Volunteering

A Woman Inspired - Barbara Kenas (Continued)

After hearing that, Barbara returned home and decided to include a request for clothes in a real-estate mailing she was sending out to over 300 people.  Within a day or two, Barbara’s phone began to ring with dozens people calling with clothing donations.  Every time she would get a call, she went to pick up the clothes.  Then she painstakingly went through all the bags of clothes and sorted everything by size and type of clothing.  She eventually dedicated a whole room in her house to her clothing project.  Someone even donated shelves to her to sort and stack all the clothes she received.  By Thanksgiving, Barbara called Marvine and asked her to come by her house to get the clothes.  Marvine was overwhelmed when she walked into the room and began to cry.  Marvine invited Barbara to come to the Christmas party Covenant House was throwing for the kids.

Barbara went to the crisis center where the Christmas party was being held and describes the evening as being filled with “joy, hope and emotion.”  She was amazed how our kids had such a wonderful appreciation of everything they received.  “They taught me so much.”, Barbara reflects.  After that she said, “I have got to do more.”  So, for Valentine’s Day she gathered a group of volunteers to make cupcakes and brownies and bought dozens of valentine cards to let our kids know that someone truly cares about them.  The Valentine’s tradition continues to this day and now Barbara gets donations from drug stores for candy and cards.  Within the last few year’s she has also started making up Easter baskets for all of our kids not only Crisis Center but also at our transitional facilities--Rights of Passage and Raphael’s Life House home for pregnant and new young homeless mothers.

About 4 or 5 year’s ago, Barbara organized a “boutique” at our Crisis Center for the kids. A closet was cleared out and then shelves and hanging space was organized for clothes that were donated for the kids.  This project inspired Barbara to create the Jeans for Teens—Kids Helping Kids program, which she originally started in her town.  Drop boxes were left at local high schools and the high school kids would donate lightly used jeans that they had outgrown or no longer wanted.  The jeans were then collected and given to our kids here at Covenant House.  Some of the kids involved in the program even got to come down to the Crisis Center and deliver the jeans personally and got a chance to meet our kids.  The project then branched out to other local towns, and Barbara hopes that it will continue to grow to a State and hopefully, National project to help the kids living at Covenant House everywhere.

When our kids have established jobs and are ready to leave Covenant House, Barbara also uses her connections in real estate to help furnish kids’ apartments with furniture from clients who are moving. 

“Everytime I go (to Covenant House), it is an amazing experience.  I want all the kids to know that there is a Mom out there who cares.”  Barbara was recently honored by Covenant House New Jersey at their annual Women’s History Month luncheon and given a certificate of appreciation plaque for her years of dedicated volunteer service.  All the women at the luncheon received an angel pin.  So now every time Barbara returns home to another package of donations waiting on her doorstep she thinks of all the “angels” who help our kids.