Author Archives: annascudiero

Like A Second Family

We’ve all heard the saying before. We refer to our best friends’ families, our church congregations, fraternities and sororities, and even our campus communities as our families. So to me, one of Horton’s Kids’ mantras, “like a second family..”, may be more accurate if it were described as a fifth or sixth family.

I have an incredibly loving, supportive, and close biological family at home. I would not be who or where I am today if it were not for my mom, dad, and three brothers.

I have an inclusive church family, as well. They not only have taught me countless lessons through the years but continue to send encouragement and hope.

I go to (in my slightly biased opinion) the greatest school possible, and am surrounded by friends and professors that continually motivate and push me to grow.

I am a very proud member of a phenomenal group of women. The Alpha Lambda Chapter of Chi Omega has undoubtedly shaped me into the woman I am becoming and has provided me with sisters to be there every step of the way.

I’ve spent the past two months living in an apartment with three of the greatest people I have ever met. They lended a listening ear, genuine excitement, and never ending love day in and day out.

Last, but not least, I’ve spent the past two months working in a community center, located inside of a housing project in DC’s Ward 8. Through that time I was blessed with the friendship and company of youth- from ages 4 to 17. I would not be who or where I am today if it were not for them. They not only have taught me countless lessons, but sent me off with encouragement. They continually motivated and pushed me to grow. They shaped me into the woman I am becoming. They lended a listening ear, genuine excitement, and never ending love- day in, and day out.

I am all too clearly aware that to these children, Horton’s Kids is truly a second, not a fourth or fifth family and source of love and support. And for many, it is a first. Looking back on each individual, group, and family that has helped me grow into a passionate, hard-working young woman, I quickly become aware I would not have been able to become so on my own. I’m sure most of you can look back on your life and say the same.

Unfortunately, not all children and young adults are fortunate enough to have several or even one solid support system. However, I am proud to say, with complete confidence, that every child in Wellington Park has at least one family that is there to motivate, love, and encourage them in Horton’s Kids. I am proud to say I am a part of that family.

Now, I’ve never been good at leaving. Summer camp in 7th grade, high school graduation, freshmen year move-out day… they all left me longing for just a little more time with whichever family I had become most recently attached to. This, however, is by far the hardest “see you later” I’ve yet to encounter.

Finishing my time at Horton’s Kids is leaving me a very strange combination of empty and full to the brim. I know that my efforts were appreciated. I received letters, crafts, going away cards and thank-you’s that showed genuine appreciation. One of my high school students came into the center this week immediately after finishing an interview at Chipotle.

“Anna, Anna, guess what?” Jermekkio began while walking through the door in a plain t-shirt and khaki pants, button-up shirt in hand. “I just left my interview, and they asked me the same questions we went over in the lesson yesterday! The exact same ones… I’m so glad I knew how to answer them. I also tucked my shirt in, took notes, and remembered to keep my eye contact!”

I’ve never felt more full.

At the same time, leaving hurts. These kids are the ones I’ve spent the majority of my summer with. I’ve grown to love them. I feel so called and drawn to the youth of this community that leaving feels wrong. Doing anything but this every single day doesn’t sit quite right with me.

Another one of my high school students wrote me a letter beginning,

“Dear Anna, Why do you have to leave so soon? You could’ve stayed a little longer..”

And while I wish more than anything I could stay a little longer, I am confident in my calling and know I will be back soon.

So, with half of my very full heart still with the kids in Anacostia and half on my sleeve, I’m headed back to finish my education at Valparaiso University. I feel very deeply blessed by my experience this summer and am filled with hope and excitement for the future.

 

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15 year old Jerrod

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15 year old Nyasia showing off her 4.0 GPA

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13 year old Emani before going to Camp Kiniya

Just a few of the wonderful youth that blessed my summer experience

4 year old Isiah at the Horton’s Kids ice cream party

Inequality Within Washington

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Here’s the Horton’s Kids office building. Located directly next to the United States Supreme Court and exactly across from the United States Capitol Building. Not bad, huh? This is where I’m lucky enough to spend my mornings- working with Horton’s Kids Youth Development team, researching best practices in older youth development, enrichment, and mentoring programs when I’m not crafting career prep lesson plans for high school students. The office is cute and welcoming- filled with bright colors and even brighter smiles of children on posters covering every empty wall. I loved it as soon as I walked in.

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Here, on the other hand, is the Horton’s Kids Community Resource Center. Located directly next to an outdoor basketball court and a bus stop, and exactly inside of a Wellington Park housing project where nearly all of the children we service live. This is where I’m lucky enough to spend my afternoons- helping pass out diapers every other week, serving daily meals, sorting through donations for our food pantry and toiletry bank, when I’m not reading with, facilitating programs, and letting the youth tirelessly pull at and play with my hair. The center from the outside blends in with the housing project that it is located within, and when the large metal gate is pulled down to cover the windows and doors, barely looks livable. However, the inside is filled with bright colors and even brighter smiles of the actual children that come through. I loved it as soon as I walked in.

 

It seems impossible that these locations are barely a 15 minute drive from one another. One located right in the middle of beautiful Capitol Hill- where my commute consists of historic buildings and congressional staffers, interns, and sometimes actual representatives in tailored suits. The other located across the Anacostia River in DC’s Ward 8- where we drive as a team for safety reasons and the commute consists of boarded up shops and broken windows. It also seems impossible, to many, that I would even consider calling myself “lucky” for the time I spend at the Community Resource Center. The looks I’ve gotten from anyone once I mention the location of my work range from “I’m so sorry” to “are you crazy?”

 

My first Monday on the job I attended the weekly staff meeting in the office. The executive director sat down at the table, which was crowded with staff members who pulled up chairs and some who ate their lunch while others took notes. “Well,” Robin started, “one of our kids got shot last night outside of the center.” Everyone was, of course, filled with concern and sorrow, but not exactly shock. This was the fourth occurrence of its type in the past four months. Luckily, they have been majority foot wounds, and although several other kids got grazed by bullets in the drive-by, none were seriously injured. About an hour after that announcement, I was in a car on my way to that very spot.

 

Now, if you know me, this isn’t my first experience related to youth living in poverty, or “at-risk.” Coming from a suburb of Chicago, I was fortunate enough to tutor youth in the western neighborhood of Austin all through high school. Last fall, I spent my time in D.C. researching child poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness with the Children’s Defense Fund. I have always had a heart and calling to service those in need, particularly youth, and it is no coincidence that I ended up back in Washington doing just that. However, it is not hard to imagine the challenges that come with working hands-on with this particular population. There are youth who don’t seem to care about school, jobs, or their future in general- because the environment they’ve grown up in doesn’t encourage any of those things. There are children, as young as 4th or 5th grade, whose guardians don’t if they show up to school or not- some may even prefer if they stayed home to help around the house.

 

I would say I love what I’m doing despite all the challenges, but that implies that the challenges themselves aren’t blessings, and they are. I love what I’m doing because of and through each and every challenge. I feel a strong sense of responsibility and  connection to these kids and youth that I’m working with, and that motivates me and generously pushes me through even the days where I work until 8, or the Sunday’s that I work to take the kids on pool trips. You never even realize how much energy you have until you’re doing something you absolutely love and have a heart and passion for. Now, if this isn’t an indication of vocation, I’m not quite sure what is.
What I’ve learned thus far ranges from how to construct a lesson plan for high school students to most effective youth development programs to “street lingo” used by the kids in the neighborhood. (Yes, they actually created a glossary of terms to inform other staff and myself.) While I enjoy walking through Capitol Hill on the way to my office and having lunch breaks outside of the Library of Congress, I especially appreciate every minute spent in Wellington Park. The stark inequality is so blatantly obvious that I cannot help but feel responsible to help create and identify opportunities for the youth that live just 20 minutes from the President of our country, yet are seemingly forgotten by so many. I’m excited to see where this calling leads me through the rest of my time in DC as well as in the future.