The Bedlam Farm Warriors played a soccer game tonight in Albany. They lost 3 to 1 in a rainy game, they played hard and skillfully. Tonight, Red began his new chapter as the mascot and lucky dog for the team, all students at the RISSE – the refugee and immigrant center in Albany. Maya, the goalie (yellow shirt) was valiant but the opposing team was large and had a lot of players and a large cheering section.
This week, we will be ordering new Jerseys that say “Bedlam Farm Warriors (their choice of name) with an image of Red stitched onto the shirts. Red took to his new job instantly, the kids loved him and he loved being there. He ran alongside them as they practiced and sat quietly along the sidelines while they played.
Maria and I brought a car load of games and puzzles – donations from various people – for the kids to use and share with the other students at RISSE. There are about four more games this season, I will try to get to as many as possible.
As I have mentioned, I am organizing a Refugee Children’s Scholarship Fund to raise to provide special funds for learning and creative development. This might include scholarships or classes in subjects ranging from art, English, math, computing and information technology, music or other kinds of special education.
The program is open to all of the 100 students – refugees and immigrants all – at RISSE as well as members of the soccer team.
We have already collected about $1,000 and I have opened a special account at my bank so that the money can be separate and accessible and save me from a huge tax bill. This is not a college fund, but a fund for these children as they work to acclimate themselves to America and pursue their passions and needs.
If you wish to contribute, you can sent a check to The Children’s Refugee Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. If you prefer, you can also donate through Paypal’s Friend and Family program, you can send a donation to [email protected] (my ID) and please mark it Children’s Refugee Fund. It will be transferred to the special account.