When you see a homeless person, do you ever wonder about their family? Or do you, like me, assume they must not have a family, otherwise they wouldn’t be homeless?
Today I had the pleasure of meeting 36 year-old Larry Elijah on Adams Street, just outside Union Station. I learned that Larry is the proud father of a young boy also named Larry Elijah who lives with his grandmother. Larry Elijah Sr., it turns out, was named after his uncle. So there you have it - - three generations of Larry Elijahs!
Larry Sr. has found a temporary place to sleep each night on a neighbor’s couch, paying them $10 a night. This is a grace for him since hotels can usually run upwards of $50-60/night. When I met Larry he was carrying a backpack with several copies of his resume in it, ready to act on a job lead that comes his way. Most days he goes to a day labor agency in the City that hires folks at $11-12/hour. Today, however, the agency had no work so he stands on the curb with an empty cup and a winter jacket to stay warm. Larry Sr. has an amazingly positive attitude about his situation. He thinks of himself as a fisherman out there with his plastic McDonald's cup. "You know sometimes when you're fishing you'll get a bite but a lot of times you don't, so you gotta just stay with it, and keep casting your line."
Larry isn’t proud of his situation but he’s determined to make it. He says he tries to be a role model for his son and go out every day looking for work or asking for money. He is proud of his name and he wants to make a difference for the next generation of Larry Elijah's.
Join me in supporting folks like Larry as I work to raise $5,000 for men and women who are homeless while training for the October 2011 Chicago Marathon. Tax deductible donations can be made at http://www.active.com/donate/crossroadsrunners/edduffy
