Those who know me know that I’m not big on Christmas, in fact, during this time of year, I’m used to being called Bah! HumBug, Scrooge, and all the works.
But let it be known, that the usual feeling of disgust and angst that hits me during this time of the year, seems to be subsiding.
Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s my Birthday Crisis, or maybe it’s just newfound wisdom that hit me earlier this year when together with a group of crazy women I embarked on a mission to raise funds for the children at St. Joseph’s Home.
The aim was to raise enough funds to take the 16 resident kids, aged between 8 and 20 for a trip to Italy - we called it the trip of a lifetime, and it seems that for quite a lot of them, it was that, and much much more.
Here’s what Fr. Frankie Cini, Director of the Home, had to say about the whole experience:
“For just about all of them, it was their first time on a plane, on a train, in a park, zoo, and road which goes beyond the next corner.
Why are the roads so straight?
Can we swim in the lake?
When are we going back to Gardaland?
How many times do I have to chew the chewing gum when the plane takes off?
The zillion and one questions thrown at the staff that accompanied the kids were just one indicator of how huge this trip was for these little ones.
Some days were tailor made for their present needs: Gardaland, amusement parks, and the zoo, were days of thrill, wonder and unadulterated glee. Shrieks and whoops of delight, often reminded us that the boys where having fun and the days at the parks could have easily stretched into the nights.
Other days were for the boys’ memory banks. Most of them grumped their way through the alleys of Venice, but we knew that one day they will be able to say: ‘Ah Venice, I’ve been there’ and ‘I sat on Balotelli’s seat in San Siro’s Dressing Rome,’ and ‘I’ve been on a cable car in Ortiseii and think I thought I was on top the world.’
The rest was a haze of good Italian food, ice creams, pizza in a cow farm, and the sense, that this was probably, just maybe, not a dream. It was for real.
Christmas certainly came early this year, but in a big way, so we’re extending the experience with a special Christmas gift for the children – a small photobook - a little treasure trove of memories of a beautiful trip; one that they will cherish forever.
Photos of children on rides with expressions ranging from downright horror to shrieking delight; children playing, laughing, singing from inside out.”
Was it worth the ride? Was it worth the challenge of raising close to €14,000 to make this happen? You bet!
I’m so glad, to have been part of this, and I can safely say that the other women feel exactly the same way. The beaming faces on each photo tell the stories much louder than the words I can ever write. There is truly nothing more beautiful than to help a child smile.
As the months in the new year roll on, those of us, who give our helping hand to charities at this time of year, tend to lose sight whose life it touches and how. Most of the times it is simply so satisfying to see that it goes to where it is intended, that we stop there. In this case, it went towards creating a happy space, albeit for a short time, that made the life of vulnerable kids more special.
As the boys of the Home leaf through their books of photos, it is so easy to remember, that whilst such occasions are rare and in between, it takes very little to make another person feel better about who they are, and open windows of hope on their suffering.
So this year, take a minute out of your busy schedule and consider buying your loved ones an alternative gift this year. This might come across as a strange concept at first, but it’s being done all over the world, and is becoming very popular – how about donating your time or money to a charity of your choice, in your loved one’s name and let them know that their Christmas gift this year, made someone smile?
If they’re friends worth having I can assure you that they’ll appreciate the gesture a thousand times more than socks and matching gloves.