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“She’s an angel sent from
heaven,” said Candace Outlaw, age 21.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Born and raised in East St. Louis, Outlaw was on a downward spiral at age 18. Then she met Lieutenant Katie Harris-Smith, corps officer with The Salvation Army – East St. Louis. Three years later, Outlaw has turned her life around. She even volunteers for The Salvation Army, most recently with its summer camp.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“I don’t know where I’d be if not for Katie,” Outlaw said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Harris-Smith, age 55, was commissioned to The Salvation Army in East St. Louis, a United Way partner agency since 1923, four years ago. Since then, she has been a one-person walking billboard for The Salvation Army and its programs.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Her office has a large window facing the front of the building. When she sees adults walking by with children, she admits to jumping from her desk and running out after them to make sure they know about the programs inside.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“I can take stacks of flyers to the school down the road,” Harris-Smith said. “But it’s not the same as reaching people one-on-one.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Harris-Smith has been with The Salvation Army for 20 years. She started by volunteering after two of her five children attended some of the programs. She has worked as a director of youth services to senior citizens in the divisional headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“I believe I was put where I’m supposed to be,” she said of her commission. “East St. Louis is home.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>She sees The Salvation Army’s building as a community base for teens, young children, neighborhood associations and other groups needing a place to meet.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>At first, getting teens to use the building was not easy. Then, Harris-Smith said, in January 2010 that began to change. She made it a point to find out where some of the kids were hanging out and got to know them.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>She said, “I choose to respect the kids. I learn who they are, their name, what they like. I watch to see what it is they do, and I listen to how they feel about themselves. Then, I helped the teens make this their place.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Demontez McKinney, age 18, a recent graduate of East St. Louis School District 189 and a volunteer with summer camp, said Harris-Smith “is my second mom. She’s awesome.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>With a smattering of volunteers and a small paid staff, The Salvation Army has its hands full with the children it currently serves and the other adult programs it offers.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>With a recent $25,400 one-time grant from United Way of Greater St. Louis, The Salvation Army can change much of that. For its after-school programs starting this fall, much of the grant will be used for hiring qualified, part-time staff to build and enhance the programs. And more staff means more children can participate.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“This grant allows us to do much more and to reach many more children and, hopefully, their families,” Harris-Smith said. “It’s a blessing. All these children, no matter their age, are just looking for someone to care for them. It’s important to know what’s going on with kids, to relate and to address what they’re doing.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Her success: The joy of watching the children excited to be at The Salvation Army and to see them mature.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>Her desire: To influence even a few lives and have them, in turn, do the same thing.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”>“And hopefully,” she said, “one day they come back to give back.”
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“font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> The Salvation Army – East St. Louis is located at 616 N. 16th St. in East St. Louis; call
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>618-874-3136. To give to the United Way, visit
“http://www.stl.unitedway.org/”>www.stl.unitedway.or
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