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Happy Sad Graduation
July 2nd at 5 pm Crisis Nursery FACES program will graduate another class of 11 children. I have been privileged and honored to be a part of their lives. Some of these kids I have known since they were 13 months old!! Some have joined the Crisis Nursery family within the last year. These kids have made such amazing progress, both socially and academically. They come from families where violence and neglect are the norm – not the exception. And they survive and prosper within the Crisis Nursery family and FACES program.
FACES began as a HeadStart program and has evolved into a nurturing, healthy, loving environment where children can learn to respect themselves and others, learn to appropriately attach to an adult, learn social skills and life skills, and learn academically.
It will be happy, sad to attend graduation and watch the kids’ smiles and watch the teachers’ tears, because I will be smiling and crying along with them.
And within 3 weeks, there will be another class of 4 to 5 year olds moving up into my classroom, so I can begin this cycle all over again. It is the cycle of life and the cycle of Crisis Nursery.
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Having sat through 8 hours of deadly boring Block Watch training on Saturday, I decided to take my Sunday stroll through Coronado Neighborhood to Starbucks on 7th St. and McDowell to pick up my weekly treat; the New York Times. As I approached the row of stores east of Starbucks, there was a gentleman throwing rocks at Chico’s Sandwich Shop windows, breaking the large windows. He then moved to H & R Block and proceeded to break those windows. As I dialed 911, I was grateful for the Block Watch training, because the Police officers taught us not to approach someone, but to call either Crime Stop or 911 from a distance and to describe the individual(s) as accurately as possible. I was speaking with the 911 operator when the patrol car drove up and apprehended the rock thrower. The man did not run, nor did he resist in any way. He stood still and allowed the officer to arrest him, almost as though that was the intent of his actions.
It’s amazing how ‘there are no accidents’. If I had not attended the Block Watch training, I doubt that I would have called 911, because I normally do not get involved. I will rethink some of my negative thoughts about the training, since I was able to use it so quickly. Do I think there will be an incident each and every time I walk? Not at all!! My hope and desire is that there will be no incidents and Coronado will remain the quiet, charming place in which to live and work.
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Seldom does the Arizona Republic publish success stories on its front page. But on Sunday, December 23rd, there was a real success story. It was a picture of a boy and a dog; not much news there, but a huge accomplishment. Pam Gaber, the President of Gabriel's Angels, and the owner of Gabriel, the dog in the picture, regularly brings her pet therapy dogs to Crisis Nursery, an extraordinary HeadStart based program for young children. The kids love to see Pam and her four legged friends, and they brush and pet the dogs, taking them for walks on their leashes. The little boy in the picture has been attending Crisis Nursery since he was a year old. I was there the day he came in and he was a scared toddler, afraid of everyone and everything. When the petting zoo set up and the kids would take turns petting the goats and ducks, the little boy had to be held far away from the animals, because he was so frightened.
Fast forward 3 years, and this little boy is cuddling Gabriel and taking him for walks. Crisis Nursery F.A.C.E.S. program provides a safe, secure and educational environment for children who are suspected victims of child abuse and neglect. These kids have a caregiver at home, whether it's grandma, mom, grandpa; someone is there. So often, however, these children have not been nurtured and attachment is a huge issue for them; either non-attachment or inappropriate attachment. They either shun adults or cling to them - both of these are extremes. The Nursery provides these kids and their caregivers with extraordinary services and has a dedicated staff of teachers and social workers to assist the kids and their families. The success story of the little boy with the dog is repeated over and over daily at Crisis Nursery. I am proud to volunteer at the Nursery and, receive more love from the staff and kids than I could possible give. To find out more about Crisis Nursery, log on to their website at crisisnurseryphx.org.
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