Words into action

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/06/2021 (1566 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lisa Poggemiller’s daughter, Abby, learned about homelessness at school. Through school resources, reading books and discussions at home, Abby came to learn there are people in her city who don’t have a place to live.

“We’re always making Abby aware that she has a lot of things and that there are people who don’t have as much as our kids do,” Poggemiller says.

She says Abby, 7, was surprised to discover there are people who experience homelessness.

“That was a huge shock to her because she never really thought about it before,” she says. “The idea someone didn’t have a home sunk in with Abby.”

Poggemiller says anytime there was a thunderstorm or if it was cold outside, her daughter would ask where people who don’t have homes go for shelter.

Abby recently talked about it with her mom.

“(I told my mom) I want to do something to help homeless people,” Abby said.

That struck a chord with Poggemiller.

“When she said that, I felt very strongly I should support her,” she says. “Abby said it so matter of factly. I was like ‘OK, let’s figure this out.’”

Poggemiller knew she had to do something that was safe and abided by all pandemic restrictions, so she asked some friends for ideas. People suggested donating to various organizations but Poggemiller wanted to dig a little deeper.

“I thought, ‘I want this to be something Abby feels like she’s actually doing,’” she says. “I can write a cheque and donate money, or I can go buy things and drop them off, but even with restrictions, Abby can’t come in the store with me.”

So she and Abby started brainstorming.

“Right now, Abby’s really big into reading and has levelled up her reading skills. (And reading) is something that can be done virtually,” Poggemiller says. “So I thought, what if she reads to people and then we ask them to make a donation.”

So with the help of her mom, Abby is using her love of books to help raise money to help others in need. Her online initiative is called “Abby’s Chapters for Change.”

Here’s how it works: people are invited to book a story reading with Abby online. In exchange for a donation, Abby will read them a book virtually.

Poggemiller started a GoFundMe fundraiser to collect donations and Abby has booked several virtual readings already, including for her grandmother, friends and neighbours. All money raised goes to Main Street Project, which offers programming and services to Winnipeg’s most vulnerable.

“We’ve known about Main Street Project for a while and we’re very aware of the services they’re providing,” Poggemiller says. “They’re expanding a lot and we like how they’re very transparent. I have a really good feeling about how the organization is run.”

Main Street Project also hits close to home for Poggemiller.

“I lost a friend to an overdose who had been struggling for a really long time,” she said. “I know Main Street Project is working towards recovery programs, so on a personal level, that means a lot to me.”

Over the last 15 months, public health orders and physical distancing measures mean shelters and other organizations have been dealing with extra challenging day-to-day operations.

“Main Street Project loves Abby’s unique idea for a fundraiser. We’re so grateful Abby chose Main Street Project as the organization to raise funds for,” said Jamil Mahmood, executive director of Main Street Project. “We appreciate that Abby cares so much about people in our city who may not have a safe place to go and that she wants to help out in this very special way.”

According to the 2018 Winnipeg Street Census, nearly one-third of an estimated 1,500 people experiencing homelessness are under 18 years of age. Of those, the census says 14.3 per cent were unsheltered, such as staying in a public space like a bus shelter or park and 23.7 per cent used an emergency shelter, domestic violence shelter or youth shelter.

“We understand it can sometimes feel overwhelming to know there are people who don’t have access to basic things like a home or food and it’s truly beautiful Abby feels moved to help,” Mahmood said. “It’s wonderful to see Abby’s parents supporting her fundraising idea and we wish Abby every success with her fundraiser.”

Abby is following in the footsteps of Winnipegger Hannah Taylor, who was only eight years old when she started the Ladybug Foundation in Winnipeg in 2004 to help people experiencing homelessness. It has since raised over $4 million.

Poggemiller is an educational assistant for English as a Second Language (ESL) students at an elementary school. She says virtual reading is something she’s very comfortable with and knew it would work well for Abby.

“That’s basically what I’ve been doing during this remote learning period, both numeracy and reading sessions with kids,” she says. “So I knew that’s something Abby could do and that there was a lot of opportunity.”

Poggemiller said Abby is a very social kid and loves being around people.

“Some of Abby’s friends are only children and miss the socializing part. This is a way for kids to socialize or cheer somebody up if they’re having a tough day,” she said.

Abby’s first virtual book reading was with her grandmother. The book Abby read? Why I Love my Grandma by Daniel Howarth.

“It was fun!” Abby said. “I liked reading the book to her.”

Abby’s favourite books include Owl Diaries, Dog Man and the Magic Tree House series. Between Abby and her younger sister, Poggemiller says they have close to 100 books.

“We’d like to continue this throughout the summer. It’ll keep her engaged with reading when school is not going on,” Poggemiller says. “This is a good thing for her to be working on long-term. She’s excited about it.”

The hope is Abby’s schedule fills up with more virtual book-reading appointments.

“It’d be great to have some appointments book up,” Poggemiller said. “We have some people donating who don’t have kids, which is wonderful, and I show Abby every donation and we are so grateful.”

To book a virtual book reading with Abby, you can visit Abby’s Chapters for Change Facebook page (wfp.to/abbyfacebook). If you’d like to make a donation to Abby’s cause, visit Abby’s Chapters for Change GoFundMe page (wfp.to/abbygofundme).