7-year-old Jonathon Slack cried when he saw a homeless woman, then he decided to help

[Are_grits_groceries]

Second Grader Organizes Mass Homeless Shelter Donation

He may be a little guy, but he helps homeless folks in a big way.

After seeing a homeless woman during a holiday trip to Chicago, Jonathon Slack, a seven-year-old boy from Orland Park, led a 10-day donation drive, collecting over four truckloads of food and toys for a Chicago shelter.

Jonathon was moved to tears when he saw the homeless woman standing outide of Macy's on State Street, holding a sign that said she and her son had no place to live. After he finished crying, he was moved to action.

"At home that night after I read to him and getting him ready to be tucked in, he started crying," said Heather Slack, his mother.

He told his mom, "That lady had no shelter, mom."

"He wanted us to drive back to the city so that he could give the lady the $6 he had in his pocket," Heather said. 



The Slacks weren’t sure that was a good idea, but they encouraged Jonathon to think of other ways to help. He thought of plenty. 



He was going to paint smiley faces on rocks and sell them. He was going to ask president Obama to take money from rich people and give it to poor people. 



His mother suggested starting a donation. 



So Jonathon wrote a letter asking his community to pitch in. He dropped off photocopies all around his neighborhood. 



The response was tremendous. The youngster managed to collect over four truckloads of food and toys, which he then sent to the Su Casa Catholic Worker homeless shelter in Chicago.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Seven-Year-Old-Organizes-Mass-Donation-to-Homeless-Shelter-80285952.html

He has done more than a lot of the twee bastids in Congress. He certainly has better values. :toast:

[Selatius]

1. This country has a knack for making people sell out and for crushing dreams and hopes.

People get destroyed and are reduced into submissive cogs in a gigantic machine run by a few people. This guy is a fighter. Let's hope he's the nail that stands up and won't go down no matter how many hammer blows are lined up for him. We live in mediocre times, and maybe one day we could elect somebody with that kind of empathy into the White House and into Congress, but I doubt it can be done, not without a class war first.

[roguevalley]

20. oh god. smiley faces on rocks. I would buy several from this little

sweet heart. children can break your heart sometimes when they are, like a mirror, held up to society.

[KittyWampus]

28. How sad you preface the kids actions and epilog it by being totally negative. The kid may be a

fighter but your post comes across as nothing more than sneering cynicism that hopes he fails so you can keep on being oh, so wise and jaded.

[winyanstaz]

2. and a little child shall lead them

K & R...good job young man! Americans are proud of you.:)

[Raster]

16. I did not see your response before I added mine. Great minds think alike.

Children, bless their hearts, are such pure, simple souls. If someone is hungry, feed them. If someone is cold, give them a coat. If they have nowhere to live, take them in.

[ima_sinnic]

3. someone who, later, can put "community organizer" on his resume and truly mean it

he makes me feel that I have done far too little.

[lostnfound]

4. Exactly how and why do most children LOSE their empathy in the next few years?

This boy deserves the attention, and it's great that he's doing something. But maybe we should also be asking why our society teaches children NOT to be empathetic? The news publishes these occasional feel good stories, pointing to a child who is doing something about it, but as the adults in society, we theoretically have the power to be raising most of them to take action like this.

"Parents as role models" - that's a big part of it.

But most parents will also observe a creeping cynicism and loss of innocence that comes in to their child's lives during elementary school.

Most TV shows for kids (for elementary or middle school) are incredibly cynical or snide.

[GreenMetalFlake]

5. How/Why? Conditioned into the greed/superficiality of the true religion: Consumer Culture

[lostnfound]

6. And how does that happen?

This isn't an answer, but it seems a bit amusing and relevant to me still:
When my son was between 2 and 3, he still wasn't talking. A few words, but not much. He talked just as much or more when he was turning 2, then he got his MMR shot and he stumbled around unsteadily for 3 days and his vocabulary disappeared for about 4 months and it took a long time to recover. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the shot. It certainly could NOT have overwhelmed his little immune system because we all know that everyone has the same immune system and that all vaccines have been proven to have zero negative effect on even a single individual. In any case, he eventually worked his issues out and he is perfectly fine now.

But when he was almost 3, we were starting to get concerned. So I had him tested and they suggested some relatively inexpensive state-sponsored program that sent a person out to your home to work with the child verbally once or twice a week. A nice young woman appeared, and she began with the first lesson. The lesson was all about this: "Mine" and "Yours".

The most important thing for a little one to learn to communicate apparently is what's mine, and what's yours.

[katkat]

34. lostnfound

I'm glad your son is doing well now. (As a senior, I had severe neurological effects from my first ever flu shot about a year ago, but fortunately I am pretty much back to normal. It scares the heck out of me that these things are pushed on the public without it being made very clear that these results can happen.)

[lostnfound]

36. Thanks, me too!

I know there are risks in life, and I don't mind having to take our chances with certain things for the sake of potential benefits. But I don't like having to wonder or worry whether science is being corrupted or 'every rock isn't being turned over' simply because of profit or special interests or fear of public paranoia or whatever. It is absurd that there seems to be no effort to identify target populations who are susceptible to vaccine complications.
On the other hand, I was almost in tears when they gave him his polio shot -- for a different reason. My mother walked with a bit of a limp for her whole life because of contracting polio when she was just 3.

[reggie the dog]

19. MDMA helped me get mine back, really

I rolled, and felt connection to people again.... The connection did not stop when the ecstacy wore off. I am convinced that is why MDMA is illegal.

[lostnfound]

22. Wow.

What can I say.

[LeftinOH]

7. He has the the best thing a child can have: Good, thougtful parenting-

instead doing what too many parents might do (ignoring his concerns or simply telling him that the homeless aren't worth helping), his mother actually talked to him about it. Heather Slack deserves a lot of credit.

[reggie the dog]

35. I agree with you all the way

His attitude says a lot about how his parents raise him. I would like to know how much TV he watches per week. For some reason I think it is not too much.

[Javaman]

8. Let's hope the slings and arrows of life doesn't deminish his compassion...

If so, He will get my vote in a few years.

[Blue Owl]

9. hope is still alive

Thanks for the reminder!

[lonestarnot]

10. What a kid!

:toast:

[Odin2005]

11. What a great kid!

:D

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. My thought too!

[change_notfinetuning]

12. If only that were contagious. But, if it were, they'd probably have an

immunization to prevent its spread real quick.

That kid was raised well. I'd love to know how he turns out - what he's doing in about 20 - 25 years. Hopefully, it's not something that would bring us to tears (like becoming a conservative-Republican corporate lawyer, for example).

[Kadie]

14. Awesome job Jonathon!

You did good!

K&R

[Raster]

15. And a child shall lead them.

Bless his heart.

[alsame]

17. Wonderful child with great parents. Stories like this restore my

faith in humanity.

[era veteran]

18. Take money from rich people and give to poor people

A concept I could get behind. Great parenting!

[slackmaster]

21. On behalf of the Slack family, we appreciate the adoration being given to our boy

:hi:

[Unvanguard]

23. "He was going to ask president Obama to take money from rich people and give it to poor people."

:D

[LibDemAlways]

29. It's a great idea, but it will never happen. It's much more likely that

this Administration will continue the proud American tradition of taking from the poor and giving to the rich. Witness the health care "mandate."

Have to admire the kid, though. His values are in the right place.

[Skittles]

24. people like Jonathan give me hope

[jgraz]

25. As always, kids have a stronger moral compass than most adults.

We'd be a lot better off if we could figure out a way to keep that childlike sense of ethics into adulthood.

[Jkid]

26. Now that's a real kid!

[JerseygirlCT]

27. That's wonderful.

I hope that sense of both empathy and optimism is cherished and nurtured as he grows.

[avaistheone1]

30. Little guy with a big heart.

Wow.

:hug:

[Libertas1776]

31. Damn little children

and their socialist ways:sarcasm:

Way to go kiddo!!!:fistbump:

[EmeraldCityGrl]

32. That is the face of an angel

with the heart of a saint. Great job Mom and Dad.

[OneBlueSky]

33. God bless the children . . . too bad they have to grow up . . .

and become cynical, greedy, uncaring adults . . . maybe this kid will be an exception . . . he's certainly on the right path . . . kudos to his parents for doing something right . . .