Done and done. A day that reminds me how good people are, and how much they want to help others. It took a couple of days to work it all out, but this afternoon Kimberly from Minnesota, an angel in the Army Of Good, sent $890.48 to my Paypal Account, and I sent it right over to Sandy at the Great Escape (she loves Boston Terriers) and I signed my group contract to bring 16 kids and five adults from RISSE, the refugee and immigration center in Albany, N.Y., to the Great Escape Adventure Park on Saturday, July 15.
All of the students are refugees or immigrants, brought legally to America in recent months and years. Many suffered greatly along with their families, to get her. Ali (Amjad Abdalla Muhammed) is their driver and teacher and soccer coach, one parent is from Egypt, the other from the Sudan, he has lived in America since he was 17 and is a graduate student in Albany engaged to be married in two years, his fiance lives in Egypt.
He is an American citizen.
I’ve only known him for a few weeks and love him already, he is a good person through and through and is committed, in the most peaceful and tolerant way, to keeping faith with the promise and spirit and generosity of America. America is better than this, he says of the war against refugees and immigrants.
Even though I repeatedly assured Kimberly that she didn’t have to pay for the whole trip, she insisted, she wanted these kids and Ali to have everything they could possibly have to get a day they would remember. She is truly selfless.
Thanks to Kimberly, the trip is all bought and paid for. I was prepared to contribute or ask for help, but it is not necessary. We can all sit back and enjoy this opportunity to feel good and do good. Most of these kids have never been out of the city they now live in, they have never experienced anything like a full-blown American amusement park with games, rides, roller coasters, junk food, music.
They and their families have sacrificed much and left much behind, this will mark a valuable and cherished experience for them. And they need it.
And Maria and I are going as well. Rest assured, you will capture the experience in photos, Kimberly will get more than she wants.
I won’t lie, nothing in America is simple any more, not politics, not even buying tickets to an amusement park.I understand why Ali had so much trouble trying to plan it.
There were many options, legalities, contracts and considerations to pore over. It took many hours and a lot of details, for which I am notoriously ill-equipped.
Sandy at Great Escape was great, we got a good deal, I think, and she steered me towards bargains and good options. Still, a lot of haggling and choosing. Admission tickets for the kids and adults were 20.99 each, and one adult ticket (me) is free. That was $409, down from the original $800 Ali was told earlier in the year.
We ordered 21 catered meals – chicken strips, hot dogs, french fries, ice cream – to be served in a covered pavillion. That is $273. The kids get Kodak vouchers to have pictures taken on the rides which they can collect as they leave, it’s $3.99 each ($47.84). Each of the 16 students will take home a Great Escape Souvenir Bottle, which cost $9.99 each for a total of $159.84. Parking is free. The total tab was 890.48 for a full day at the park.
We passed on the Comet Cash, money deposited in individual accounts for the kids to spend as they like, although Kimberly might have gone for it, she was determined they have the best possible experience in the park. Three teachers will be along to help supervise, so will Maria and I.
This is pretty wonderful thing to be a part of, and I thank Ali for letting me, for Kimberly for making it happen so quickly, and for all the people poised to help if we needed it. Small acts of kindness are a powerful tonic for troubled times, and this is actually a large act of kindness.
I want to try to convince people, through my writing and photographs, that these refugees are not threats or parasites or criminals or terrorists, they are decent, hard-working loving people Their children are the very beautiful babies, the children of God of whom there has been so much talk lately. They deserve to live too, and they have every right to be here. I am happy to know them and thrilled to be a small part of giving them this day in July.
I know they will remember it all of their lives.
