By Shana Clatterbuck

For The Herald Bulletin



ANDERSON — The room echoes with shouts of “We’re all one family!”

But the words don’t come from a mom and dad, brother and sister. Instead, they come from a group of unrelated children whose lives are filled with unknowns and plagued by “what ifs.”

The children are in the Kid Connection program of Alternatives Inc., the residential facility for Madison County women and children who fall victim to domestic violence or homelessness.

Many of these kids are from households at or below the poverty line. According to the Indiana Youth Institute, 23 percent of those ages 18 and below in Madison County lived in such homes in 2007. Statewide, the IYI says, the comparable number is 17.1 percent.

The effects of poverty pervade a child’s life.

“One recurring theme is very low self-esteem,” said Dean Dube, a children’s case manager at Alternatives. “Everyone around them belittles them. They feel like they’re always taking handouts and sometimes that their parents aren’t good enough.”

Children who live in poverty can have unpredictable moods because of the lack of stability at home. Kelli Riggins, a teacher in Anderson Community Schools, noted that teachers often can tell from a child’s behavior whether there is a problem outside of school.  

“For some children, school may be the only stable thing in their lives and a place to feel safe,” she said.



A safe environment for edcuation

Kid Connection is an extension of that safe environment. It’s an after-school program for elementary-age children who stay at Alternatives or Dove Harbor, another local shelter. It operates Monday through Friday during the school year and daily during the summer months.

The kid-friendly environment enables the children to feel carefree and at home, which is something they may not experience while staying at the shelter.

Dube has worked at Kid Connection for five years, and he says that many of the children maintain a sunny disposition.

“It still surprises me that they can even be in a good mood and have a positive attitude given what they go through,” he said.

Part of intergenerational poverty is the feeling of being stuck. Few of the kids believe they’ll ever go to college because they feel it’s something for more-privileged people, Dube explained. Because many of the children’s parents didn’t go to college, they don’t have anyone to set an example. Twenty-three percent of Madison County residents have a college degree of some sort, compared to the national rate of 34 percent, according to 2007 data from the U.S. Census.

Kid Connection emphasizes education in its curriculum. Life skills also are taught. While at Kid Connection, the children complete chores, have their own hygiene kit and are taught how to be safe and self-sufficient at home.

The residential service manager for Alternatives, Heidi Mench, said that the first activity taught to kids at the Kid Connection house is hand-washing and teeth-brushing, which creates good habits and improves physical health.



Bringing a little light into their lives

Many of the residents at the shelter haven’t experienced a significant amount of good in their lives, and it’s the same for their children. So the children’s staff at Alternatives attempts to shine light in their lives.

“It begins with hope, to inspire them to live a better life,” said Mary Jo Lee, CEO of Alternatives.

Kid Connection is one of many area organizations working to enhance the lives of low-income children. The Mercy House church offers the STAR program every Thursday afternoon. Each child receives tutoring, participates in constructive group activities and enjoys a hot meal.

One Friday a month, South Meridian Church of God provides a program for students called The Zone. It’s free for students from 12 to 18 years of age. They spend time in worship, playing games, socializing and enjoying pizza.

“Our goal is to keep kids in our area off the streets,” said Michael Snyder, associate pastor of student ministries, “and to get them to build solid relationships with one another.”

Dube suggests that if local children in poverty are part of the future of the community, investing in their lives is crucial.

“I’ve learned that these problems affect all of us,” he said. “When one of us is down, we should all help bring them up. It reminds me of the old proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ It takes all of us to help these kids succeed in the future and break the poverty cycle.”