A Community Comes Together
In December, a week before Christmas, one of our faithful community volunteers, Melinda, and two of her children were volunteering on Saturday at our annual Christmas Store. Our volunteer has been a real story of transformation herself as she has connected with our AmeriCorps representatives to volunteer for many community events that Hope for the Inner City has been involved in throughout the past year.
We have seen Melinda’s life begin to change as her heart began to change for improving her life and extending her service in her own community. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, Melinda and two of her children were volunteering at Hope for the Inner City the Saturday before Christmas. The following day, her son who was with her at Hope was murdered in the Harriet Tubman community. It was a senseless and violent event that in the past would have set off a reaction of more violence and retribution in the community. If there is tangible evidence that transformation is beginning to take place in Harriet Tubman, it was seen in the reaction of the community residents toward this tragic event and toward Melinda in the aftermath of the loss of her son.
Our AmeriCorps representatives, along with many of the community residents who have stepped up to serve their community in this past year, came together in an amazing show of love and support for Melinda and her family in a time of tragedy. The typical reaction in the past may have been more violence or in some cases apathy to an event such as this one. So many of the residents in the community have supported her in many different ways. They provided moral support, they provided meals for the family, they provided logistical support for the funeral arrangements as well as transportation for various needs.
A dinner for the family was organized by the AmeriCorps representatives and community residents after the funeral service. In the weeks that have followed the loss of her son, the community and Hope for the Inner City continue to support Melinda and her family as they deal with this tragedy.