Oscar worthy

Yesterday, I talked with a lady who is super star. Her “performance” didn’t win an Oscar but in my book, she’s more than worthy. She doesn’t have a My Space account and isn’t featured on youtube. She hasn’t been on David Letterman, written a best selling book, or won a Nobel Peace prize. She is just one woman who believes that one person can make a difference.

Yesterday was a special day for Clara Kirk. It was the 20th anniversary that she opened the doors to Clara’s House, a home for homeless and battered woman and their children that she opened in 1987. In the twenty years since, over 10,000 women and children have been given shelter in Clara’s House, over 22,000 meals have been served, clothes, linens, and toiletries have been provided, and job training skills, substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, and health screenings have been provided to its residents.

Clara has been awarded the National Jefferson Award for lifetime achievement and was chosen as one of “America’s 25 Unsung Heroes” In 1998, President Bill Clinton invited Clara Kirk to the White House and presented her with the prestigious President’s Award in recognition of her life’s work.

In 1987, Clara Kirk stood before a boarded-up, ‘abandoned’ building with a group of friends. Inside six families resided living in conditions she described as “no better than those of a third world country.” Clara recalled, “This was my neighborhood and this is how these people had to live. This is how they have to survive.” The next day she called the Mayor’s office and described witnessing families living in a building that was filled with water, garbage, and rats. Then Mayor Washington suggested she open a shelter for victims of domestic violence and for homeless women and their children. With a building donated by Catholic charities, Clara eventually raised the money to open a sixty-nine bed facility staffed by twenty five employees (five of whom are former residents). Clara says there have been ups and downs, “Nobody knows what I have been through to keep this placing running. Sometimes it’s like being a mother when your children go astray. You stay awake and pray for their safety. I pray for this place. I don’t want my living to be in vain. I want to be able to help children help themselves.”

That’s work worth an award. I beleive she’ll get her “Oscar” and a trophy far greater than those received on Sunday night.