They say that fate often works in mysterious ways; and recently, I became well aware of not only the inner workings of fate, but also its magic and love. I couldn't help but wonder if others paid close enough attention to that little tug at the heart strings as often as they should – with this sensation further validated after the witnessing of fate’s magic in full power after fate not only opened doors, it literally pushed me on through those doors one by one. And I couldn't think of a better day than Valentine’s Day to share this heart-tugging story.
This whole tale began right after the holidays when I had met a friend for coffee at Starbucks, with the browsing of a neighboring store next door for a treat for my granddaughter. It wasn't until I was home that I noticed something extra had inadvertently been placed inside my shopping bag that I had not paid for. I left it in my reusable bag as a reminder to return on next errand day. A few weeks went by, with me forgetting about the return each time; which by the way, just so happened to be a box of glitter tattoos for teenagers (the importance of this comes later). Ironically, just a few weeks ago I was in the car ready to back out of the driveway and a nudge strongly urged me to run back inside and grab that bag;. even more ironic, I had just received my rewards for a free coffee drink on my Starbucks card, which I also remembered as I ran back inside. (Awesome, a free coffee to warm my body on this cool morning with my heart warmed by the good deed of the returning the item I didn't pay for; how perfect is that?) Fate was pulling a few heart strings that day, and I so far wasn't minding one bit.
Coffee in hand I was in the isle at Rite Aid just before the cashiers when I happened to see a woman and the store manager sorting through racks of fleece blankets; pulling out all the red and blue while counting – now at numbers well over 150. Naturally, my interest had been peeked. With boxes piling high in the isle, I couldn't get through (no intention of doing so anyway) and besides, I couldn't help myself and was more with the intention of wanting to inquire about her large purchase, “Excuse me, may I please ask; who are all the blankets for, and why no red and blue?” Schultz’s reply was sweet but very simple: “For the teens at our organization, Gifts for Teens,” which apparently Schultz added, was just one of the many things their organization purchased for low-income and homeless teens throughout the year to give them come the holidays. (The red and blue were not allowed due to the fact that they were gang-affiliated colors.)
My heart was immediately touched and warmed, and knowing then and there reasons went far beyond the norm for our meeting, I just had to find out more about her and the organization; which Schultz was more than happy to provide, explaining the organization’s affiliation with the Bill Wilson Center, another organization widely known and well-respected. And then it all hit me – these teenagers were not just among a group of Angels on earth that were low on donation radars, these behind-the-scenes Angel volunteers were also among the selfless people doing amazing acts each and every single day to save them, never asking for anything, let alone promoting what they do.
Schultz, after asking who I was and why I was so interested (and since I cannot maintain anonymity for long in this business, and naturally had to clear status of seeming "strange"), after confessing, we immediately had one of those aha moments, realizing very quickly that we were both brought to that store at the very same time for a reason, with fate opening a few doors, and many more to come whether we were prepared or not. We were feeling the heart-strings playing full-on tunes at this point; Schultz kindly allowed me to snap a few photos before going out to her vehicle to get the brochure and contact info for me to do a followup on Gifts for Teens.
A week or so later I finally opened that gifted door and was led to volunteer Elaine Benoit, who further explained that the shopping venture Schultz was on, hitting every holiday sale in the Bay Area, led to a total of 710 blanket purchases; amazing – bless her heart. However, Schultz was still 40 blankets shy of their intended goal of 750. According to Benoit, that’s a hazard of the job; and although they were fortunate last year in finding more than 1,400, this year they just fell short as the fleece blankets seemed a little more difficult to find.
With such a growing issue in the Bay Area, this is such a relief to see. “It’s a growing need to help teenagers, said Benoit, who saw this need about 15 years ago and decide to do something about it. Beginning with an organization, AAUW in 1997, Gifts for Teens stared out helping 21 girls in need and now helps more than 1,000 teens; which according to Benoit, with the community’s response and the many more donations that began to increase seven years ago, they are now up to being able to hand out more than 1,400 low-income and homeless teens across San Jose and the valley.
My heart about sank. There were that many (that we knew of) of low-income and homeless teens in San Jose, that she was helping; and likely double or triple that? Wow. My heart strings were flailing by now.
Their hope, according to Benoit, is to continue to help as many teens as possible as it is the one growing issue that they can’t ignore; although what they do now barely covers the downtown San Jose area, Benoit adding that they thankfully work with five other organizations – Sacred Heart, Bill Wilson Center, AAUW, EHC and Unity Care Group. All of the organizations help in some way, all trying to cover the needs that need to be met. And all, she said, are audited every year (Benoit even commented that those not meeting strict criteria were instantly cut from the program).
Benoit explained that sometimes companies will donate very useful products, such as Nutrogena who donated wonderful gift bags containing facial products, some totaling hundreds of dollars – things that were not only essential items but also sometimes a few extra surprises for the teens. She also said that one year Second Harvest Food Bank dropped off several pallets of candy so the kids all received added treats. Benoit laughed and said (humorously of course) the blessing in disguise was that thankfully, about the same time a dentist also donated dental hygiene essentials so they didn't have to worry about their teeth after eating all that candy. Benoit said that sometimes it’s not just about what is donated, but the balance and challenges – with them often feeling like adoptive parents making healthy choices for these teens, even with donations.
Stay tuned for Part 2
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