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Summer for a person in need


There is beauty in summer, the sun, the birds, the flowers, picnics and barbeques, and a bit of nostalgia for quieter days of childhood. Summer for a person in need, however, can be one of the scariest times.

In summer, a parent who is struggling to support children has to find child care.  They have to take care of those babies reliably to allow him or her to get to work. One to two meals which used to be provided by school lunch programs 5 days a week, now have to be provided for from the same small budget that was barely getting them by. In summer, a child pulls out last year’s shorts and discovers they no longer fit, while mom looks at her bus fare and has to decide between clothing her child or getting to work. In summer, many children will languish inside for lack of safe or stimulating places to keep active.  And they will fall further behind higher-income peers who are engaged in summer learning opportunities.  In summer, an older adult in need looks at the electric bill and makes a choice between the cost to make the temperature tolerable and safe and the cost of a life-giving medication. In summer, a victim of domestic violence wears long sleeves to cover the marks left by their abuser, pretending to be cold. In summer, a person struggling to be employed has competition from teenagers who consider their cell phone payment a need.

This summer, if you are able, I encourage you to get involved. By making a donation, volunteering, doing a project, or praying for the clients, staff and volunteers of Dove, Inc.  you can help to bring the beauty of summer to a person in need.  Together we can create a summer that someday they will look back on and remember as the one that made all the difference.

Sincerely,

Christine Gregory
Dove, Inc. Executive Director

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