Children bubble with
laughter despite life in sea of troubles
By Marc J. Yacht, Guest Columnist
Recently, I was invited to speak at the
Also entertaining the kids was McGruff, the lovable mascot of the Sheriff’s Office. We spent the afternoon with these youths. I helped McGruff dress in a trench coat, gloves, and full-headed mask. I watched the children gather round to seek hugs and photo ops from the “Take a Bite Out of Crime” hound.
Eight small groups rotated through the sanctuary enjoying the mime McGruff with his speaking assistant. After each presentation, a perspiring McGruff would remove his costume, cool down, and dress again. While he rested in the dressing room, I performed.
I was asked to use humor and consider a costume as I spoke to the children. Such an opportunity proved irresistible. I had my “old man” rubber mask and an assortment of hats, two giant sequined red and gold bow ties, and a clown nose to entertain the kids.
Of course, I wore my lab coat with a stethoscope in the pocket. I spoke about good health practices such as washing your hands and brushing your teeth. I stressed the importance of exercise and healthy foods. I was moved by the smiling faces and laughing eyes of the children who sat cross-legged on the floor.
McGruff and I made the children laugh while giving anticrime and good health messages. During breaks we discussed the plight of these children. I asked one of the staff members what makes a child homeless. Typically, the child might live in a car or in the woods. The youngster might reside in a temporary shelter. Common to all was the lack of a permanent address.
The report on homeless conditions in
McGruff and I spoke with other staff members to understand more about these children and their living conditions. We both became teary-eyed while shaking our heads that these children could be deprived of a place to live. The thought of a small child starting his day with living quarters in a car or the woods is distressing and unconscionable.
As I looked at those youngsters in each rotation, I identified with my own brood or those of my colleagues. After all, they are just kids who want to laugh, play and have a good time.
Unfortunately, they are offspring at risk in a community
that has limited resources to address their plight. One must appreciate and
support the efforts of religious organizations such as
My initial concern of difficulty performing antics and
helping the children to laugh proved unfounded, but my smiling face concealed a
heavy heart. My big red bow tie, porkpie hat and clown nose obscured an inner
sadness. What to do for these children remained a persistent thought while
cavorting and giving health messages to
I now preserve a vision of these laughing kids swirling around McGruff and responding to my questions as to how to stay healthy. I saw in their eyes what I see in every child’s eyes: love, innocence and hope.
As a community we must ask, what can we do? These needy
children warrant the life all children deserve, nurturing parents, a caring
community and a place to call home. Perhaps, a determined commitment to end
Florida’s prominent child advocate Jack Levine used to send out postcards with a simple message: “Thou art my child, I love thee best; but could not love thee half as much, loved I not all the rest.”
Dr. Marc J. Yacht of