When we got the call that our home was on fire, we didn’t understand right away what it meant.
Our son Daleon was just two years old. My wife, Davina, was five months pregnant with our new daughter Dalyn.
We lost everything. The Christmas tree and gifts. Our clothing. Our paperwork. My professional tools. Everything.
Des Moines doesn’t have any shelters. When we needed the help, there was no one there.
So we came to Seattle and we’re sleeping in the car. We’re scared. I can’t even sleep. I’m looking up out the window all night.
I was looking for work and getting no results. I’m terrible at panhandling.
Then, Davina was at Mary’s Place one day when Real Change had an orientation. She got her vendor’s license and sold her some papers.
She said, “Babe, you gotta go on down here.” That’s when everything for me and my life changed.
Real Change helped give me breath again. When you make a gift to the Spring Fund Drive, you help give people like me the chance we need.
I got up to about 200-something papers the first month. Selling the paper got me enough money for a motel room when we needed, and to provide food for my family.
It’s like God showed me. And he said, “You can trust in yourself, and trust in your own self-esteem.”
I don’t do drugs, and I’m not into the streets. I don’t have any hustle. That’s just something I don’t do.
I see men selling drugs across from where I sell papers: That’s where my motivation comes.
God told me, be a light. You can make just as much money as they make. I have a legal product and they have an illegal product.
We got all these men and women and children now who are suffering from not feeling like they belonged. No caring in their lives.
I guess God put me through this just to feel the struggle people were going through.
Then, I started meeting people from Real Change who said, “Hey, we would love for you to speak, and we would love for you to represent us in this and that.”
And I was picked for the advocacy internship with Real Change, which is the field I really want to go into.
So, while I’m selling the paper, I shout, “Real Change! Real Change! Be a voice. Be a change. Real Change.” I shout it loud so the multitude can hear.
I’m not out here just to get two dollars out of your pocket, or because I need a handout.
This paper took me off the streets, gave me my motivation back, and is actually helping me. That’s why your support means so much.
I speak to everybody and let them know I care about them and love them whether they buy a paper or not. Sometimes I say, “You know what, something just told me to tell you to have a good day and everything’s gonna be all right.”
And I put a smile on their face while they keep walkin’. That’s my job!
It’s been about six months since that fire changed our lives, and Davina and the kids wound up getting into a shelter in Shoreline. I sleep outside of there in the car.
It’s hard, but it could be worse. I just pray and thank God that I see them everyday. I work hard and try to improve our predicament.
Real Change is helping my family to help ourselves through the most difficult period of our lives.
Now, we’d like you to help Real Change by giving generously to the Spring Fund Drive. Your gift of $50, $150, $500 or whatever works best for you helps people like us find the help and community we need when things get tough.
Thank you, and God bless.
Leonard King
Real Change Vendor #13269
P.S. When I got to sing the Street Requiem at Beneroya Hall on my son’s third birthday, it was the biggest event in my life. Real Change has opened up opportunities I never imagined. Please give generously
A note from the Founding Director
When I first heard Leonard King’s story, I was struck by how the elements of our mission — opportunity, a voice, taking action — play out in the lives of our vendors and in our community.
“Real Change provides opportunity and a voice to homeless and low-income people while taking action for economic, social and racial justice.”
Every day, I see our work changing lives. I see happiness and hope where there might otherwise be misery. I see amazing and resilient people finding their power.
This doesn’t happen by accident. Real Change is constantly looking for ways to do our work better.
Our strong grassroots support — more than 60 percent of our annual budget — comes from supporters like you.
Your gift to our Spring Fund Drive ensures that we have the resources we need to keep improving our work.
Every gift matters. We reach our fund drive goals thanks to the nearly 2,000 people like you who step up every year to give what they can.
Our Spring Fund Drive goal is to raise $205,000 over six weeks in May and June. After GiveBIG last week, we have only $59,799 left to raise. With your help, we’ll do that and more.
Here’s some of the ways we’re making our work more effective this year:
• Improved vendor support and sales training has more than doubled our new vendor retention rates. As of this year, nearly every vendor who attends orientation is still active a month later.
• We’ve established a 9-person vendor leadership committee to ensure that the voices of homeless and low-income people are represented throughout the organization.
• With the additions of Ashley Archibald and Martha Tesema to our news staff, we’ve increased our capacity for policy analysis, cultural and racial equity reporting.
• We’ve launched the RC All Stars campaign to build power for legislative advocacy. By the end of this year, we’ll have 1,000 advocates who have pledged to take action at least five times annually (Learn more at bit.ly/rcallstar).
Your gift to Real Change makes successes like Leonard’s possible and gives us the resources we need to keep changing lives and bringing people into community and action. You mean the world to us. Thank you.
In Gratitude,
Timothy Harris
Founding Director