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Hometown Heroes Caroling for a Cause The voices of young and old singing Christmas carols break the silence on a cold December evening in St. Paul, Minn. Homeowners pull back their drapes at the first sound of the familiar voices of carolers who are braving the wintry weather to bring Christmas cheer and help those less fortunate. The 100 carolers are part of Project Starfish, a group whose mission is to raise money for and awareness of homeless families through the songs of Christmas. It all began in 1998 when Pam Jandl, a child and fam ily development specialist at Head Start—a government program for families in poverty —overheard a conversa tion. A woman with a special needs child and an abusive husband came into the Head Start office asking for help so she and her child could go to a local shelter. “I hear lots of sad stories, but I just couldn’t put this woman out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried," recalls Jandl, 54, who phoned her then co-worker Mary Vanderwert. ‘‘l said if we could just get some money together this mother could find an apartment and she’d be safe.” A') s M dii \ wB Hr Carolers sing during the December fund raiser in St. Paul, Minn. SPECIAL offer — You’ll Love These Heroes! If you love real American heroes, then this is the book for you. Enjoy 50 heartwarming and inspiring stories of ordinary Americans who have worked to make a difference in the lives of others—from the pages of American Profile. (514 inches X 714 inches. 288 pages, black and white) Visit americanprofile.com/store or have your credit card ready 1 and call (800) 715-6248 or send check for $12.95 plus $4.97 delivery to American Profile - Dept. HHBK-A749, P.O. Box 344, | Louisiana, MO 63353. Also available wherever books are sold. HHBK-A749 wPr a *J fl .A i ■y& $1 b w rr^ ttj \ Bfl jJj HE V 1 HiH by SUSAN PALMQUIST Pam Jandl, Mary Vanderwert and Terry Costalonga gather with youngsters as they prepare to spread Christmas cheer. Although neither woman was in a financial situa tion to help, they were determined to do something. The Sunday after Thanksgiving they rounded up friends and acquaintances to discuss ways to help. Many ideas were thrown around, but it was a young ster who finally suggested going door to door, singing carols and asking for donations. Jandl says she’s still amazed how quickly everything fell into place. They picked a day, time, a neighborhood and then came up with a name for their organization—Project Starfish. "One of my favorite children’s sto ries is about the boy who throws star fish back into the ocean one at a time to save them," says Vanderwert, 56. “Project Starfish seemed appropriate because our goal was to try and help one person at a time.” Two weeks after the meeting, 50 people went caroling and collected S2,(HX) in donations. The mother. however, had returned to her husband. That’s when Jandls church, St. Timothy Lutheran, suggested i another family in need. | Tixlay, Project Starfish has about 100 carolers, I who range in age from 4 to 70. Each year, ■ they visit the same 500-home neighborhood MAKES A GREAT GIFT! Hi Donations help families in need. Hometovm | heroes! Real stories ■ ■ I ■ M=xtr *ortUnsuy I . f Tbia*, I ■ AJ»TE«ica I and use only bells for their musical accompaniment. Around Thanksgiving they send out fliers and donation envelopes that are rolled together and tied with ribbon to distinguish them from junk mail. Very' few homeowners opt not to answer the door, and Jandl says most now consider them a regular holiday fixture. “Raising money for the homeless is a wonderful mis sion," says Thomas Kromroy, a homeowner in the Crocus Hill neighborhood. “And it’s enjoyable for us to hear them sing, too.” All the donations are used solely to help poor families pay their rent. Since its inception, Project Starfish lias raised $125,000 and aided 85 families. “I’m grateful and appreciative that people like Pam, Mary and Project Starfish care,” says recipient Lena Bradley, who is completing her col lege degree and hopes to work as a readier. “As I move forward in my career, I’ll be able to look back at the time I needed help and to being in a position to someday help the next fam ily in need.” Vanderwert says the caroling group would like to get more children involved with Project Starfish because its a great way to teach them that they can make a difference in their own community. “I think Project Starfish also sends a message to every one that people really do care about one another,” Jandl says. “And I believe the donations we receive are really pennies from heaven.”^- Susan Palmquist is writer in Eden Prairie, Minn. To learn more, write to Project Starfish, c/o St. Timothy Lutheran Church, 1601 Thomas Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104. Page 18 •www.americanprofile.com Photos by Brad Stauffer