Andy's Updates - 9/2009
by Erin on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009, Filed Under General, Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
Several years ago, I received a phone call from a writer at Sports Illustrated, asking me if I could connect him with a man who was homeless on the streets of Pasadena, CA, Eugene Jones. The writer said that he would love to connect with Eugene, who he described as possibly the best linebacker prospect the Nation had ever seen in the late 1970’s. I told him that I would ask Eugene if he was interested the next time that I saw him.
I saw Eugene a short time later and asked him about the interview. “Yes, I played with James McAlister and Kermit Johnson for Blair High School. We were undefeated, 13-0, and then I played at UCLA. I am not ready to be interviewed at this time of my life and in the current shape I am in.”
I Google-searched Eugene’s football background and this is what I found from the Sports Illustrated Vault and other news reports from that era:
“When McAlister graduated from high school, the recruiters lined up three deep. He had three close friends at Blair: Kermit Johnson, another running back; Eugene Jones, a 6’3″, 230-pound tight end; and Billy Williams, a 6’1″, 190-pound defensive back.
To the surprise of no one, James McAlister was a runaway pick as Player of the Year in “AAAA” division football for 1969 as Southern California sports journalists met at Helms Hall to make their annual all-star football team selections. Since 1937, members of the southland press have gathered to select the top high-school grid stars and in turn honor them for their collective gridiron exploits. The 1969 season was a banner year, as records were toppled right and left.
McAlister and running mate Kermit Johnson rolled up over 4,000 yards between them in rushing offense for the season… a remarkable and unmatched feat in the southland. McAlister’s total of 2,168 yards is third best in local history, with his career mark (4,367 yards) second only to Mickey Cureton’s 4,920 yards.
The 6-foot-one, 200-pound fullback scored 31 touchdowns over the season and a total of 228 points, third best 1n CIF history. Glenn Davis set the record of 236 in 1942 and then Centennial’s Mickey Cureton set the current mark of 240 in 1966.
The Foothill League champions charged through their divisional playoff chores, whipping Bishop Amat in the finale 28-27…and more impressively than the score indicated. In the three earlier playoff encounters the Vikings murdered Hueneme 62-0 …ran away from Santa Monica 44-19 and sneaked past Lakewood 24-19, before doing in the Angelus League co-champion Lancers. It is interesting to note that Coach Pete Yoder, who directed the title-winning Vikings, also quarterbacked Downey High to the CIF title back 1n 1957. Coach Pete was an All-ClF first-team pick that year.
ALL-SOUTHERN SECTION “AAAA” TEAM — 1969
FIRST TEA M
POSITION PLAYER
End………..JOHN MoKAY
End………..EUGENE JONES
Tackle…….RANDY IVEY
Taok1e……SAM THAD
Guard……..MIKE HANNA
Guard……..LEE GARCIA
Center…… NICK BUCKIVIEYER
Backer…….FORRIE MARTIN
Backer…….PAUL MORO
Back……..*JAMES McALISTER
Back………KERMIT JOHNSON
Back………PAT HADEN
Back………GEORGE FRASER
Back………PAT McPARTLAND
Gradually I got to know Eugene better, and I was always impressed with his strong handshake and gentle manners. He is a big man, and I sensed in several challenging situations that he always had my back. He was struggling with some kind of addition, probably crack cocaine, for decades, and didn’t talk much, but he was always polite and kind to me. I tried to encourage him to enter into programs and get help. He sometimes rode his bike by my house and we’d talk briefly. The last time I saw him living on the streets, he came into a Von’s grocery store and with all the money that he had was trying to buy a little something at the counter. “Are you hungry?” I asked. Eugene said, “Yes!” I told him to get what he needed and I would treat him. He came back with a loaf of bread, stack of sandwich meat, jar of mayonnaise, and a gallon of lemonade. I told him, “Eugene, I am now the head of Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, and if you will come in and get clean, I will find a job for you.”
I didn’t see Eugene for several months, possibly over a year. Then he showed up looking clean, with some of his weight back on, and beaming with pride. “Andy, I just completed a program, I am in a halfway house, and I am here to apply for a job!” There is no way I would not keep my word. Our Human Resources director interviewed Eugene, twice, and hired him as an usher/attendant for our guests at Union Rescue Mission. He is doing a spectacular job, and he is letting me tell his story, of a life transformed.
by Rev. Andy on Thursday, September 24th, 2009, Filed Under General, Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
It has been an interesting and enlightening week as we’ve gone out with a group called Common Ground and community volunteers, taking surveys of people who are homeless on the streets of Skid Row in order to make a registry of people. This registry or database will be utilized to hopefully connect the most vulnerable people on the streets with permanent supportive housing, and they will be surrounded by care, counseling and services.
This is really the answer for those we would describe as the most challenging, chronic 10% of the population of homeless people. These are folks devastated by years of homelessness, addiction, sickness, attacks, and mental health issues who literally are knocking on death’s door if someone or some plan does not intervene. LA County Sheriff Lee Baca describes our streets not as Skid Row, but as death row. For an estimated 500 to 750 on these streets, intervention with permanent supportive housing needs to happen now rather than later, or the numbers of people will not be decreased by anything positive, but will truly happen through death.
This is why Union Rescue jumped in with Common Ground and other caring folks, including the Deputy Mayor of Housing and Economic Development Policy for the City of Los Angeles, Helmi Hisserich, to survey the folks on the streets. URM had nearly 15 volunteers, including myself and Senior Staff, out on the streets at 4:00 A.M. 3 mornings this week. I believe in this intervention so much, that I offered for URM to sponsor the count for $10,000. The leaders of Common Ground had a better idea. They are taking our $10,000, and asking others to throw what they can into the pot, and then we are going to take the combined pot, so to speak, and find the 2 or 3 most vulnerable people out of the hundreds we surveyed, and we are going to place those 2 or 3 immediately into permanent-supportive housing.
This means that the two octogenarian ladies Helmi and I met this morning might have an opportunity to move from the streets filled with rats where they slept, into an apartment of their own, and as one of the little ladies said, “with Security?”
Or the 50 year old woman I met who has been on the streets 30 years of her life, and is in and out of the hospital regularly with epileptic seizures may have a chance to experience some quality of life.
What broke my heart as we finished up this morning were the hundreds who we will have no immediate answers for; a young woman, barely in her 20’s talking to herself angrily as she walked by, a young woman moaning after she just shot up heroin in the self cleaning toilet out on San Pedro Street, a young man selling himself and stationing himself on Skid Row because “that is where I have access to more drugs”.
I am encouraged by what I learned in our time on the streets — steps that Union Rescue Mission can take to be a more welcoming, caring place, and ways we can partner with others to work towards the day when it will be a rarity to find someone living on the streets of this City of Angels. Pray for us.
Bless you,
Andy B.
by Rev. Andy on Friday, September 18th, 2009, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
In my last blog I told a story of a young man who asked me how a 16 year old could get a job. I learned the next day that he was considering dropping out of school to work so that his single mom, brother and he could stay in their home. I asked a local company that works with us on our direct mail, Grizzard, http://www.Grizzard.com, to consider hiring this polite young man for a job at their Glendale office after school, AND THEY ARE HIRING HIM!
I shared Daniel’s story with Reba Toni, of KKLA Radio, 99.5 FM, and she not only shared it on KKLA but also on KFISH 95.9 FM, Christian Music Radio. A friend of mine who works in Hollywood heard the story and called me for information on how to connect with Daniel’s mom, and hire her!
This one instance of a family being rescued with employment, before suffering the devastating effects of homelessness, has encouraged us to launch a new outreach program beginning with area churches/houses of faith. We’re asking them to look for a family in their vicinity that they can come alongside and help prevent the family from becoming homeless with financial counseling, job networking, free daycare for children, food pantry assistance and in other ways. In addition, we are inviting the churches/houses of faith to come alongside a family already devastated by homelessness and partner/mentor them as they move out of homelessness. Truly, if each church in LA would take these two steps, we could put an end to family homelessness in Los Angeles. If you would like to get your church involved please contact me at: abales@urm.org.
Thanks to all who stepped up to help this one family! That is how the battle will be won; one family at a time!
Blessings,
Andy B.
by monica on Friday, September 4th, 2009, Filed Under Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments
As I sit in my office, I am shedding a few tears and conspiring how to help a young man find part-time work. I met him yesterday. We were carrying out a back to school event, in conjunction with Operation School Bell, and after helping to get things rolling to equip 230 precious kids with everything they need for school, I decided to be the water boy, and deliver the water to the children waiting their turn to shop for shoes, clothes, backpacks, supplies and books. I asked a young man next to me, if I could get him some water. “No, thank you. That is too much to ask of you.” I immediately jumped up and brought two cold bottles of water to him and his brother. “My name is Daniel. Thank you! Do you know where a guy my age, 16, could find work? I was helping the fire department in Glendale with brush removal, but when the fires came up, they had to lay us off because of the danger.” I shared with him that he would need to get a work permit from school, and then I encouraged him to go to businesses around his house and ask for employment, be persistent, and let them know that he worked for the fire department. “That will be appreciated,” I told him. I did not get a chance to ask him what was happening in his life, but I thought about his request all night.
This morning, I heard his story; Daniel’s single mom has been out of work for 1 year, but looking intently everyday. Daniel has even thought about dropping out of school to work to make sure he, his mom and little brother do not lose their apartment in Glendale. Well, sometimes feeling bad for someone, praying, and even shedding a few tears is not good enough. I am calling a Glendale area business and asking them to hire this young man to do part-time work around their building, and I will personally provide the funds so this young man stays in school, and his family stays in their home so that they do not face the devastation of homelessness. At Union Rescue Mission, we have a dream and a plan to rally churches and others to close the door on homelessness, by preventing families from landing on the streets in the 1st place. For me it begins with this family and it begins today.
Blessings, Andy B.
