Thanks to a new organization in town, Albuquerque street kids can use art to better their lives.
Started 14 years ago, StandUp For Kids is a national organization dedicated to helping homeless and street kids. Using tools such as theater, and organizing fundraisers that involve art and dog washing, the group does anything it can to touch on the lives of the troubled youth. Until last year, Albuquerque didn't have a chapter.
"When I started investigating what was available in the area, I realized there weren't a lot of resources for homeless teens," said Theresa Jones, soon to be director of StandUp For Kids in Albuquerque. "We are building the program."
The program will help give clothes, shelter, housing and counseling to kids in need.
Jones, an administrative assistant at Intel, said when she started searching for volunteer work, she knew she wanted to work with teenagers.
"When I was a teenager, I was a runaway," she said. "There were people out there who helped me and put me on the right track. Now that I am a successful businesswoman, I want to give back."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Andrea Martinez, a UNM student majoring in secondary education, is the director of outreach for the program. She said she found it difficult for people to talk about homelessness.
"Homeless kids is almost a taboo," she said. "Not many people want to talk about that issue. But the truth is they do exist, and they need our help."
Martinez will be hosting a yard sale at her house so StandUp For Kids can send people to a national conference in California to be trained.
"We need to be a unified organization," she said. "Knowing how to deal with problems that arise is important."
Jones said it is important to be passionate in order to volunteer.
"Not everyone is designed to work with homeless kids," she said. "You find your nitch, and that carries you through the tough spots."
The organization is in its beginning stages, and Jones said she will be relieved when the odds and ends are covered so she can concentrate on the real issue.
"We've spent the last year gathering data, recruiting volunteers and training them," she said. "So I am excited for that first night out on the streets we will spend talking to kids, making connections and mentoring them."
For more information on the organization, go to Standupforkids.org.
