U.S. Commerce Secretary visits Mesa shelter

A made-for-media event took an unscripted turn Monday when a handful of toddlers at a homeless shelter decided to hug, touch and sit on the laps of U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Arizona Congressman Harry Mitchell, who were in Mesa to kick-start a nationwide volunteerism campaign initiated by President Obama.

That's the point, said Locke, who took several minutes reading out loud "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See" to the kids, who, along with their families, currently live in La Mesita, an emergency shelter near Main Street and Dobson Road.

"We hope to let struggling families and especially young children at shelters like these know that others care and that there's hope," Locke said, wrapping up a morning packing diapers into plastic baggies, slicing turkey for kids' meals and sharing the importance of reading.

Locke wasn't alone in this mission. First Lady Michelle Obama went to San Francisco, and cabinet secretaries and senior administration officials fanned out across 17 cities in the country to launch the summerlong "United We Serve" program, a sweeping initiative to encourage citizens to volunteer in their communities, especially in the fields of energy and the environment, health care, education and community renewal.

The program will end Sept. 11 - the National Day of Service and Remembrance. A special Web site www.serve.gov has also been set up to help volunteers find projects and to share their experiences.

Locke and Mitchell spent a couple of hours interacting with the kids, urging them to read and to never give up. They also listened to those like 9-year-old Caitlyn, who read out loud what the shelter means to her as represented on a paper tree hung on a classroom wall:

"A New Leaf means to me a home," a beaming Caitlyn said. An unabashed 8-year-old Jeremiah high-fived Locke and 7-year-old Jonathan simply nodded and drawled out a "Yeah," when the secretary asked him if he liked the shelter.

La Mesita, part of the 38-year-old nonprofit, A New Leaf, is a 30-unit emergency shelter for homeless families with children. Mitchell was instrumental in bringing Washington's attention to La Mesita, where families can stay up to four months, typically until they find a permanent home of their own.

Mitchell said Arizona is especially struggling because of the construction downturn the way Detroit is hurting over its automobile industry, something the administration is well aware of.

Mitchell said over the years, he's been impressed with the gamut of services the center is able to offer, including child care for infants and informal youth development classes for kids who stay in the shelter - and that made it a "perfect" example of places where residents could turn to volunteer.

Karen Brown, program manager for La Mesita, said with more parents losing jobs, they've seen an increased need for shelters like theirs. Dozens of volunteers regularly help them but she said there's always a need for more. At present, volunteers donate 20,000 hours each year to serve 30,000 individuals for A New Leaf. Locke said without community support, the program would not succeed, "because government cannot be everywhere."

"Help people find jobs by helping them with their resumés, read one or two hours to children, volunteer to teach, everything helps," urged Locke, son of Chinese immigrants who spent his early childhood in Seattle public housing. He ended up earning degrees from Yale and Boston University. He recalled seeing "important community leaders" drop by and show they care, something he hopes these kids will remember.

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and Councilman Dave Richins also were present for the visit. Smith said as a community, Mesa residents strongly believe in volunteerism and the city has a strong foundation of social service agencies to tap into.

Locke said people are struggling to put food on the table and save money for their children's education, but that no matter how tough finances might be, there's always room to "help a little."