St. Stephen's Memorial Episcopal Church

In 2010 KIC provided a fun, safe space for over 100 Lynn children to spend their July.  Addressing the theme of “Healthy Me!  Healthy Community!,” we welcomed specialists who used art, drama and poetry to engage inner health and self-worth.  Another specialist offered weekly zumba classes and the mentors coordinated outdoor games to work on physical fitness.  And we worked with the Lynn School Department to provide healthy meals and we supplemented with healthy snacks.  In addition, a nutrition and fitness consultant in the parish offered a training for the mentors on care of self—body, mind and spirit.

            All in all it was a great summer for our KIC campers.  Our best new feature last summer was that Barbara C. Harris Camp invited KIC campers and mentors to spend the first week of August at BCH.  About 20 young people took advantage of this amazing opportunity.

            Beyond serving the campers, KIC provided employment for 16 teens and 3 young adults last summer.  In October, when ECCO hosted a youth jobs rally with Lynn Mayor Judy Kennedy, the most powerful speakers were KIC mentors who talked about how much the job mattered to them.  One single mother spoke of the skills she learned as a mentor making her a better mother, and the job allowing her to maintain her son’s daycare slot through the summer.  Another spoke of how meaningful it was to be a role model for young people.  And another talked about how being a mentor helped him make good decisions because he does not want to end up addicted and incarcerated like his father.

Having jobs is the nest way to keep teens out of trouble.  Working at KIC not only teaches job accountability and responsibility but it teaches teamwork, discipline, patience, and persistence.  In addition, it gives teens a chance to teach their own particular talent to a group of kids, which creates joy and accomplishment all ‘round.

KIC makes a difference in the lives of Lynn young people.  Please help us continue to show Christ-like hospitality to children and youth.

Kid’s In Community gave the teenagers of Lynn and surrounding communities the ability to have a job in an economy where there are either few or none. Kid’s In Community made things possible like bringing a lot of the kids and mentors to Boston for the first time. The look on the kid’s faces when they got to walk around the ins and outs on Fenway Park was priceless. Kid’s In Community gave EVERY child a chance to do things that some would not have been able to do. So to the community of St. Stephens we say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for once again doing what you do best, and that is opening your hearts, minds, and doors to the children of Lynn and God. -James Liberge

Kids In Community was a huge first step for me. I heard about the opportunity to be a mentor while attending OASIS one day. It was the last thing to cross my mind. I had never known what “work” was. This sounded far more intense than doing dishes at home, cleaning my bed, or getting allowance. So I did not even ponder the thought until one day when my Raw Therapist and youth minister Jason Cruz, looked at me and said “Do it.” Not the commanding kind of “do it,” but more like “you’re going to be crazy and miss out on too much fun” kind of “do it.” So even though during this time I was enduring my own kind of battles at home, I applied, came for my interview and encountered a week’s worth of orientation and new faces. Then the kids showed up, which meant I had no time to think. All of my attention had to go to the kids. I needed to see smiles or I wasn’t doing my job right. They totally made me forget about stuff going on at home. It got me through the day. Looking at other people sometimes made me feel like I still had space to grow. So right when it was over, I said “I’m going to try and come back again next year.”

This summer I came to my interview with James Liberge and Lucinda McClain and I was probably more nervous then ever because Lucinda had interviewed me last year. I felt as if there were high expectations. I did my best answering questions as they fell off the tongue. Then I hoped I would get the job, and I did. This summer is definitely going to be one I remember. Field trips to Fenway Park followed by the Boston Public Garden, The Stone Zoo, taking several kids to the Lynn Heritage Museum to learn more about there city was even a learning experience for some mentors. It was the little things like the energetic “HI SHEYLA” as soon as the kids ran in the door and sat down, or the huge smile and “thanks” they gave after you got them all water. Maybe it was the joy of them bringing home their poems, crafts, and dance moves from the four specialists that came every week. These kids enjoyed themselves and I knew because I asked. I strived for nothing but to make sure they smiled, even if that meant to stop refereeing their game of 4 –Square game and jumping in to play. I’d do it again and again and AGAIN. It means a lot to me to see these kids outside of camp and see the smile illuminate from their face and the little waves they shoot at you. I wouldn’t trade that feeling for the world, that feeling of togetherness, that feeling of community. -Sheyla Veras, Second year KIC mentor

My name is Sarah and I’m 8 and I went to Kids in Community. And I liked the Boston Science Museum and I like the park inside. –Sarah Splaine

My name is Lydia and I went to KIC and I am 7 and I liked the zoo because I like flamingos. The End. – Lydia Splaine

(Sarah and Lydia made beautiful pictures describing their experience at KIC. Please see them on Current Events bulletin board at St. Stephen’s.)