I think there is nothing more rewarding for me than to help a child get something they desperately want or need but for some reason can’t get or afford.
Parents and families are pressed, I see this and feel this at the Mansion and Bishop Maginn every day. I hear their stories.
The children of the Manson aides and the refugee children at BMHS often make do without what they need or what they want.
Juan and Jovanka are the children of Melissa, one of the hardest working and most loving Mansion aides. She works grueling hours and has been working through a painful and still mysterious illness.
He has yearned for an Xbox, his sister urgently needs a computer for school.
She has done so much for the Mansion residents and cares so much about them. And raising two kids by herself on caretaker/health care wages is painful and difficult.
I try to help whenever I can.
Melissa has fierce pride and asks for nothing and balks at taking anything. Her son Juan – he feels like a godchild to me – and her daughter Jovanka (she does also). I’ve learned to just send some things to her children.
We’ve helped them with chairs to sit on for dinner and a lamp or two and some food.
Recently, Melissa sent me a text: “I know for sure that my father sent you to be our Angel on earth.” Makes me blush but lifts my heart. I am no angel.
I admire Melissa and yes, I have come to appreciate and admire her. No one works harder or does more loving work with a bigger heart.
I earned a few days ago that Juan is pining for an Xbox and was certain he would never get one, and Jovanka’s laptop broke down. It has no guarantee and there is no money to repair it and it is battered and old.
I decided to get Juan an Xbox and just ordered an Acer-made-for-school laptop. I gave it a lot of thought.
When Juan called her to tell her the Xbox had come, she sent another message to me: “I have a smile again because of you. Thanks so much.”
Melissa deserves the happiness she will feel when her very nice and hard-working son gets his Xbox. And she will stop worrying frantically that Jovanka, an excellent A student will not have a computer for school next week.
She’s been to one computer place after another and is told again and again her daughter’s laptop is shot. I thought about this but isn’t our task to make things happen for people who can’t quite make them happen themselves.
Melissa is a great mother and she has raised two wonderful kids by herself. Juan is overjoyed, Jovanka will get her Acer laptop on Monday with a special backpack to put it in.
We bought a bunch of Acer computers for the refugee children at Bishop Maginn last Fall, I am good at tracking down the right laptop at a surprisingly low cost.
That came in handy.
She won’t tell her kids of the pain she is in, she doesn’t want to upset them. I am so happy to be able to do this.
I am buying these two things with existing Mansion/Refugee Funds but would be happy to accept any contributions people might want to make on behalf of this family. And to keep the fund fat and ready.
They make the most out of life.
The Army Of Good makes that possible. I thank you all again and again.
If anyone wants to help, you can send a contribution to me via Paypal, ID [email protected], or via Venmo, ID [email protected].
If you prefer, you can send a contribution to Jon Katz, Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. Thanks. I will sleep like a baby after looking at this picture.