This blog is dedicated to a friend of mine from the street. He has done an amazing thing. I think it needs to be shared.
Stepping Out
Project Reaching Out
Austinites and homeless youth volunteer together
It was an unusual sight last Sunday afternoon: homeless teenagers in ragged clothes and members of Austin churches strolling down Guadalupe Street together, holding trash bags, picking up trash with their rubber gloved hands.

Cole, who is commissioned through Covenant, organized the Reaching Out event to bridge the gap between the street youth population and the rest of the community, because he says there is animosity on both sides.“It’s hard to hate somebody when you get to know them,” Cole said.“I think the event was a big success. I thought that an event where the street kids could volunteer alongside others would be win-win. We chose to clean up the area around the Drag because that is where many of the kids hang out, and there is a lot of friction between the business owners and the kids,” he said.
More than a dozen church volunteers and about eight homeless youth showed up for this first event, which was sponsored by members of Pedernales River Fellowship Church, who provided supplies, food and drinks for the volunteers. Together they cleaned up 350 pounds of trash from alleys, hangout places and streets in the west campus area near the University, Guadalupe businesses, and downtown churches.
“Before we started, there was some apprehension on both sides,” said Martha Cole, Terry’s wife. “The church volunteers didn’t know what to expect, and the street kids were a bit leary, too. Many of them just watched from the sidelines. But for those that got involved, I think it was a great experience. It was interesting to see everyone interacting.”
For more information about Street Youth Ministries, or to sign up to sponsor a Reaching Out event, go to StreetYouth.Blogspot.com.
When bad kids go good!
I want to pass on some really cool information. I had absolutely nothing to do with what I’m going to tell you, except that I was one of the stabilizing adults around these kids. They have done this on their own!
Don’t Want To Be Streeted Again
I recently spoke with “Jack” at the ministry trailer of Cream and Sugar. I’ve seen Jack around before but not lately. After some pleasant small talk, Jack told me that he had lost his job lately. It seems it was his own fault, and he accepts responsibility for this. However, it means that in about two weeks he will get kicked out of his apartment for not paying the rent.
- Regular check-in with me on how many applications he has submitted since we last met
- Making a resume together
- Brushing up on his interview skills using questions common in interviews
- Discussing the companies and jobs he looking for to find additional avenues of work.