Education

Third Awareness Campaign (24 DAYS LEFT)!

Today, I’m sitting here thinking about how intense and how long it is going to take me to complete the third 3rd awareness campaign.

In fact, I have shared the idea with many close friends, and some people honestly think it is ~~nuts.~~ Well, I really don’t think it is nuts… I just think it will make a strong statement for all the children who struggle with generational poverty, lack, and broken families. I only have 24 more DAYS left… I will reveal this Sunday what it is…

Pray that this campaign changes others, changes me, and helps us #lovebeyondwalls!

Terence Lester In Campaigns, Collaboration, Diversity, Education, Fighting for the Hopeless, Homelessness, Needs, Passion, Raising Awareness, Resources, Serve,

Summertime and Hydration

With the summer quickly approaching (finally!), #lovebeyondwalls will be facing new challenges, while trying to serve the homeless in Atlanta. Instead of looking to find ways to help people stay warm, we will need to find solutions on how to keep people adequately cooled and hydrated.

Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the significance of running water in our homes, but here are some facts to think about:

• More than 6,000 Metro Atlanta people (women, children and men) are without a home on any given day.
• Adult humans need between 11-15 cups of water daily for survival in mild temperatures. When temperatures reach mid-summer Atlanta heights, the need for clean water intake goes up significantly.
• Young children are extremely susceptible to severe dehydration and heat stroke, because their internal temperature regulators are not fully matured.
• There is limited availability for free water in the city of Atlanta, and most of the homeless population will be dehydrated during the summer, many of which will need medical attention for heat stroke or severe dehydration.

While we focus on bringing essential tools, support, and opportunities to the community in Atlanta, we also have to ensure that our dedicated volunteers will have proper hydration during our ongoing projects. In our first three months of operation, we had over 750 volunteers contribute their time to the cause. Our volunteers are at the heart of our operation, and we thank each and every one of them for their time.

If you would like to get involved in any of our projects, whether it’s to volunteer time or to donate goods, please contact us through our “Contact” tab. We are also looking for monthly sponsors at this time, to help us raise the money we will need to continue providing opportunities to the community, and to further make an impact on the homelessness crisis we are facing as a city.

#projectTHIRST – Launch May, 2014 – Stay involved to learn details on ways to help!

Jamie

3rd Awareness Campaign (40 DAYS AWAY)

This morning, I am thinking about #lovebeyondwalls next awareness campaign!

Yep… another campaign! Why? Because #lovebeyondwalls cares about those who are 1) broken and hurting, and 2) those in need of hope and support.

This particular campaign is very unique! How?

Because it will address a very overlooked area as it relates to education, poverty, & homelessness. I can’t wait to release it. This campaign will be very critical in promoting education, community, and wellness.

I have decided to walk in the shoes of those who suffer, and address many social pressures children deal with. Additionally, this will be one of the longest timeframes I have put myself under ~~(and did I say I’ve never done this before a day in my life?)~~! It is so long that I am not only going to need prayer, but support, and tons of focus. Today marks 40 DAYS before I campaign! I will blog/video about every single experience…

Terence

Plant Love Campaign

We are approaching a historic month for #lovebeyondwalls! Why? Because in the month of April we will occupy our first office/slash storage space. Below is a picture if you have seen it yet:

Of course it is not a gigantic building, but it will be something we call a headquarters & home.

It will be a “launchpad” for the work we would like to continue doing in our city (ATL), country, and world.

It will be a place where we can get planted and grow as an organization. We ask that you do four specific things to help us get planted into our new office/storage space in the month of April (whole month).

1) Pray – I ask that you pray that God allows us to get planted, and immediately continue to reach people who do not have any hope.

2) Give – I ask that you look at our simple “wish list” and contribute in of the items on it that we need. This is ALL from scratch, so we will need your help. But, if we have to spend the first month on the floor with laptops working, we are cool with that too. LOL. Simply click [HERE] to visit our “wish list” page.

3) Volunteer – We will post the days that we will start working on the building to clean it, and make minor repairs to it. We ask that you volunteer to help get our building together. We will need help getting organized, painting, etc. Why? As we get planted, we can help more people.

4) Share our story – If you know someone who could help us move forward, share our story. You never know who “you know” that we can help, or could help us.

Thank you for reading this blog. Pray for #lovebeyondwalls as we aim to “PLANT LOVE” in the city of Atlanta! Below is the graphic for the new campaign #plantlove

Terence

Homelessness & 5th Graders

Yesterday was one of the best speaking engagements I’ve ever had! Why? Because I got a chance to speak to a classroom of bright, articulate, intelligent, and hope-filled 5th graders at Cheatham Hill Elementary.

I was invited by an educator who recently learned about LBW (Ms. King), and what we are doing to raise awareness about homelessness and other issues in the city (ATL) and country. Ms. King asked me to share stories with her class that paralleled a non-fiction novel they are reading. The novel contains stories of homelessness, and the stories I’ve experienced (while homeless for three days) bring those non-fiction stories to life.

As I shared, I began to see many student(s) faces light up while they listened intently… Also, I started to see lights go off in their heads.

After I gave my talk, it then dawned on me–homelessness is connected to so many educational topics! One student asked, “Why are families broken…” another “Why are people poor in this country…” yet another “What are we so wasteful in this country…”

These bright students raised questions about sociology, psychology, economics, politics, and public health. I was intrigured and even inspired with how concerned these kids were with people who they don’t know (the under resourced).

I answered a couple of questions, and then this group of students asked if they could help #lovebeyondwalls with a project. It just so happened that #lovebeyondwalls is adopting 30 orphans in India (from the Dalit community) in the month of April.

They are in need of shoes and other small items, and these students vowed to raise the resources needed to supply these orphans with resources. It became a class project instantly.

So not only was my conversation filled with different areas of study, it became a beautiful picture of kids serving kids that do not have anything. Below are the two pictures! One picture are the orphans, and the other picture are the students that will help the children in India through our #lovebeyondborders campaign.

Orphanage 2014-03-13 10.12.15-2

Terence

Not About Me – 48 Hours Later!

I’m up thinking (5AM)… I cannot believe I made thirty miles walking! In fact, ~~my eyes are sweating~~ (LOL). I don’t think I was strong enough to make a 15 hour walk, but God saw me through it…

Over the last two days, I have gotten many pats on the back, encouraging words & well wishes for walking thirty miles on behalf of homeless people in Atlanta (and this country)… BUT, I don’t think I deserve the credit…

Why? Because without God, and the good people who were around me, I would have not completed the 30 mile walk–literally! The pictures below (among many others) prove my point:
There were many individuals & social media followers who pushed, encouraged, and stood with me the whole way (even people I don’t know). Additionally, there are many people on the #lovebeyondwalls team that helped make the “LOVE RALLY & WALK” possible. Many people on the team even stayed the night with me in the parking lot at Crossroads Church (I’m extremely grateful for them).

What am I saying? I’m glad you asked. Without God, my wife/family, & a solid support system, #lovebeyondwalls wouldn’t be anything. Of course we would do work, but not without the support from good people that God sends.

~~So instead of making this blog about me,~~ I would like to make it about the people who made history with me, and the people we advocated for–people who face homelessness by living on the streets, in shelters, or living with loved ones without a residential address. It’s over a million of you! And, If you fit this category, YOU DESERVE A VOICE!

It’s the people that go through life without support that need a voice! It’s the individuals who have a heart to serve and help others that need the platform. NOT ME. I’m just trying to be obedient to God, and follow Jesus’ model… I know if he were walking the earth, he’d be involved in broken communities and loving on the poor.

Although I cannot name everyone who helped, I’d like to say you know who you are! You rock, you are special, and God is using you to help uplift people who are looked down upon!

In closing, I would like to list four words that I thought about the entire walk that helped me finish:

1) Resilience – This word means to continue despite present difficulties, and to press forward continuously.

2) Love – This word is a verb, and must be shown through demonstration. This word also restores and protects.

3) Teamwork – This word means nothing in this world happens alone… There is always a team needed to achieve great goals.

4) Family – This word helped me to remember that I have a solid support system who believes in me–my wife, kids, and loved ones!

Terence

The Countdown Begins (LESS THAN 20 HOURS – Three Things)

Hey,

Below is a simple video explaining three things you can do to while I’m walking:

Terence

The Countdown Begins (4 DAYS LEFT STATS)

Over the next 4 days, I’ll be Tweeting, Facebook-ing, and Instagram-ing stats on poverty, homelessness, and hunger! These stats and many more have fueled my attempt to walk #30miles straight. The stat that touched me this morning is found below…

1million

Why focus on education as it relates to homelessness? Because the other day, we had a group of brave students (who are not homeless) do a project on our organization.These students presented on what we stand for, how we mobilize people, our coming campaigns, and encouraged some of the judges to participate. This has encouraged #lovebeyondwalls to launch its Educational Campaigns soon.

2014-02-22 13.19.14

Pray for us as we gear up to walk for 1 million students who may be homeless.

Terence

The Countdown Begins (5 DAYS LEFT VFH Ribbon)

“Why launch a homelessness ribbon?” I have been asked several times. Well, here’s the short answer is below:

When we go out and encounter many homeless individuals, we hear stories that are both heartfelt and filled with pain. Additionally, we realize that many of this people will never have a chance to express on a platform, or have thousands of ears listening to their experiences.

Although this may be true, we believe ALL people have stories that should be understood and respected.

Therefore, we decided to create a lime green ribbon that gives A VOICE to those who are often times forgotten. So, #lovebeyondwalls decided to launc a ribbon called, “Voice for Homelessness.” It’s a ribbon that is specifically is designed to give all those affected by poverty and the perils of life A VOICE! Below is a picture of our ribbon that contains our #lovebeyondwalls heart in the center!

Terence

3rd Awareness Campaign (40 DAYS AWAY)

Homelessness & 5th Graders

Navigate

Get Involved

Join Our Newsletter