Local woman grants Christmas wish for teens in need

Subscriber Login:
Phone Number:
Subscriber Number:

home : community news : bulletin board

12/26/2008 12:53:00 PM

Email this article • Print this article

Photo by Chelsea Gorrow Handmade, knitted scarves flew in from all over the country to help Debi Peterson meet her goal. The 150 scarves are going to Solomon’s Porch, a youth outreach center in Wenatchee, in time for Christmas.

Local woman grants Christmas wish for teens in need

Chelsea Gorrow
Staff Writer

When Debi Peterson decided she wanted to give back to the community this Christmas, she had no idea she would soon be pulling together people from all over the country to grant a wish for a Wenatchee youth center. But that she did. And now 150 teens this winter will have something for which to be thankful.

"I have a disability so I'm not able to do a lot of things people do here in Leavenworth but I can knit," Peterson said. "And I wanted to use that to give back this Christmas. The only problem was I had no place to go with my outreach and I just had no outlet for my skill."

So she began to research different places that could possibly use some scarves this winter. That's when she met Desiree Knemeyer, assistant director of Solomon's Porch, a non-profit organization that "bridges the gap between the church and the street and gives teens a safe and healthy environment to be in." Her husband, Pastor Steven Knemeyer, is the executive director.

"I walked in and I met with Desiree and I got to meet some of the kids. One of the first things Desiree said to me was that these kids have been raised to believe they have no purpose and that broke my heart. When I heard that, I knew that there was something that I had to do. Even if it's just to warm their necks, that's something. That's how this project started. That's when I started searching for others to help me," she said.

Debi's quest was answered at www.lovesmanycloths.com, a website that allows users to post a need they have online--anything crocheted, knit, or loomed-- and an organization to which they would like to donate. Premature babies needing tiny hats and booties in Michigan, nursing homes needing homemade stuffed animals in Florida, and pets in animal shelters needing blankets in New York are among the needs listed. Debi posted online "Help. SOS. I need 150 scarves by Christmas," and the scarves started arriving, coming from South Carolina, New Jersey, and Tennessee, among other places.

"Fifteen women pulled together a miracle. We didn't start this until mid-October and we've gotten more than 175 scarves," she said.

Some women sent two, some sent 25, but they all are going to Solomon's Porch.

"Most of our kids don't have warm enough clothes. We have a couple of kids that we are really trying to scratch up some money to get them coats. They don't have any coats," Desiree Knemeyer said.

The majority of kids who come to Solomon's porch are considered high-risk.

"A lot of the kids have parents that are in prison somewhere, or there are drugs in their family, or there are children here that are children of incest and they know that. And that is so devastating to them because they think that no one can ever love them," Knemeyer said. "So they put on this hard-shell exterior and act like they hate you but really they're just kids. Play a game of pool with them and see how much they open up. They're shocked that you actually care about them. Eventually, we're given the opportunity to feed into their lives and let them know they are better than this and that we care about them. We talk one-on-one with them and work on relationships, too. "

Knemeyer works 60 hours a week for little pay but says the kids are worth it because she and her husband are making a difference in their lives. They have chosen to move back in with Desiree's parents for the time-being to fund Solomon's Porch and the new building they have just purchased for the facility.

Solomon's Porch however is only open Friday and Saturday nights because, although several area churches contribute, including Light in the Valley, a Leavenworth church. But there is still a substantial lack of volunteers and funding. They are also not licensed to house the kids while a few of them are homeless.

Peterson said she plans on visiting the porch with her knitting needles and yarn to get started on for next year, and she plans on including mittens and hats with the scarves, as well. She said she hopes some of the kids will want to join her and learn to knit, too. She also will include Hospitality House and Haven of Hope in next year's donation, as well as Leavenworth's Community Cupboard, which has two beds in the facility for people in need.

"This cause is a great cause because it goes straight from me to the kids' neck," she added, laughing, "It's like a hug and it shows them that we all care about them. Because they aren't forgotten. They matter."

For more information about Solomon's Porch, visit www.acts512.org.

Chelsea Gorrow can be reached at 509-548-5286 or reporter@leavenworthecho.com

Reader Comments

Posted: Sunday, December 28, 2008
Article comment by: Dana Jonsgaard

Thank you Chelsea for the very touching story! As founder of the web group Love's Many Cloths, I can say that you uplifted the hearts of many all over the United States with this article. We give to others all year long, and it is nice to hear about our great givings at a very special time of year. I am so proud of Debi, Desiree and Steve, and for all of the teens that allowed us to know them. Love's Many Cloths is excited to be able to give to Solomon's Porch for many years to come. God Bless you! Dana Jonsgaard Winona, MN

Article Comment Submission Form

Please feel free to submit your comments.

Article comments are not posted immediately to the Web site. Each submission must be approved by the Web site editor, who may edit content for appropriateness. There may be a delay of 24-48 hours for any submission while the web site editor reviews and approves it.

Note: All information on this form is required. Your telephone number is for our use only, and will not be attached to your comment.

Name:

Telephone:

E-mail:

Passcode:

This form will not send your comment unless you copy exactly the passcode seen below into the text field. This is an anti-spam device to help reduce the automated email spam coming through this form.

Please copy the passcode exactly
- it is case sensitive.

Message: