The Corner
By Melissa O'Neill
Two thin black arms cling to my neck. Another hand impatiently tugs at my shirt. Yet another set of hands at my back prods me forward. Overwhelmed by insistent pleading and a sea of friendly faces I plop down where I am standing. The uncomfortable pebbles beneath me are soon forgotten as I become a human jungle gym for several children. Kids anxiously battle for my attention and are rewarded with a smile or a hug, and are prompted to share more. In this world, an attentive white teenager is a rarity.

This isn't a scene from a mission trip to an economically devastated country. This scene occurs only twenty minutes from my home, on a vacant parking lot at The Corner of 16th and North in downtown Milwaukee.

This Corner is unlike any I have ever been on. On this Corner there isn't always enough food to go around, the problems seem surreal, the life lessons abundant, and perhaps the most unique thing, I feel I have the power to really make a difference.

In the beginning I thought I would just make a difference by handing out my thirty sack lunches. However, I quickly realized that although these children are physically hungry, they are more starved for love and attention than they are for food. I was not going to make a difference merely by feeding, but I could have an impact by making connections with these youngsters.

From learning about their situations, I realized the unthinkable things that I thought only happened on TV happen in real life too. I felt like I couldn't do enough for them, but I soon learned that listening and a hug went a long way. There have been lots of times when I felt like crying, and sometimes after I leave The Corner I do. But I always want to come back.

Some people don't understand how I can go back month after month. They don't believe this monthly trip can really make a difference, but I know it makes a huge difference to my little friends. Realizing that a large part of what the kids on The Corner really wanted was simply love and attention jolted me because it was so basic. That's something almost any teenager can provide. So when the confirmation class I teach was discussing possible service projects, the kids were immediately drawn to the idea of preparing food for and spending time with the kids on The Corner. After several discussions, phone calls, and tangles of red tape I adopted my own night at The Corner. The third Wednesday of every month I visit The Corner with about a hundred bag lunches and a group of eager teenagers. I enjoy nothing more than sitting at The Corner of 16th and North with a kid on my lap, watching a student play with another child. Introducing these two groups of kids and watching them learn from each other has made my Corner visit all the more rewarding.

Going to LaCrosse will not only give me the skills I need to work in the world, but also to work to change it. As I head off to college I have been guaranteed that I will need the math and english lessons that I studied in school. However, I know the lessons I learned on The Corner will be equally important. The kids, as well as the adults running the program, have shown me time and again how invaluable patience and kindness can be. Because of the wonderful experiences I have had with the people on the parking lot at 16th and North I know that volunteering will always be a part of my life, and that I always have the power to make a difference, no matter how small.

If God can work through me
He can work through anyone.
--St. Francis of Assisi

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