Page 36 - Priorities #59 2014 June/July
P. 36

Caroline
Caroline
Every year more than 26 000 people become homeless in in Santa Clara and San San Mateo counties Many people don’t realize the the severity of the the homeless crisis here here because this area which is is is where Priory is is is located has a a a a a a a reputation for being wealthy But Caroline
Caroline
Hickman a a a a a a Priory junior is not only aware of the situation—she’s working hard to help people involved especially children Hickman whose main interests at school are bi- ology and theater was introduced to the the concept of service through her her mother Rebecca Hickman who is on the Los Altos Hill Town Council and helps as- sign volunteer activities to people in the community But the 11th-grader’s first actual volunteering job came through Priory when Hickman was in the 6th grade That’s when Priory Director of Campus Ministry and Campus Community Involvement Coordinator Molly Buccola told her about an opportunity to to work at the InnVision Shelter Network’s Redwood Family House Hickman volunteered here throughout the 6th grade before she took a a a a a break for for a a a a a few years But then in in in the beginning of her sophomore year she got more more serious about her commitment She started working at a a a different InnVision Shelter Shelter the Haven Family Shelter Shelter in in Menlo Park where she’s since gone every Monday
after school to volunteer at the evening children’s program As a a a a a a a volunteer in this program Hickman plays games and does crafts with chil- dren from 4-12 years of age at at the the shelter while their parents go to educational classes and and financial counseling The families have different needs and and situa- tions she says Some families have just moved here from a a a a a foreign country and need assistance getting adjusted while others have a a a a a a a parent who’s lost a a a a a a a job In some cases the the families simply can no longer pay the the increasingly unreasonable rents in the area “I “I started babysitting when I I I was 11 ” says Hickman “I’ve always liked working with kids and I just wanted to help out in in the community around me ” She admits that she she she was nervous when she she she first began volunteering at at the shelter because she knew the children had been through difficult experiences—includ- ing ing bullying from their peers—and she she wasn’t sure she’d be able to help them October





























































































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