One year ago this month, I began assisting through my church with an outreach program to disadvantaged kids in east Austin called Project Intercept. As a major football fan myself, I can relate to the concept of an 
interception, believe me. Project Intercept seeks to break the cycle of poverty by providing kids with positive adult role models and an environment of acceptance and support. The kids that I work with live in the Coronado Hills goverment housing project. I wrote a little about my experiences in a previous blog here:
Giving of your time, talents, and treasures
Once a month, I help out by picking up a group of school-age kids (age 6-12) and transporting them to an afternoon of games, songs, and Bible study. Today we had our gathering, so I headed out at around 10AM to get started. I must admit that when the day rolls around each month, I typically feel a little anxious, like maybe things won't go well, or the kids won't show up. Instead, I am ALWAYS pleasantly surprised when I arrive. These kids RUN to my van to start their day. I have the "cool car" according to what they have told me, probably because I have a TV and they can watch movies or videos.
Today, it was a relatively small group (four kids), but we have had as many as nine during an outing. I was highly encouraged by one of the kids, Joe, who has been attending regularly. He has always been the oldest to attend (he is 14 or 15), but we certainly weren't ever going to turn him away. My friend Russ, who got me involved in the first place, discussed with me the possiblity that Joe could be one of the group leaders/assistants, which are all from about 16-20 years old. I hadn't given it much thought, since Joe seemed disinterested in participating in the songs and games UNTIL TODAY. I guess he must be thinking the same thing as Russ, because he was actually very involved, and he even helped the little kids to join in, and volunteered to help out on stage during one of the songs. I felt like a proud parent!
After the games, songs, group discussions, prayer, etc. we all get rewarded with some Mr. Gatti's Pizza. The organizers seem to have this down to an art form with regard to how much to order. We had none left today, and everyone was full.
Overall, these kids depend on me to step out of my comfort zone a little bit each month. I don't want to let them down. It also helps me to put my life and "needs" in perspective. How many of my needs are really just "wants"? These children live in extreme poverty, and several of their parents have a history of drug abuse. It just makes my worries seem so petty in comparison.
Project Intercept is overseen by Mission:Possible, which is a Christian organization focused on serving urban communities and helping and empowering individuals through various spiritual, social, and economic programs. They are fully supported by donations from the public.
Copyright 2007 Austin Real Estate Jason Crouch All rights reserved
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Great post, bro.....this is ANOTHER GREAT organization for us to consider donating to......
"Giving to Those in Need" will be looking for the NEXT organization to donate to soon!!
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DEZ - Yes, we reap what we sow. Glad you liked this post. Have a great Sunday!
SUSAN - Thanks for your comments. Yes, I guess mentor is a good way to put it. I appreciate your remarks here.
HUGH - I have always felt like it was a good use of time as well. Thanks for commenting, my friend.
PAUL - I am glad that I was able to stir some good memories of college pizza, as this was the true underlying meaning of the post. You can learn more about this in "Crouch Code", the book which reveals all of the secret messages contained within my posts. Thanks also for your compliment, buddy.
ADAM - Thanks for your nice comment. It really isn't that much time spent, but it goes a long way toward helping them. Several of them come and hug my leg when I show up.
BRIAN (or BRAIN) - Thanks for commenting on my Localism post. As I mentioned to Adam above, it doesn't take too much time, yet they seem to get some benefit from it (and so do I, truth be known).
GARY - I am sure you're right. I enjoy the time I spend with them.
ELIZABETH - Thanks so much for your enthusiastic comments on this post! You're right - it is a big blessing.
Jason:
Hey I love the Cowboys picture. This really sounds great. We need to talk about it sometime, I can tell you some of the things we have done in the past in outreach to kids.