Just Juniors Journal

Issue #1
January 2000

"Be courageous and be free....And in my heart you'll always be....Forever young."
-Rod Stewart

NEW MILLENIUM.
NEW HOPES.
NEW KIDS.
The anti-abuse group Lost Solace has a new project: The Lost Solace Kids.
Lost Solace member Lou, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, has been running a kids' group for three years for a different organization. Recently, Lou resigned from that organization and doubled his efforts toward Lost Solace, and the kids came with him. Now called the "Lost Solace Kids", these fourteen to twenty-year-old teens will be doing projects to help out the Lost Solace group and their community.
"I quit the old group for religious reasons," said Lou. "I was told that I had to find a religion, or I couldn't work with the kids anymore. I didn't like that kind of pressure, and I decided to leave. The kids came, too. We've been together for years now, and our loyalty is to each other, not to a service group." He laughs at this point. "Imagine that. Me and a teenage army, taking a stand against religious persecution. Unbelievable."
The teens have begun running projects, which are covered in this newsletter, the first one on the new cyber-format.
"I owe a debt to Lost Solace for adopting my kids," said Lou. "We could have struck out on our own, and we would have, but this is very much a better option."
After a four-month nightmare during which they were almost torn apart, the kids are back together and in business again. Just like always.
We are the Lost Solace Kids.
-Ginger White
-Thrilled to be here.

RINGING THE BELL
It's Saturday, December 4, 1999, and I'm sitting here at BiLo in Lock Haven. We showed up to ring the bell and collect money for the Salvation Army. I'm sitting next to Megan, and she is ringing the bell in my ear! How rude!
Anyhow, there's a lot of people here, and I could say that we're doing pretty well. Not everybody showed up to help ring the bell for the Salvation Army, but the people who did were John Mayes, Adam Mayes, Megan Maiolo, me (Destini Geraty), and Lou.
Actually, it was pretty fun. We're almost finished as I write this, but not quite. We still have about twenty minutes left. Signing out....
-Destini Geraty
-Poor Adam must be pretty sore!

DEAR SANTA
On Saturday, December 18, some teenagers got together at the Ross Library, including some of the Lost Solace Kids. They wrote back to little children who wrote letters to Santa, care of the library. About thirty or so people showed up.
We had soda, pizza, and chips. Everybody had a good time, and I think the little kids are gonna enjoy this.
-Erica Elliott
-The Hooded Rat

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
I've been here since 10:30 this morning, and it has been hectic since. The annual Senior Dinner has been a big hit today, December 12, with everyone eating plenty. Both sittings at the Office Of Aging were successful, and some people came up to thirty minutes early, but there was always room for more.
Lots of the Lost Solace Kids came to serve, including me (Megan Maiolo), Erica Elliott, Sara Wilson, Samantha Confer, Tiffany Saar, and others.
But if you couldn't make it to the dinner, the menu consisted of freshly roasted turkey, filling, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, and cranberry sauce. Although the best, in my opinion, was dessert, pie; and not just one kind, there was apple, cherry, pumpkin, mince meat, peach, coconut cream, and pecan.
-Megan Maiolo
-Having a good time and getting paid for it (Well, not really)

ROAD TRIP
On December 19th, Lou, Adam, and I went on a long, two and a half hour trip to visit Lou's parents on their Christmas Tree Farm. This was the second time we had ever gone.
While there, we got to see Rudy the Amazing Dancing Beagle do his famous "Sliding Downstairs" trick. Adam got to run the baler and the wreath maker. I spent most of my day feeling sick, though.
On our way home, we stopped in a park in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, and got to see a landmark piece of coal the size of a small car.
-John Mayes
-President

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?
The Ninth Grade Winter Choral Concert was held on December 10, 1999, at 7 PM, at the Central Mountain Middle School East. Included in the chorus were Lost Solace Kids Vesta Jones and Brenda Geyer.
Brenda did, among other songs, a solo of "Santa Baby", with Vesta accompanying. In the audience were Lou, Erica Elliott, and Ginger White.
Songs included traditional Christmas carols, as well as novel treats such as "One Song," "Who Would Imagine A King," and "Gaudaemus Hodie." (Good luck with the spell-checker on that one.)
The audience felt that the chorus did a wonderful job, and they made the season just a bit brighter.
-Ginger White
-Can't carry a tune

THE BIG MOVE
Attention all! Lou, Lost Solace Kids leader, has relocated. With the help of John Mayes and some other friends, Lou moved from South Fairview Street to West Bald Eagle Street, both in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Because of the old landlady selling her house, Lou got a new place, an early Christmas present. Merry Christmas, Lou!
-Vesta Jones
-Angel with a pitchfork

ENDNOTE
By Lou
It's been an interesting year for me and my kids. The "Candle Lady" fiasco, an interesting summer during which we were in too deep, and finally, four months underground while we waited for a ruling on our status. And now, switching our allegiance to Lost Solace. All of this is on my mind as I sit down to write my first column of the new millenium.
I've always been a loner, basically. But as I grow up, there are two groups I've discovered that I care about and never want to leave. One is my kids. The other is Lost Solace.
And now, I get to merge the two groups into one special project. The year 2000 promises to be a good one, with Lost Solace fighting abuse by counseling, and my kids and I working the other side, making sure we all grow up good.
One day, if we all make it, maybe my kids will step forward to take the reins from us. I am beginning to raise the next generation of Lost Solace members, right here in Lock Haven. The kids and I, no matter what, are a package deal. I never meant for that to happen, but I'm not sorry it did.
As we enter the new millenium, my kids are the future. And, little by little, we're getting there.
-Lou
-The World's Oldest Teenager