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Dedicated to Kids in the Martial Arts

2007

Zach Cyr

Maine Homeless Shelter Volunteer Of 
The Year 2006
By Mark Huard

Zach Cyr, a special twelve year old who enjoys school, studying karate and playing sports with his friends, again this year, as he has done for the past three holidays seasons, put the needs of other less fortunate than himself, first.  Zach, along with a handful of friends, organized a bottle drive to raise money for the Homeless Shelter, located in Waterville , ME.

Is this the first time you have done a project like this?  “No, I’ve done this for three years, the first year I collected $703 and this year I doubled it with $1,552.  Next year my goal is $2,000.”

What made you want to do a project like this?

“I saw a homeless family who didn’t have a car…walking…and I wanted to give them my money.  When I was in the 4^th grade, I wrote a poem about the homeless people and it was a special family that was homeless and I thought I needed to do something. Now I’m in the 6^th grade and I can do more.”

Here is Zach’s poem he wrote in the 4^th grade:

“Zachery Cyr who wants to help the homeless”

Who wonders what it is like to be homeless?

Who hears their screams for help?

Who sees them in the shadows in these streets?

Who wants to help them someday?

Zachery Cyr, who wants to help the homeless.

Who pretends that the homeless is nothing to them?

Who feels their terror?

Who worries about the homeless?

Who cries when they see them on the street?

Zachery Cyr,  who wants to help the homeless.

Who understands their feelings?

Who says they are going to do something today?

Who dreams how they get around or eat?

Who tries to help them everyday?

Who hopes they will find a home to stay?

Zachery Cyr, who wants to help the homeless.

The End

Terry shared, “he has more of a focus with this (the homeless) now.  After we left the small shelter, Zach asked me why they aren’t in their new shelter yet, well it takes time, I told him.  Well, we need to do something to get it started.  I think it will be somebody like Zach to get people to see what needs to be done for the shelter”.

Did any of your friends help you with this project?

“Yes! Spencer Carey, Anthony Sementelli, Nick Noles, Tyler Brag.  His friends, Cody and Logan Moses from Huard’s Dojo also helped him collect bottles.  I told my friends about it and Anthony and Nick have helped me in the past collecting bottles, this is our 3^rd year doing this.  We went to Jim’s variety, Jokas’ Beverage Mart and Bay Street Redemption Center in Winslow and arranged it so people could go in and donate their bottles to help us with our project for the Homeless Shelter.   We did two days of driving around and asking door-to-door for bottles.

My mom, Terry Cyr and Laurie Ann Moses helped driving the vehicles for us.”

With the money they collected, they went to McDonalds, Burger King and the Waterville Walmart and bought gift cards at these locations and then gave $300 towards taxi vouchers for people to get rides when they need them.

Zach started Martial Arts at Huard’s Dojo at the age of four years old and is now a brown belt. How did martial arts help you focus on helping others?  “It is all about family…we are one big family…we look out for each other…that is what is important…”

How did you feel after donating the money to the shelter?  “Awesome… my mom, dad and I took these gift cards to the shelter on Christmas day and gave them out…and one man was really thankful and he was so thankful for the cards, he almost could not accept the cards.  One lady said it was the best Christmas of her life and she started crying. There were about 17 people at the shelter that day and 5 families.  I didn’t count, but there was a lot of people there.”

“It makes me feel really good.  You can realize just how much they don’t have and how much we do have.  There was only one family that had a car…my mom was actually crying.  I know she is really proud of me, really proud.”

Stephanie is the Manager of Shelter Operations,  “I was totally amazed that he did that.  If more people would do that, we would have a new shelter.  We actually have the land bought on Colby Street , across from the Court House.  People can donate right to the shelter and specify that they want it to go to the New Shelter Fund. He came in and passed out the gift cards personally to the guests at the shelter. ..this made my Christmas for me…it was pretty amazing…there wasn’t a dry eye in the place…just to think that a kid this age would do something this unselfish.  He will probably have my job when he is older…what a good kid!  Last year he dropped them off…but this year he stayed and passed them out himself.” 

“Mike Marston, our Executive Director works seven days a week and if we could add a day to the week, he would work eight days…he is just amazing” shared Stephanie.  “This meant a lot to Mike too.”

Mike Marston shared,  “it was just a great day…it started off with breakfast made by Jay Wallingford, who brought six of his friends and cooked for everyone and also brought gifts for everyone.  Then Santa and Mrs. Clause arrived around 11am and then Zach arrived while gifts were being opened. We wanted to show our appreciation to Zach for all that he did, so we decided to have him here about the time Santa was going to be here and Santa and I presented him with the plaque which read, Mid Maine Homeless Shelter 2006 Volunteer Of The Year  Presented to Zach Cyr.”

Mike expressed his gratitude for other folks who made the holiday special for the people staying at the shelter, “Christmas stockings were made and donated by the Stocking Elves headed up by Kimberly Veilleux and they were beautiful and stuffed for all the children. We had a gentleman in Skowhegan who donated Christmas trees.  There was a group of Lawrence High School students who helped decorate the shelter for Christmas. Many people in the community helped us and I know that I will forget somebody.”

“Many people sponsored families leading up to Christmas and we have a volunteer, Jenn Paradis who organizes this group.  She contacts different people in the community who want to sponsor people in the shelter and in the surrounding area.  We had a huge crowd this year and celebrated Christmas with the help of many in the community. We took care of approximately fifty families this holiday season”, said Mike Marston”

“The new shelter Capitol Campaign will hopefully be announced within 6 months…right now we are fully focused on the families that need our help during the winter months”, said Mike Marston.

Zach, tell me what you feel is the true meaning of Christmas, “The true meaning of Christmas is just being with your family and enjoying that time…it’s not really about all the toys…it is all about being with your family. Giving is much more fun than getting a present…I just love to see how they love that little gift card or the little piece of paper that tells them they have something they need like a taxi ride.

“If I could share one thought”, said Zach,  “I would tell other people, don’t get caught up in getting toys or things…take a minute to think about people less fortunate than us….take the money you would spend on a pair of Nike shorts, donate that money to a kid who does not have anything.”

Zach was excited to share what the little kids at the daycare that his mom works at, All About Me Daycare, in Fairfield did, “the kids donated their money to his homeless fund and helped me out with the Christmas donation to the shelter.”  Donna White and Terry Cyr organized this within the daycare.  “If little kids can do this, what can the rest of us do?”

Terry, his mom shared, “he sat down with all the kids at the daycare and told them that he needed their help with the homeless people, to give a home to the people who don’t have a home…go home and do chores and earn money and share it with these kids, and they did.”

Terry said, “the people at the shelter were so moved and appreciative of these gift cards.”

Zach shared, “if we all gave up one Christmas gift and give that to one of those kids…and you were able to see that’s kids face, it would bring a tear to your eyes to see those kids…that would make their day…just make sure they get three presents…its not much at all…one little present and that makes their day…imagine if they each got three gifts next year…some of the kids don’t even have mittens or boots or coats.”

Zach and his friends plan to do this again next year.  He would like to challenge other Dojo’s and other schools to meet or beat his goal of $2,000 for next year to help other kids in need at the Waterville Shelter during the winter season. 

The true meaning of Christmas has not been lost in Central Maine, but rather has been seen thru the eyes of one special twelve year old boy that has shown us, as adults, what is important for us to focus on this coming year…the kids and families in our community that need us, our help, our support and our understanding.

Zach sighed and said, “Christmas is about bringing together the families -  the community as one big family…that is what Sensei teaches us.  What if all of us met at the shelter next Christmas Eve and sang and gave gifts…what a special holiday that would be for these kids…”