‘Tis the season to be jolly in Columbus with all its folly. A love addict with a love tribe from the community organization “1DivineLine2Health” is paying forward their serendipity to several families with children living in poverty on the West Side.

1DivineLine2Health holiday season gifts for the community

Thanks to Muslim Family Services, Executive Director Nicol Kwait Ghazi received a pallet of Christmas trees and chose to donate five instead of the three requested. The trees have been delivered and there are some excited kids on the Hilltop. Several of the homes only had old trees that made Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree look spectacular.

Santa is coming to town with two elves in our Red Love Bug that will be converted to mobile sleigh ride with lights and antlers delivering toys, zoo tickets and coats to our Hilltop kids.

Due to a delay on the architectural plans our Drop-In Center will not be ready like previously stated and so our first children’s Christmas Party will be held next year instead. Most of our kids attend Burroughs Elementary School. Some have lost parents and relatives to the opiate crisis while others become caretakers of their parents struggling with addiction. Our children are growing up in households that survive under the poverty threshold, in a food desert, and lack many resources. They come to school without coats and have no extra under pants during incontinence episode. Children misbehave because they don’t know how to cope with the problems at home fueling the school prison pipeline when there is a lack of trauma responsive professionals in the schools. Burroughs Elementary School needed coats and thanks to April Caudill, Executive Director of Garret Recovery House, our children will be blessed. The principal also received nearly 100 Columbus zoo tickets, thanks to Tim a member of VIP24K team from the Next Level emotional intelligent program.

At our current Drop-In Center’s “Giving Thanks dinner,” it was emotional and rewarding to see the women enjoy their meals. All of our street daughters were very appreciative of the opportunity to dine together. Britni, a survivor of human trafficking and who kicked her opiate addiction, is currently sober and happily interacting with her friends. Many are amazed to see the power of love all over her – one who was broken down, lacking self-worth – but by the time the love tribe got a hold of her, she was jolly. Our Love Drop-In Center will continue to celebrate a Giving Thanks dinner for our street daughters, providing a place where natural opiates are released with tangible and actionable love.

In this holiday season many of the trench workers continue to love unconditionally and prepare for more visits. Many of the homeless folks hurt emotionally during this season because they are estranged from their families, so we fill that gap as their adoptive parents. We provide them with their basic needs and are ready to escort them into recovery.

A holiday request to the City of Columbus

Mayor Ginther wants to spend $14 million for a Hilltop Pre-K Center. Why not spend that money in renovating ALL the elementary schools with Pre-K programs? Why build a Pre-K center when many parents cannot afford to drive a car? I see kids walking to school with their peers. Each year several of our schools are in jeopardy of closing. Love addicts create a comprehensive plan in their neighborhoods to keep it both healthy and safe. The West Side would become the Best Side of Columbus when city officials start learning from their past mistakes.

Many schools on the West Side have paint chipping off the walls, overcrowded classes, and lack resources. Our schools lack full-time counselors, psychologists and nurses. Not one has a motor sensory room to help heal traumatize children. The classrooms are not equipped with motor sensory kits – teaching tools that help refocus disruptive children. Some teachers and principals spend their own money to purchase items for the kids, though they have families to support of their own. Prudence shows us that teachers and the support team that work directly with the kids know what is best for their students. They are the trench workers.

In this season, support a small nonprofit like 1DIVINELINE2HEALTH and see the power of Love bring peace, health, and jolly in all of Columbus Folly. Donate through PayPal or https://1dl2h.org/and become a love addict. Thank you for all those who have donated to our just cause in promoting our motto: Love Heals the Sick and Heals the World.

Esther Flores is a BSN, RN, and founder of 1DivineLine2Health