8 years old with many layers

This week, Chelsea Herzberg, HALO Center Director shares a story about a talented youth in the Kansas City Center.

8 year old Dakota unknowingly quoted a famous artist. In an interview, artist Robert Rauschenberg was asked, "How do you know when you are finished with a painting?" and Rauschenberg replied, "When I sell it". Dakota was sharing with HALO Center volunteer, Heidi Wetzel, about the different layers on his painting. Heidi asked Dakota how he would know when he was finished with his piece. Dakota simply replied, "When I give it away." We've got a young artist on our hands!

Dakota also impresses with his vocabulary and intention. When asked about his self-portrait, Dakota went into deep detail about why he chose to layer different colors and why he chose the colors he did. You can see bits of blonde hair poking out above brownish-purple paint; Dakota spent a lot of time adding detail to his shirt, face and hair. Upon what appeared to be a nearly finished piece, Dakota mixed together red, blue and a touch of black and applied as a top layer over his face and shirt.

Layers return in another work of art done by Dakota. In this piece (a quilt block to be added together with many other HALO Center youth's blocks to create a community art piece that will be displayed throughout Kansas City) Dakota uses black material to symbolize mountains, brown for buildings that make up the cityscape and blue and purple to represent the people living within the city.Dakota has chosen to lay a striped piece of cloth on top to signify how the community quilt will ultimately bring the city together.

Robert Rauschenberg started his art career here in Kanas City at the Art Institute in 1947. Throughout his life, Rauschenberg was able to live in or travel to Paris, North Carolina, New York, Rome, Florence, France, India, China… to name a few. It is inspiring to see how art can transform your life. We can’t wait to see how it will continue to transform the life of young Dakota and many other homeless, foster and at-risk youth in Kansas City.

The ripple effect

At the HALO Center, our volunteer hosts prepare for weeks leading up to our workshops that are geared toward giving youth the tools to become contributing members of their communities. Here is an example of a struggle we have had and how one person created a positive ripple effect to eliminate that struggle.

Stacey, a volunteer workshop instructor, creates a curriculum based on her experience as a cosmetologist. She imagines how her workshop will play out, how the kids will respond and how her course may just be the spark that helps one of the HALO youth find a positive path, much like she did. There is an excited, anxious energy at the HALO Center as Stacey and other volunteers wait on the youth to arrive. They are expecting the group at 6:30 and lay out materials for each youth. 

At the homeless shelter, Valerie prepares for her time at HALO. She has been there a few times before, and explored some options for what she may want to do beyond high school. Tonight she has signed up for a cosmetology workshop, which has interested her since she can remember. She is excited to learn from someone who actually does it for a living and who could give her some direction. Right when she is ready to walk out her room door, a shelter staff member knocks to say the workshop has been cancelled.

6:30 rolls around and nobody shows up at the HALO Center. 7:00 and nothing happens. Our Program Director calls the shelter to see when they can be expected and the answer is disappointing. They are unable to come tonight because of transportation issues.

Its a ripple effect. Shelters have had budget cuts, which means staff cuts, which means if something comes up ranging from transportation issues to behavior issues, HALO can take a back seat. This has been a challenge since we opened the HALO Center. The children are disappointed, the volunteers are bummed. The wind is taken out of the sails for everyone.

Last week a very engaged donor heard about our need for our own transportation. We explained that with freedom to pick up youth from any point in the city comes stability for everyone involved and a more effective program. After learning about the impact, he said "Let's get a van!" 

Chelsea Herzberg, HALO Center Program Director, shopping for a new van.

Now this ripples throughout our organization. Our staff is more confident in recruiting volunteers, our volunteers are more engaged without dealing with let down, our youth is exposed to more opportunity, and hundreds of additional children and teens like Valerie will get a chance to pursue their dreams. This van will get Kansas City youth in the most need from point A to point B. Point A being some of the most difficult situations you can imagine. Point B being a bright future.

Let's say Valerie takes the cosmetology class, succeeds, and is encouraged by Stacey to look at some schools. She applies, gets in, and receives a full pell grant which she will not have to pay back. She graduates and is referred to a high-end salon by Stacey, her mentor. Valerie is the first person in her family to hold down a regular job since she can remember. She gets and apartment with a fellow stylist, saves her money to buy a car, and is able to completely support herself.

The pattern has been broken. Thanks to Stacey and the volunteers, the van donor, the shelter, the HALO Program Director, and the man who generously donates the space for the HALO Center, Valerie is reaching her dream. Each of these people may not get to see the impact they have had, but Valerie knows it every day.

We all have the capability of creating ripple effects in this life, positive or negative. If we were able to see the full impact of our actions, we may reconsider some of our choices. This is something to consider with every action we take. To learn more about creating a positive ripple effect by supporting or volunteering at the HALO Center, email chelseaherzberg@haloworldwide.org.

When we really don't want to

Self discipline - Doing something you should do when you REALLY don't feel like it.

On my flight to L.A., thinking about the lovely young woman at the terminal with whom I just had an interesting conversation. She was refreshingly curious, asking questions about the 20 pound ball of joy jumping on my lap known as Klaebel, my son. Her honest and up-front inquiries were much like those I had during that period of my life. Does having kids change things that much? Is it difficult? After a challenging day of packing for two (including a stroller, car seat, and 30 diapers), going through security, and feeding him a bottle while answering work calls and emails, I thought, diffucult - yes. Change things - yes. Does one giggle from Klaebel make it worth it? YES.

During our conversation I discovered her aspirations of opening a shelter for homeless children with art as a main focus. I shared the mission of HALO and her curiosity was off the charts. She asked a line of questions  and made reference to taking a leap of faith and the extreme amount of work that must go into something like this.  Has it been difficult? Yes (I would like to say its been a great challenge). Does giving just one child a safe place make it worth every hour spent on our mission? YES.

There are definately times I don't feel like doing things. Do I really enjoy reading contracts, hearing bad news, or doing database work? No. But I do it. Why? Because there are 1000 kids counting on us and there are 1000 more waiting on us.

I believe in self-discipline, but without proper motivation, it would be near impossible for me to get the things done that I do not want to do. Would I eat healthy every day of my life if I knew it meant just one more day of life with my son and husband? YES. I know it's extreme, but thinking in these terms makes self-discipline a piece of cake.

If during the times we feel sloth-like we remember the core of WHY we are doing something, we can accomplish more than we could ever imagine. Whether it's pulling a report, working out, or making that dreaded call, there can be a positive motivation at the core of every action. We just have to find it and focus on it.

HALO's monthly life skill is self-discipline. We will all be working on improving this aspect of our lives, including our youth.  Our challenge: identify 3 things you don't like to do but should. Find a motive for each that will change your  attitude.

The balancing act

Balance. We all try so hard to balance work with personal goals and round ourselves out. Balance makes life better because it puts life in perspective, helps us realize that the end of the world has never been the end of the world and we aren't able to obsess about meaningless things. I have been learning balance as a new mom who works, while still trying to reach my potential in all areas of life.

HALO began with a beautiful spark of interest, collaboration, and fervor. Our plan was simple: raise as much as we can and we will support as many kids as we can with those funds. Reliance on volunteer team members in the beginning was unspoken, understood, and much appreciated. The outcome of the hours of work put in has been direct and extreme but also unpredictable and we have been lucky to have had so much success.

We have gotten pretty far by operating on these loose-terms, but we are now at a point where pretty far is not enough. We must meet our full potential because it is our duty to the children we meet who are in the greatest need imaginable and are not yet supported, waiting for us, waiting for a home. We also have far too much responsibility to operate on loose terms. Supporting over 1000 children around the world cannot be done without organization, deadlines, and accountability. Our mission to best serve the children we currently support while bringing in additional youth will only be met by sticking to strict time lines and goals. 

At HALO, we are working toward finding the balance between being a fun organization to volunteer with and one fiercely committed to the success of our programs. We rely on volunteers who are also trying to find balance in their lives. We firmly believe in the empowerment of the volunteer but we also must have a structure of open communication that helps us reach our goals. Open communication includes both sides - committing to a task and communicating when an overcommitment is realized. Our staff appreciates a volunteer commitment as much as when someone calls to say they have overcommitted. That way they don't get burnt out and we are able to ask for help from another volunteer, still reaching our goals. I personally feel combining fun with clear communication and a clear plan makes us closer to reaching our potential every day.

HALO will continue to strive toward being an invigorating organization while seeking out the best team of  volunteers, because that is what we have always had - volunteers who are excited to set and meet deadlines, raise their hand to help, follow through on ideas, make a profound impact, are positive, and say no if they are unable to do something. We have been blessed with many of these incredible volunteers, but we always need more.

If we all do what we say we will do, when we say we will do it, the outcome is direct and extreme. For HALO, it will mean the world to the additional children we will be able to support. Actually, it will mean their whole world. The balancing act becomes a cinch if we all keep that in mind, putting life in perspective for all of us.

If you are interested in making a profound impact, click here. Being part of bringing in children in the most need to a safe-haven of support is quite rewarding, no matter what is the task at hand.

Making time for greatness

We all say it. I would love to do that, but I just don't have the time. Have? Or make? Its getting up a half hour earlier, its turning off the TV, not being afraid of accountability, pushing ourselves just a little further, setting priorities and following them. Eminem makes time to read the dictionary and has since he was a child. Mother Teresa made time to ask thousands of people for help. The Beatles performed over 270 times in a year and a half before they were famous.

Its easy to place the blame for mediocrity on not having time. That's a cop out. We are all capable of greatness, we just need to make the time for it. It all comes down to self-discipline. No matter what we are doing in our lives, helping others is one of those things that makes us great and can't be ignored. 

There are people in need on every block and across the world - elderly people dying of loneliness, abandoned children who are terrified of their next night on the streets without a meal, people who are sick or loosing a loved one. Making time for one person in need is making the time for greatness, whether its volunteering for 20 minutes a week, making small donation, or just stopping by. No matter how much work we have to do, we can all do that. 

I have the pleasure of working with people who make time to do great things in all aspects of their lives.  They are proof that we are all capable of greatness, we just need to make the time for it. 

The year of vibrance

I went to high school in Jefferson City, MO. Most of my family still lives there and over the holidays, I basically do too. Jeff is a quaint town with a vibrant group of people who are excited about getting involved and giving back. I had the pleasure of meeting with a few of these people during my most recent visit and have to say I was inspired.

HALO has had a branch in Jefferson City for the past 4 years which has been extremely successful in raising funds and awareness for their sister orphanage, the Mengo Home in Uganda. More recently, local needs for at-risk and homeless youth have been coming to our attention.

Mengo Girls in Kampala, Uganda

During 2011, we committed time to researching these needs and how HALO may be able to help. According to the 2009 census, the population was around 40,000 in Jeff and about 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line. We've met with multiple potential partner agencies who take care of the children in the community who are in the harshest of situations. This includes a homeless shelter which has 15-20 youth per night who have nothing to do but sit among the adult homeless people.  I never knew there were homeless youth living in Jefferson City. It also includes agencies that serve at-risk youth who come from unstable families and children who are in the foster care system and there are a lot of them.

All of these agencies expressed a profound need for a safe haven that provides educational, future-focused opportunities for these children. They need a place where they are able to grow and flourish while building relationships with mentors who will invest in their future. These are things most of us grew up with every day. These are things every child deserves. 


After careful consideration, HALO is opening our third HALO Learning Center in Jefferson City. The faces that pass through those doors will be the vibrant group of people I mentioned committed to investing in youth who deserve to succeed. The children who are staying at the homeless shelter will have someone to turn to and help them dream beyond their situations. We will open our arms to foster and at-risk youth who are the in the most need to give them hope, opportunities, and a bright outlook.

HALO Learning Center, Kansas City

HALO Jefferson City will continue to support the Mengo Home. They have just made a huge leap and will also be supporting their local center. Everyone at HALO Headquarters feels this will be their year. We know it will be. Stay tuned for more updates. They are only getting started.

To get involved or learn more about how you may support HALO JC, email halojc@haloworldwide.org
Like HALO JC on Facebook here.

The most wonderful time of the year

Imagine 200 people in Kansas City without a home. Now imagine them without warm coats in the freezing weather. I get bent out of shape when I am cold for a few minutes walking from my car to my house. Think about being cold to the bone ALL NIGHT. These 200 people have now been given coats by a few 10 year old boys with an idea. My nephew Mikey and his friend Jack had an idea to do a coat drive for homeless people. A few weeks later, they were passing them out to 200 people in need. How inspiring.

I love this time of the year. It is always full of surprises like that. People get in the giving spirit and very interested in what they can do for others, including HALO kids in need around the world. We get excited to check the mail every day. Our volunteers have worked hours on end preparing for these few weeks. The orphanages have sent in their requests for the kids, ranging from food to new clothes and the HALO office becomes like Santa's workshop. Its a beautiful thing to feel that giving spirit and to know that the kids who receive are so incredibly grateful. 

Click here to read more.

Their warm meals, Christmas parties, new clothes, and opportunities to go to school light up their lives and make them feel loved. We have our built in Santas who are our supporters. If you are interested in giving a gift to HALO children, check out our gift catalog. All the opportunities are listed. Its especially great for that unique person you can't find a thing for... making a donation in their name is always a wonderful idea. Click here to learn more, view our catalog, and become a HALO Santa. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!