My name is Grady Hart, I am a freshman at JMU and a member of JMU Amnesty International.  I am writing this letter in regard to the local Salvation Army, where I have been volunteering weekly for the last couple of months.

While volunteering there, it has come to my attention that very few of its residents even have bikes, much less cars. Unfortunately, they also have very little money, especially due to the less than ideal economic times right now. I have also noticed, however, that they do not seem discouraged by this fact, as some have still been able to find jobs and are now working for a better life for themselves, and in some cases, their families.

On a personal level, I find it inspiring that even in the situation in which they find themselves, where despite not having money for food or shelter, they still have the drive to pick themselves up and keep on fighting. This is why it pains me so greatly to see them hindered and often defeated by lack of such a simple yet vital resource as transportation, as their extremely modest incomes do not allow them the luxury of purchasing bus tickets to find jobs, to get to and from jobs, and to do other essential things such as visit doctors and family.

It is for this reason that I recently organized and hosted a benefit concert in Harrisonburg in order to raise money for the purchase of bus tickets for these more than deserving fellow Harrisonburg residents. In one night, through the good will and support of JMU students and other Harrisonburg residents alike, we raised almost $350, which will all go directly to the Salvation Army to purchase bus tickets for its residents.

While the concert was a great success, I do not view it as a long term solution, as about 40 bus tickets per week are needed, and at $20 for a book of 25 tickets, the funds will go dry after about eleven weeks.  To address this problem, I have contacted and been in conversations with the Mayor, Mr. Kai Degner, and am also planning to speak along with several other dedicated classmates at the next City Council meeting.

This is a large problem, and in order to resolve it, we will need the help and support of many more people than just my classmates and me. Ideally, I would like for these Salvation Army residents to be able to receive free bus tickets so long as they are using them for worthy causes, such as job searching, doctor appointments, or getting to and from work. However, I also understand that this is not an ideal world and compromises often must be made. I therefore believe that it is only through collaboration that a long term solution to this problem will be found. I call on everyone who reads this letter to please help join the fight.

Since I will be presenting at the next City Council meeting, one very easy way to help this worthy cause would be to contact Mayor Degner and the other council members, Vice-Mayor Baugh, Council Byrd, Council Frank, and Council Wiens to voice your support of free or discounted bus tickets for Salvation Army residents. The contact information of each resident can be found at the following web address.

As you can probably tell, I believe that this is a cause worth dedicating my time and energy to; I hope you will also find this to be true. Please help in any way that you can so that we can make a difference and help these fellow Harrisonburg residents to help themselves.

Sincerely,
Grady Hart- JMU 2013

This post was submitted by Grady Hart.