Fall 2020 Newsletter
On the first Saturday of each month, almost without fail, Ronnie would be the first person in line to wait outside Breakthrough’s Fresh Food Market. Neither snow or rain nor hot or cold weather would disrupt his schedule. Month after month, year after year, Ronnie would get there around 6:30 AM. The Market opened its doors at 10 AM. But Ronnie knew that the shelves would always be full if you were amongst the first ones in line.
I met Ronnie while volunteering at the Fresh Food Market which is located in East Garfield Park in Chicago. Like Ronnie, I would always be there the first Saturday of every month. I would arrive at 9 AM. Ronnie would wave at me and ask me how I have been since I last saw him. He would always ask if I needed a hand carrying in the food donations that my mom would provide to me. Then he would joke with me that maybe next month my mom could make some chocolate chip cookies again. We would make small talk for a bit before I would head inside the Market to help set up, leaving Ronnie outside with the others who had begun to take their place in line. It was not uncommon for the line to be 40-50 people deep by the time the Market opened.
Finally, at 10 AM the doors would open, Ronnie would walk in with a smile, get his cart and quickly go through the Market taking only what he needed. After waiting over 3 hours in line, Ronnie was out the door in 10 minutes with a few bags of food. We would wave good-bye and both say, “See you next month.”
It wasn’t just Ronnie whom I would see every month at the Market. I would come to see and know a lot of the same faces that would visit month after month. Smiling faces. Kind faces. Grateful faces. Mostly, I saw older faces. I would not see many younger faces. While the Market is a tremendous help to the residents of East Garfield Park, I began to realize over time that we were providing short-term benefits but not long-term benefits. I knew that each month when I pulled up to the Market that Ronnie would be waiting outside the door greeting me with a smile and wave.
Kevin was in 3rd Grade when I first began coaching youth basketball at Breakthrough. Right away it was obvious that he was one of the most talented kids on the court despite being one of the youngest. It also became apparent that Kevin was a great kid. Off the court he would be smiling, joking, and laughing. He was well liked by his teammates. On the court he was all business. No one was more intense or determined than Kevin.
This upcoming season Kevin will be in 6th Grade and it will be my 4th season coaching him. He is still one of the most talented, if not the most talented, kid on the court. But while he excels on the court, Kevin has struggled in the classroom. Each year he has had to miss multiple practices and games because his grades have not been up to par. As he struggled in class he would also begin to act out, getting in trouble with his teachers. Raised by his grandma, she rightfully makes sure Kevin gets his grades and behavior in order at school, or he doesn’t get to play basketball.
Kevin’s struggles in the classroom have always puzzled me. He is a smart kid. He is well-spoken and respectful. When I would try and talk to him about school, he would just flash his smile and say, “Don’t worry coach. I’ll take care of it.” But come the next game, far too often, he would not be there.
I talked to his grandma about his struggles. Math and Reading seemed to be the subjects that were proving to be a challenge. They cause a lot of problems for young students. We both agreed that his acting up was most likely the result of his not understanding which led to his frustration and falling behind. In the back of my mind, it seemed obvious that Kevin would greatly benefit from a tutor. Unfortunately, they were not in the financial situation to obtain the extra help and attention that would keep him on course and in good standing.
Everyone has a story. These are just two stories. One old and one young. Everyone has their own path in life. Some paths aren’t easy. Some paths are bumpy and rough which make it easier to fall off the road. Some paths are smoother and clearer than others. In addition to everyone having a story, everyone also has Just One Dash.
Just One Dash was named for the line between the date of birth and date of death. The dash represents the journey in between. Not only does everyone have one dash, but everyone’s dash is exactly the same. This idea was championed and made known by Linda Ellis in her poem The Dash. You can visit our web-site (www.justonedash.org) to read the whole poem. The line that rings true the most to me is “For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth. For it matters not, how much we own, the cars…..the house….the cash. What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.”
The goal of Just One Dash is to establish relationships with people to make their path less bumpy and smoother - to make it easier to stay on the path than fall off the path. The best way to do that is to help someone who is at the beginning of their journey instead of waiting until someone is closer to the end of their journey. By having a connection with them as they move along in life, we are able to identify ways we can help them reach their potential and live a successful, full and happy life.
I invite you to visit our website (www.justonedash.org) where you can learn more about the mission and meet the team I have initially recruited to launch Just One Dash. They are all caring and committed people who want to live their best dash. On the website, you can stay in the loop by signing up for the quarterly newsletter to hear more stories and meet more people whom we will be able to help. There are plenty of ways to volunteer and join our team.
In the months and years to come, we will fill our website with stories and pictures of people we have been able to help along their way. Hopefully in 8 years, I will still be writing this newsletter and informing you on which college Kevin selected to attend on a basketball scholarship. Because this year if his grandma thinks that a tutor would benefit her grandson we will have the resources to pay for the tutor. And hopefully this year Kevin will be at every practice and every game. Truth be told, I have found that I am a much better basketball coach when Kevin is on the court!
All the best,
Terry Geary