There's nothing that can quite compare to the twinkle in a child's eye. I discovered this recently when I started volunteering at the Corvallis Boys and Girls Club a couple weeks ago. I saw it in almost every one of their expressions - that look.
It's the look that would keep kids giggling even in a whirlwind of misery. It's the look that keeps us bitter, crusty grown-ups from taking life too seriously. Before I walked into the Boys and Girls Club for the first time, I had forgotten that look.
As I made my way through the crowds of kids from one room to the next, I started to recognize a pattern. Every kid, whether they were sitting by themselves or running around with a herd of their friends, seemed to radiate an aura of bliss and well-being.
This proved to me one thing: They were all exactly where they were supposed to be.
As I got a better feel for the building (i.e. where the "little" gym is compared to the "big" gym and which study room is for which age group) it became obvious the excitement I felt was due to the fact that it brought me back to my own childhood days. Those sweet, distant days that have been swept further and further under the carpet of my memory.
As a little boy whizzed by me fighting an imaginary being of some sort (probably a dragon judging by the way he swung his sword really high above his head) another epitome hit me straight in the face: Lack of a child's sense of excitement and imagination is the root cause of many of the world's problems.
If what we see in a child reminds us of our younger, better, less regretful days, then why don't we spend more time learning from them than from a grumpy, gray-haired professor who rambles on about things we don't care about?
Every emotion a young child has is genuine - not posed, faked or forged in any way. To them, the world is at their very disposal. What it can't provide them, they create using the most effective weapon against boredom and monotony in the world today: the imagination. With it, kids conquer the world. Actually, at the Boys and Girls Club, world-conquering is a daily occurrence, and I see heroes and heroines waltz around with giant grins on their faces.
It's the look that would keep kids giggling even in a whirlwind of misery. It's the look that keeps us bitter, crusty grown-ups from taking life too seriously. Before I walked into the Boys and Girls Club for the first time, I had forgotten that look.
As I made my way through the crowds of kids from one room to the next, I started to recognize a pattern. Every kid, whether they were sitting by themselves or running around with a herd of their friends, seemed to radiate an aura of bliss and well-being.
This proved to me one thing: They were all exactly where they were supposed to be.
As I got a better feel for the building (i.e. where the "little" gym is compared to the "big" gym and which study room is for which age group) it became obvious the excitement I felt was due to the fact that it brought me back to my own childhood days. Those sweet, distant days that have been swept further and further under the carpet of my memory.
As a little boy whizzed by me fighting an imaginary being of some sort (probably a dragon judging by the way he swung his sword really high above his head) another epitome hit me straight in the face: Lack of a child's sense of excitement and imagination is the root cause of many of the world's problems.
If what we see in a child reminds us of our younger, better, less regretful days, then why don't we spend more time learning from them than from a grumpy, gray-haired professor who rambles on about things we don't care about?
Every emotion a young child has is genuine - not posed, faked or forged in any way. To them, the world is at their very disposal. What it can't provide them, they create using the most effective weapon against boredom and monotony in the world today: the imagination. With it, kids conquer the world. Actually, at the Boys and Girls Club, world-conquering is a daily occurrence, and I see heroes and heroines waltz around with giant grins on their faces.
So what exactly is this place? You may be from one of the few areas in Oregon that doesn't have a Boys and Girls Club. You may have even heard of it before but aren't really sure what the deal is.
Allow me to enlighten you: According to the official Boys and Girls Club website, "In every community, boys and girls are left to find their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Young people need to know that someone cares about them."
This is obviously where the clubs come in. They offer programs and services that give kids the opportunity to have a place to go, something to do and friends to hang out with. There are different places inside the clubs where children can do anything from getting help on their homework to creating an artistic masterpiece to playing a friendly game of pingpong.
I suppose it is easy to confuse this institution with a day care when, in fact, that label barely skims the surface. Every club provides "a safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals, life-enhancing programs and character development experiences, hope and opportunity."
Still not convinced this club is making any kind of difference? Approximately 4.5 million boys and girls are served through the clubs. There are more than 4,300 clubs with locations in all 50 states, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The clubs have been ranked by Newsweek and other credible magazines and journals "among the top charitable organizations in America based on cost-effective use of donor dollars."
Of the national Boys and Girls Club memberships, 65 percent are from minority families, 21 percent are between the ages of 13 and 15 and 43 percent are 6 to 10-year-olds. They also work together with Native American tribes across the nation to help the nation's most at-risk children change their lives for the better.
On top of all of this, the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis offers another invaluable program that I've already gotten to observe first-hand: free dental care for children from families who can't afford insurance. Two experienced and qualified dentists and their assistants come into the club and perform checkups on kids who make appointments. I was called in to play and translate for the kids in the waiting room who were going to get work done on their teeth. The experience itself was touching to say the least.
Allow me to enlighten you: According to the official Boys and Girls Club website, "In every community, boys and girls are left to find their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Young people need to know that someone cares about them."
This is obviously where the clubs come in. They offer programs and services that give kids the opportunity to have a place to go, something to do and friends to hang out with. There are different places inside the clubs where children can do anything from getting help on their homework to creating an artistic masterpiece to playing a friendly game of pingpong.
I suppose it is easy to confuse this institution with a day care when, in fact, that label barely skims the surface. Every club provides "a safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals, life-enhancing programs and character development experiences, hope and opportunity."
Still not convinced this club is making any kind of difference? Approximately 4.5 million boys and girls are served through the clubs. There are more than 4,300 clubs with locations in all 50 states, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The clubs have been ranked by Newsweek and other credible magazines and journals "among the top charitable organizations in America based on cost-effective use of donor dollars."
Of the national Boys and Girls Club memberships, 65 percent are from minority families, 21 percent are between the ages of 13 and 15 and 43 percent are 6 to 10-year-olds. They also work together with Native American tribes across the nation to help the nation's most at-risk children change their lives for the better.
On top of all of this, the Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis offers another invaluable program that I've already gotten to observe first-hand: free dental care for children from families who can't afford insurance. Two experienced and qualified dentists and their assistants come into the club and perform checkups on kids who make appointments. I was called in to play and translate for the kids in the waiting room who were going to get work done on their teeth. The experience itself was touching to say the least.
With these examples and so many more (check out Denzel Washington's testimony as a man who received the full benefits of the club when he was a child), it is obvious why the clubs have been around for so long and why they continue to hold a positive influence on so many young lives.
This is a building where all kinds of children come together - Saudi Arabians, Koreans, Mexicans, Chinese, Egyptians, African-Americans and any other ethnicity you can imagine. I see these interactions every time I go.
These kids may be playing foosball or bingo, carving pumpkins, painting flowers, slaying dragons, eating and studying together, but they are also doing something that the rest of the world has forgotten how to do: enjoy each other without a single issue of diversity or stereotype standing in their way.
I don't know about you, but any organization that can promote this type of activity among today's children has my unreserved respect and willing support.
This is a building where all kinds of children come together - Saudi Arabians, Koreans, Mexicans, Chinese, Egyptians, African-Americans and any other ethnicity you can imagine. I see these interactions every time I go.
These kids may be playing foosball or bingo, carving pumpkins, painting flowers, slaying dragons, eating and studying together, but they are also doing something that the rest of the world has forgotten how to do: enjoy each other without a single issue of diversity or stereotype standing in their way.
I don't know about you, but any organization that can promote this type of activity among today's children has my unreserved respect and willing support.
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