Lawrence.com

This is part of a special project of stories, photos, and video gathered by graduate journalism students in KU’s J840 Communicating Social and Environmental Messages class — will be posted here leading up to this Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, where the potential expansion of Lawrence's only homeless shelter will be on the agenda.

Just as the homeless at the Lawrence Community Shelter need help, many in the Lawrence community could use some help understanding what their roles might be in making other people's lives better.

The people below are a handful of the volunteers and advocates who comprise the “silent army” that keeps the Lawrence Community Shelter going. They are among hundreds of people whose work serves as shining examples for how to donate your own time and resources.

The Social Leader

Loring Henderson started his career about 40 years ago in Washington, D.C., after seven years in the U.S. Navy. His resume is impressive and includes directorships at agencies including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Institute for Policy Studies, the Business Executives for National Security, Americans for SALT, and the League for Latin American Citizens.

In 1993, Loring moved back to Lawrence and commuted to his job as Director of the Redemptorist Social Service Center in Kansas City. After his retirement, he began work with the Lawrence Community Shelter.

“Living in Lawrence and working in Kansas City, I didn’t feel like I was giving enough to either community. This is better because I can be more invested in one place.”

He’s humble and it’s hard to get him to explain why he began his work with the homeless back in D.C. “I just wanted to feed people who were hungry. I can’t answer it any better than that. I just knew it’s what I wanted to do.”

Loring, a K.U. graduate, remains extremely connected to national politics, but is weary of local politics about homelessness. “The only thing that gets frustrating is the drama about the Shelter. Not the guests. We never give up on them.”

Fortunately for Lawrence, Loring knows exactly how to balance community concerns and the best interests of the guests at LCS.

The Intellectual Leader

Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett, Director of the Honors Program at K.U., spends two nights a month preparing, serving and cleaning up after dinner at the Shelter.

On the first and third Thursdays each month she brings in nutritious meals like chicken and rice casserole, chili-mac, fresh fruit salads, cookies and drinks. “It’s just not that hard, and I can do it, so I do.”

Many people would not consider feeding 35-70 people twice a month even a little easy. “I had four kids and they always had friends over. It was chaos! So this is really not that different. Lots of people, lots of friends and food.”

Kathleen says COSTCO is her best friend. She plans these huge meals and prepares them at home with her husband and sometimes a friend, puts the meals in crock pots and pans, drives them to the Shelter for dinner at 8:00, serves the guests at the Shelter, cleans up and is home by about 9:30 p.m.

“I am so fortunate. I have so much and I am happy to do this. They are so grateful and sometimes I feel a little embarrassed when they thank me, because I’m not there for that. It really is my pleasure.”

Kathleen said that her Catholic upbringing and her mother really taught her about giving to others. Now others give because of Ms. McCluskey-Fawcett. “I was having a few girlfriends over last winter and part of the invitation included them bringing a blanket for the homeless. I said, ‘You know, it’s not quite as cold when you’re sleeping in a doorway if you have a blanket.’ Every single person showed up with at least two brand new blankets.”

The Senior Leader

Mary Ellen Des Champs pulled up to the Shelter one day and called out for a hand to the men on the porch, “Fellahs? Can I get a little help?”

She had brand new T-shirts and bread that day. “I don’t just bring a bunch of stuff. I try to make it special. Maybe one day it’s for the men and another day things just for ladies. They need to feel special, because they are.”

Mary Ellen lives in a conservative apartment in Vermont Place with her cat, Ariel. Named so because she “flies around the room!”

Mary Ellen has always liked to move around and explore new places, but made her way back to Lawrence a few years ago. Just before her return, she had a thrift store in Overbrook. She has a way of ending up with discarded items that someone else probably needs. And she’s got a knack for what she should hold on to. Before she began supporting LCS, she would take items to people living under the bridge.

“I remember once a huge box of baby things were given to the thrift store and for some reason I just put them in the car with some other warm clothes to take down to the bridge. Sure enough a couple with a baby stroller was there that day. I said to them, ‘Well, these must have been meant for you.” The couple was overwhelmed to be able to keep their baby warm.

And though the Shelter itself doesn’t regularly accept clothing donations, Mary Ellen always has her ear to ground for useful items that may come in handy there and where ever there is a need.

The Business Leader

Aimee’s Coffee House is a family business that genuinely shares affection for each other and the people they serve. Cary Strong is the working businessman that keeps it all together in an unpretentious atmosphere where you can grab a cup of coffee as well as a friendly conversation.

He’s the vendor coordinator for Change of Heart, a newsletter written by and sold by the homeless to increase awareness and understanding about the homeless situation in Lawrence. Cary says, “Education is the key to everything.”

Vendors who sell the $1 paper get a portion of the proceeds as payment. Cary helps to coordinate the sales of the newsletter, helps keep sales records together and sometimes helps a little with content ideas.

Cary says that people in the business community don’t always understand the situation with guests of the Lawrence Community Shelter and the other homeless in Lawrence. “The misconception is that they put themselves there.”

He also doesn’t judge people based on initial looks and he doesn’t decide about an entire portion of the community based on one or two people. He thinks people need to “step back’ a minute and not judge a whole group based on the actions of a few.

His dad Gary adds proudly, “He’s one of the most wonderful people in the whole world—a great kid.” A little biased perhaps, but it’s obvious he really means it.

“People think that being human creates humanity, but I believe that being compassionate creates humanity. I’d ask anybody out there to just be a little more compassionate.”

He’s not saying that people can hang out in the shop all day. But that’s just typical restaurant etiquette no matter who you are. “I treat everybody the same whether they’re homeless or the Mayor.”

Cary and his family are a great example of how to do business in Lawrence: Care about your family, your customers and everyone in the community and you’ll be successful.

The Political Leader

Mike Dever was Mayor of Lawrence in 2008 and now serves as Lawrence City Commissioner. He’s a KU graduate and has lived in Lawrence for 18 years. He cares deeply about the Lawrence community and he cares about finding solutions for community problems. His hope is to help find better solutions to improve life for homeless community members. He wants the Lawrence Community Shelter to find a new location with more space and more services to create goals that can be evaluated all in one place.

“People think if we take away all the services they’ll just go away.” But he says that’s not realistic. Some people might try to find better services, but since most of the homeless residents of Lawrence are from the Douglas County area, that’s unlikely.

“We as a community have grappled with this issue for years now. I want to bring it to the forefront. When the Salvation Army closed, I knew that was the tipping point. With the economy getting worse I knew there would be more homeless.”

Homelessness has become particularly important to Dever in the last couple of years. He remembers the incident that pushed this issue to the top of his attention as he recalls a man freezing to death because access to shelter in a local park had been removed.

“It’s an opportunity to make a difference in the community. We have a big community with a big heart.”

All stories on the Lawrence Community Shelter collected by KU's Communicating Social and Environmental Messages class:

• Gimme shelter: your call (Aug. 1)

• Gimme shelter: More than a chance encounter, a choice (Aug. 2)

• Gimme shelter: The Lawrence Community Shelter family (Aug. 3)

• Gimme shelter: Community leaders (Aug. 4)

• A walk through Lawrence's only shelter for the homeless (photogallery)

• Talking with supporters of the Lawrence Community Shelter (audio interviews)

• Homeless in Lawrence: More than you may know (video)