Little Reander is a holy reminder that we are all flesh and blood and that each day of this life with our fellow human beings is a gift.
The death of Reander Smith III by gunshot on Jan. 9, 2005, rocked InterAct Cleveland. He had been Partners In Action (PIA) mentee since 2000. Mentoring program head Willie Howard memorialized him in this tribute: "He touched all of our lives in a very special way. He was passionate, loving, and dedicated to the program. He was a youth leader for our summer program; he was on the fundraising committee and volunteered with Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church Bible Basketball Program. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to see Reander grow into the beautiful person that he was. Upon hearing about his death, I received cards and e-mails from all around the world. He touched the lives of people in Damascus, Syria; Amagasaki-Shi, Hyogo-Ken, Japan; Buffalo, New York; and Cincinnati, Ohio. If you knew Reander, this would not be surprising." Mentor Janet Lyon of the Baha'i Faith of Cleveland Heights said, "I'll never forget being overcome with emotion at his ‘graduation' ceremony at the Adult Rehabilitation center. When his name was called, everyone in the room stood up, applauded, and patted him on his back as he came forward to receive his ‘diploma.'"
Reander Smith IV was born on June 26, 2005, into a family with seven siblings. Little Reander lives with PIA head Willie Howard, his guardian now. He is fifteen months old and full of energy. He in enrolled in day care at St. Agnes-Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. Reander is a regular visitor at InterAct events since Willie is a single parent. Those who have met this charming little person at the 2005 PIA benefit or other InterAct events have experienced a pleasure his father never had.
Cynthia Lehman, then-program associate at InterAct, summed up the despair of Reander III's loss and the promise of Reander IV and the PIA program: "I felt desolate at the news of Reander's death, a death that did not have to be and that ended all of the hope that Reander's life held. Looking at his son and at the love in Willie's eyes, hearing the love in his and Janet's voices as they speak about baby Reander, I knew that somehow, out of this tragedy, hope had been renewed and I thanked God. All of us need to remember that this baby and all children need our protection, our care, our guidance. They need our devoted efforts to create a better world for them, a world in which the potential of everyone is nurtured and valued. We owe that to Reander and to his son."
PIA's mission, within InterAct's interreligious community building emphasis, is to provide support to Clevelanders and their dependent youngsters who are moving from welfare, incarceration, or addiction to self-sufficiency. Willie has headed the PIA program since it began as a response to welfare reform in 1997. The comments from Willie, Janet, and Cynthia, make it clear that those involved in the program experience their own unpredictable, unforgettable, life-changing moments.
PIA teams consist of a mentee and two volunteer mentors who serve renewable, one-year commitments as friends, role models, advisors, and advocates. They help link the participants and their families to community resources and services. The intent of this support is to help individuals gain feelings of self-worth, control, and stability needed to work toward improving their own situations. Staff and volunteers from InterAct Cleveland work in partnership with Community Assessment, Dress for Success, Towards Employment, Transition Resources, Inc., local human service agencies, and InterAct Cleveland's members to recruit mentors.
PIA is quietly launching a new initiative in conjunction with Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries called "Friends," in which two volunteers are paired with a man from the 2100 Lakeside Avenue shelter who is ready to establish his own residence. This is a pilot project which will have a structure similar to that of the mentoring program: regular training and weekly follow-ups with the lead Friend. At this time four two-on-one teams are working together as Friends with men who have met the program requirements of employment, working a recovery program, and opening a savings account.
The world seems filled with people who feel alone. These two projects help bridge the loneliness involved in making a transition in life, and, because participants are from the interreligious community, part of the conversation is often sharing around values, especially spiritual ones. All three people may be from different faith traditions, which creates opportunities to expand and deepen one's own faith as well as learn about the faith journey of others.
Those who might envision becoming a Friend with a man moving to his own place and making the transition back into the community, or mentoring someone in recovery or previously incarcerated, or who wish to explore those opportunities to share yourself with others, should contact Willie Howard at (216) 271-0230, ext.12, or e-mail
.
News 
