“PLEASE MR. PRESIDENT”

Last Saturday, I participated in an amazing charity event. CHILDREN MENDING HEARTS is a global arts exchange between at-risk children in America and children living in African conflict zones. CHILDREN MENDING HEARTS educates, empowers and encourages children to have a voice. It also inspires them to a sense of empathy and a desire for world peace.

Check it out at: www.childrenmendinghearts.org

We started the first of many "PLEASE MR. PRESIDENT” workshops early Saturday morning in a large gym at the Union Rescue Mission downtown. URM is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving poor and homeless people in downtown LA with services including: food, shelter, clothing, medical and dental care, recovery programs, transitional housing, legal assistance, education, counseling, and job training to men, women, children, and families.

The plan for the "PLEASE MR. PRESIDENT” workshop was to work with at-risk children all over America writing letters and drawing pictures to be included in a children’s book in the future, as well making jewelry making and painting T-shirts to be brought to kids in the Congo later this year. Since this was the first event, we weren’t sure exactly what to expect (how many kids, age range, reading and writing levels), but we were prepared and excited.

I ran the letter-writing workshop. I created a simple and fun lesson plan to guide the children in sharing their stories, their lives and their hopes and dreams for the future.

As the families started to fill the gym, an 8 year-old African American girl approached my table. She openly talked to me about how she lived in the Mission because, “her dad hated her mom and left them with nothing.” She told me and wrote in her letter about how he would hit her and that she knows the world would be better if there was no violence and no guns like the one that shot her brother. I was beyond touched by her honesty and her sweet nature. Kids are FABULOUS!

I wrote letters with many kids (little ones to teens) and adults throughout the day. Some wrote touching, deep letters about their lives that brought tears to my eyes, while others stayed light. One sweet Mexican American 6 year-old girl wrote that she thinks the president should give toys to all the poor people because then everyone would be happy.

As the day progressed, we danced, made jewelry and painted t-shirts to be brought to the kids in the Congo.

Next, the program will move to New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Washington, DC and finally to the Congo. I’m not sure I will travel and continue to participate, but I am so very glad I was able to be a part of the very first event here in LA. I was touched by the kid’s stories, their openness and love. Working with organizations such as this reminds me how fortunate I am and how extremely important it is to give back.

Children Mending Hearts is FABULOUS.