I was recently dogsitting for a friend. All was going well until the dog jumped through a screened-in window and ran away, which I didn't realize until I checked on him. His owner and I spent three hours searching for him to no avail. I finally went to bed at 2:30 in the morning with pangs of guilt and work up at 5:30 with even more pangs of guilt. The owner contacted me six hours later to tell me that they found the dog alive and well. I felt horrible though! It never occurred to me that the dog would jump through a screened-in window. I learned it was the third time the dog had run away that summer in order to chase after his owner because of the tight bond between them.
I prayed so hard that we would find the dog! But then I thought about parents who have children who have run away. How much more those parents must suffer, pray and hope that their kids will be alright and come back home. I am sure that it must be an incredibly horrible feeling for them.
Children run away for a variety of reasons. In 2019 in Vermont, there were 59 children ranging from under the age of 12 to 17 years old who were homeless and unaccompanied by an adult ( https://www.vsha.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2019-PIT-Report-FINAL.docx.pdf) (page 24). The data don't indicate which of these were runaways, but they were definitely homeless. Their parents, however, knew which of those "numbers" had been runaways.
Kurn Hattin Homes for Children provides a refuge for kids from the ages of 5 to 15. It's easier than running away. It's not a homeless shelter. It's a "home" where the children live, go to school, receive counseling and supervision and are loved by their own families and the staff who care for them when the families are unable to for a various reasons.
When you make your donation to Kurn Hattin by clicking on the donate button on the homepage, you're doing it to help parents who are in dire straits with their kids. Maybe some have even tried to run away before. Maybe you've been in that situation yourself.
Your donation is providing young boys and girls a place to go to keep them alive; to keep them safe from the dangers of the street and to let them continue to grow and develop as kids.
That's why you, our St. Nicholas Project donor, are so important to me. I know a dog is not a person, but I also know how terrible I felt when that dog disappeared. I would have been so grateful to know that someone had taken him in. Fortunately, there's a place in Vermont that does take in kids in distress--and parents can find some peace of mind. Those parents may not know your name, but I can assure you, they are grateful to you for how you've helped their kids.
Please make a donation today. God bless you!