Prostitutes Turned Soccer Moms-To Oakland, CA love Jackson, MI

As some of you know, my current project* is about change–or more specifically, why humans can’t afford not to change.


Given this current tag line in my life, its hard not to be drawn by prostitute-turned-soccer-mom sorts of stuff like this.


The story is plucked from the life of Jaime Taylor, who…little known SAU fact**…was in the same core group as Chuck and I back in 1996. Core 2, ba-bay.


Jaime is one of those penniless social workers, who gets paid like 34 cents an hour to funnel herself into the hungry lives of neighborhood kids in urban Oakland, CA. On the side–not because some missions organization sponsors her or because some church recruited her to be a small group leader–but literally on the side, Jaime began mentoring a group of teenagers and she has (in a rare example of what we should all be doing) followed them into adulthood.


Her recent newsletter included these lines:


She is a former prostitute turned soccer mom…literally. I can only imagine the things she went through and survived prior to focusing on being a mom.  If you met her randomly you would see a woman who appears a little hard, a little rough around the edges. But spend a week with her and you will see her rushing to parent teacher conferences, baseball and football games, and then to her GED classes and then to work.  She is also one of those people who works her tail off and can never quite seem to get ahead. She does everything she is supposed to and struggles day in and day out to make rent and to care for her children’s needs. She struggles, but nothing stops her from fighting for her children.  She knows that keeping them in school and sports will hopefully keep them out of jail when they are older. So she continues doing what it takes to love and support her boys.  She is my reminder that people do change and she is my reminder of all the strength that exists in our community. On top of that on the day of the Christmas Party she is typically my “right hand man”…


Long story short, Jaime throws an annual Christmas party for the kids in their neighborhood. The area is short on resources, and like a lot of places, could use a little Christ born into it. And with the economy tanking this year and the bank account belts tightening, Jaime is relying on other people who get what she’s doing to throw in with her (Check out pics from last year’s Christmas party).


Here’s where the story gets most awesome. Enter Reid and Sid Varland, the children of friends and former profs, Roger and Deb Varland, and the letter they just sent me. (See pic of super sweet expressions to left)


This is Reid & Sid Varland.  A couple times each year Jaime Taylor (SAU alum) has dinner with our family while she is visiting from Oakland, CA.  We like her stories about the kids she volunteers with (like Girlz Nites) and wanted to help raise $ for the Christmas Party she has each year for needy children in her neighborhood.

WE will bake treats hoping you will make a donation to Urban Mentors Network. 

Mom & Dad said they would like to collect checks and mail them together by Dec. 7, so we can let Jaime know how much help is coming.  We can make your goodies either before or after Dec. 7., but please e-mail deb.varland@arbor.edu to place your order.

Here’s what we can make:

Brownies
Pumpkin bread
Banana bread
Chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate-dipped pretzels


So here is what I’m proposing. Since I know I’ll get more Christmas and Thanksgiving goodies than my 110 pound frame can handle, I’m going to ask that the baked goods from my donation (and yours, if you’ll join me) be forwarded to our city’s interfaith shelter. Those of you following the Prison City category posts know Michigan’s economy was recently listed 50th in the nation (yep, if your math is as good as mine, there’s no award in the mail) and Jackson has appeared on top lists for unemployed for months now. So that means the places serving our hurting are operating on frayed shoestrings and could use some extra donations.


In doing so, I know you’ll put a smile on Jaime’s face too since she also helped out with mentoring inner-city Jackson kids in college.

So, email Deb if you are so prompted. Raise money for Jaime. Give brownies to the homeless in Jesus’ name. It’ll be one big circle of common good.


*Picking Dandelions, to be released 02.01.10
**Reference for non-SAU alum: core groups are bunches of freshmen sent out into the wilderness to build their own shelter, kill chickens, and in our case take a year of classes together as a cohort.