Sandy, you are the key…
“For the first time in my life, I feel like no obstacle is insurmountable.” Alex
January, 2010
A year ago, Alex spent his days looking for food and his nights looking for a warm and safe
place to sleep. Alex had run out of friends and money. He spent four terrifying days and nights in a
city park without food, water or shelter. Alex was alone and had just about given up hope when an
outreach worker told him about Covenant House.
Within two months of arriving here at Covenant House, Alex started a job and enrolled in
a drug treatment program.
There are thousands of kids living out on the street, praying for their chance at a new life.
For these kids, just one open door can turn their life around.
Kids living on the street worry about where they will go, where they will sleep, when they will
eat, what they will eat, if they will even make it through another night.
In the coming weeks our shelter will face an unprecedented challenge. Hundreds of desperate
kids — hungry, cold, sick and exhausted — will come to us to escape the street.
Winter is such a brutal time for kids on the street. But, as much as the winter hurts them on
the outside, it literally kills them on the inside.
Because, every night they’re on the street, these kids face the realization that nobody in their
life cares and that they’re totally alone
And you hold the key to giving them a chance to walk through our doors and come into a
safe place – a place of hope, of promise, of opportunity at a time when they are most vulnerable.
That’s why I’m asking you as one of our dearest friends, if you can manage a gift of $36 or $56.
I know that asking for your help so soon after Christmas may be asking a lot. But, so many kids’ lives
are literally hanging by a thread.
Alex will be graduating from our longer-term residency program this February. When I asked
him what he planned to do with his life he told me that his “New Year’s resolution is to move to
independence, to build on what I’ve started. I have the skills to make my own way. I’m more
self-assured and confident. I want more friends and more laughter. I want to continue to grow
and stay healthy. For the first time in my life, I feel like no obstacle is insurmountable.”
This is why I continue to do everything I can to rescue kids like Alex from a life on the
And this is why I am appealing to you today!
When you get right down to it, there are three ways you can help bring God’s love to the
scared and lonely children of the street — food, shelter and the opportunity to find a job.
Food, because kids come to us weak from hunger — it’s the main thing that draws them to
Covenant House.
Shelter, because it keeps kids warm and safe from the dangers of the street.
Jobs, because in order to get back on their feet homeless kids need special training and help
to find a job that will allow them to become independent and get off the street for good.
Your gift will give a kid like Alex a chance at a new life. The food, shelter and jobs that your gift
can provide can mean the difference between life and death for these kids.
Our “covenant,” our promise to our kids, is that our doors are always open, 24 hours a day,
365 days a year, no questions asked. Any kid – of any faith and background – is welcome to safety,
hot meals and a warm bed.
I’ve enclosed three Support Coupons for Food, Shelter and Jobs. All you need to do is choose
the amount that you want to give and return the reply card in the envelope provided.
May the blessings of peace, love and joy be yours throughout this New Year!
On behalf of the kids, God Bless,
Ruth daCosta, ED.M.,D.Litt.S.(Hon)
Executive Director
P.S. You can help kids 365 days a year by becoming a monthly donor. To join our Good Samaritans,
please see the back of the enclosed coupon for details.
P.P.S. The 2010 Supporter Card inside this package is a small token of my gratitude. Your supporter
card includes your donor identification number, please reference this number any time you
call or write to us.