The Leaven

Needful Things

What is very striking about The Leaven is the overwhelming feeling of how much the children want to be there—that you get the sense they need to be there. These children are getting things here that they aren’t getting at home, and these are critical things to a young child’s development—things like compassion, nurturing, love, and safety.

Emilo came to The Leaven and would steal whatever he could get his hands on. Even as a 2nd grader, he could rival adult criminals in his skills of deception and deceit to get what he wanted. But that was Emilio’s world. There is no father in Emilio’s life, his mother only sees him occasionally, and Emilio’s early influences came from the adults that always seemed to be hanging out at his housing complex when he got back from school. Emilio knew his school, and about 5 blocks of low-income housing where he lived, and nothing else.

But The Leaven has been able to take Emilio out of this environment. Field trips have introduced Emilio to life-firsts such as swimming in a lake, playing in the snow, going to camp, and petting snakes. He has been exposed to a whole new world and made connections with some exceptional role models which have had a dramatic effect on his life.

Now in 4th grade, Emilio doesn’t steal anymore—in fact he is one of the most trustworthy and responsible children we have at The Leaven.

Come to The Leaven and you will see a number of children like Emilio that are thriving because of what they receive when they are here. We tend to think of only food and shelter as needful things. But without proper love and nurturing, and exposing these kids to things outside their normal environments there is little chance of growth and little hope for change.

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