"Let Your Life Speak" part 2

    I ended my last post saying that I would share the thoughts and reflections of some of our interns. The Good Neighbors interns model—Let Your Life Speak. And, in their writings I hear how their lives are impacted by the children they serve. Anyone listening to the kids quickly learns how deeply their lives are touched by the interns. So, all of us can—Let Our Lives Speak—our interns show us how to…

    This 2010 reflection by Angela Massino reminds me of the truly important things—things to be thankful for during this 2011 Thanksgiving season.

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y second summer interning at the SML Good Neighbors day camp is quickly coming to  a close. I was conflicted over my decision to return. I thought, maybe I should try something new, like interning in D.C. with a news station or applying for an outdoor facilitator job. However, the more I shared stories about the kids from Franklin and Bedford counties the more I realized how emotionally attached I am to this special program, which feeds both children’s minds and bodies.

    Every day I am nearly knocked over by a surprise hug from behind, and then reach around behind me, feeling for a head of hair to help me determine whose little arms could be wrapped around my waist. This summer I chose to work with the youngest age group, the 5 and 6 year-olds, otherwise known as the Koalas. Though they are physically exhausting, I have learned that I love working with this age group. One minute you are raising your voice telling everyone to quiet down because they are getting out of hand and five minutes later you are overwhelmed by hugs, giggles, and grins because they seem to have forgotten that they were in trouble.

    The camp was created to meet a need in the community: to feed children during the summer months who receive free or reduced lunches during the school year. However, SML Good Neighbors is much more than a feeding program. We also reinforce concepts such as respecting nature, living peacefully with others at home and around the world, along with healthy living practices. Although the interns know that the kids are from low income families, I was never aware of their home situations. This year a handful of Koalas who were, or had been, in foster care would sometimes, innocently and openly, make small comments about their past home life.

    The smallest, spunkiest, most opinionated and liveliest little girl in camp truly touched my heart this summer. Sometimes she can hug me so hard I have to ask her to let go because she is hurting Miss Angela. You can hear her in the hallways singing, “I Wanna Be a Billionaire,” and having competitions with the other 6-year old campers on who can sing better. In the first week of the Franklin County camp, this little girl’s grandmother, who is now her guardian, asked to speak with Nalina and me about her granddaughter. She wanted to make us aware of the past abuse this child had endured to help explain any flinching, outbursts, or emotional distress she may have while at camp. I was completely taken aback. My stomach, heart, and throat clench- up just thinking that someone is evil enough to hurt a child. And here is a little girl who has endured more in her short life than I hope to experience as long as I live. During the four-week camp I watched as this resilient little ball of personality warmed up to each and every intern, even Jake, who she is especially wary of. Every camp day ends at 3 p.m., but this Koala refuses to leave until the interns reassure her that we will see her tomorrow bright and early at 8 a.m.

    One afternoon, when once again her grandmother was patiently waiting for the girl to finish a game with one of the interns so that they could go home, she turned to me and said, “She’s going to remember each and every one of you. Even after the camp is over, she’ll keep talking about you.” The grandmother later wrote in an evaluation of the camp something along the lines of, “SML Good Neighbors has shown my granddaughter that people can care for others.”

    As interns who double as camp counselors, we strive to be positive role models for these children, hoping that one day they may want to help children like themselves to grow and become confident, healthy, and successful adults. Through the Bonner Leaders Program, I’ve learned that escaping the circle of poverty is a difficult task. While non-profits work to help end this cycle, we can never be certain whether our actions are actually helping to shape these children’s futures for the better. However, if my little Koala is any testament to the work of the SML Good Neighbors volunteers, board members, and interns, perhaps we have opened their hearts to show that people do care. I know that I care very deeply for these beautiful children and the potential they hold for sculpting their own future with the Good Neighbors values. Just today I asked a 10-year old “Kangaroo” what she wants to be when she grows up. She responded, “I want to be a teacher just like you.” Then a couple little ones who overheard piped up and said, “Me too, me too.”

from Angela Massino—SML Good Neighbors intern in 2009, 2010 and 2011

             

       

First published in The Bonner Beat, issue 2, Lynchburg College, 2010