It was tough to overlook the three volunteers from StandUp for Kids as they strolled down the 16th Street Mall on a chilly Saturday afternoon. They were the only ones wearing matching purple T-shirts.
That was fine with Jackie Perdomo, Rob Mitchem and Cheryl Taylor. They wanted to be easily recognized. It made it easier for them to find the people they were looking for.
StandUp for Kids is a national nonprofit organization that reaches out to homeless youths. Volunteers take directly to the streets, bringing donated necessities such as food and toothpaste with them.
Friday marked the beginning of the program’s “48 Hours on the Streets” in cities across the country. Volunteers worked through the weekend, offering kids a temporary shelter to come sleep, play games and take a shower.
So Perdomo, Mitchem and Taylor made their way up the mall toward Broadway, hoping to bring any of Denver’s 1,300 homeless youths back to a nearby church.
“I want them to see they can trust (us), and off of that they will learn if you give someone the chance, you can trust them,” said Perdomo, 23, one of the street outreach counselors.
Mitchem, 39, the co-executive director of StandUp for Kids, said the program’s goal is to give youths the tools they need to get off the streets and stay off.
“Sometimes, it’s a long road. Eventually, in baby steps, you can get them there,” he said.
A handful of kids had already been brought back to the church by street outreach groups the day before. At lunchtime, they munched on hot tacos and played board games.
One of them, 19-year-old Shadoe Garner, was found on the mall with his wife of four months. Now, the only thing Garner was upset about was that he took a shower before getting a haircut. The clippings had fallen under his shirt and were bothering him.
“This is really fun. I feel like, for once in my life, I’m in a place where I feel safe.”
