras like a choir sweatshirt.
We enjoyed an amazing lunch at the SAME cafe, where all may eat and simply pay what you can.
We then headed off to a low income housing building to offer a recreational program for the kids there. Activities included footraces, face painting, and water balloon fights. Why water balloons? It’s 96 degrees today!
More later… -Katie and the crew