A LOVE FOR RUNAWAYS : WOMAN'S SONGS POINT TEENS TOWARD HOME.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer It was 4 a.m., and Suzanne Geimer hadn't seen her 16-year-old daughter in seven days. Unable to sleep, the aspiring country western singer penned a song about her fears and frustrations. ``This world is so crazy, I'm not sure I'm doin' right,'' she wrote. ``A mother's job is lonely when her kid stays out all night.'' That was nine years ago. Now Geimer and her daughter Kelly sing the song together, hoping to inspire teen-age prostitutes, gang members and street toughs in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and elsewhere to change their lives and return home. ``I just want to convey the message that everybody has a chance to change,'' said Suzanne Geimer, an emergency room nurse who started a nonprofit program in 1994 called the Special Angel Project, which uses country western music to counsel troubled teens. ``We use music to help them talk,'' Geimer said. ``Everybody is telling them what to do and think. You can give them little lectures and show them little videos but until they have hope for the future and a little bit of self-esteem and belief in themselves, they don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. about themselves.'' Under a grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation Elton John AIDS Foundation is a charity fund that was started by Elton John to help fight HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. He was inspired by the death of Ryan White & Freddie Mercury who both suffered from AIDS and were close friends of his. , the Geimers have brought their music to youngsters in drug treatment centers, detention facilities and shelters around Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , including Children of the Night, a nonprofit agency in Van Nuys that provides food, shelter and counseling for children lured into prostitution and pornography. Backed by a three-member band that includes guitars and a mandolin mandolin (măn'dəlĭn`, măn`dəlĭn'), musical instrument of the lute family, with a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. , the Geimers regularly trek from their home in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. to perform at Children of the Night. During a recent concert at the shelter, Suzanne Geimer described the genesis of ``Dear God Are You Listening,'' the tune she wrote after Kelly ran away. ``That was written at a very scary time in my life,'' Geimer told the gathered youngsters. ``Kelly was a freshman in high school, and we had a tendency not to agree on anything. She ran away. I was really scared, because I didn't know what was going to happen to her.'' Youngsters said the song's haunting lyrics evoke images of parents and siblings siblings npl (formal) → frères et sœurs mpl (de mêmes parents) left behind. ``It made me sad. I cried,'' said Tanisha, a slight 12-year-old from Canoga Park who ran away from home to escape her mother's constant whippings and emotional abuse. ``It reminded me of when me and my mom would argue.'' ``It makes me feel bad,'' said Antonio, a 16-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., who began prostituting two years ago. ``I never paid attention to how my family felt when I began selling my body. It just happens.'' After Kelly Geimer returned home, Suzanne Geimer vowed to help other troubled teen-agers. In 1990, she contacted Children of the Night after seeing director Lois Lee on ``Sally Jessy Raphael Sally Jessy Raphael (born Sally Lowenthal on February 25 1935 in Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]) is an American talk show host. Early years Raphael was born in Easton, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. .'' Within the year, she was singing ballads to teens at the shelter. ``She's one of our most special volunteers,'' Lee said of Geimer. ``She's just a very loving person. She doesn't have an edge to her.'' The Geimers are among more than 100 volunteers at the shelter who teach the youngsters various skills, including cross-stitching, script writing and storytelling Storytelling Aesop semi-legendary fabulist of ancient Greece. [Gk. Lit.: Harvey, 10] Münchäusen Baron traveler grossly embellishes his experiences. [Ger. Lit. . ``Volunteers are real important,'' Lee said. ``These kids have been limited in so many ways. It's important to expose them to different experiences.'' Leslie, a chunky chunk·y adj. chunk·i·er, chunk·i·est 1. Short and thick; stocky. 2. Containing small thick pieces: chunky peanut butter; chunky soup. 15-year-old from Redlands trying to overcome addictions to methamphetamines, PCP PCP abbr. 1. phencyclidine 2. primary care physician Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and marijuana marijuana or marihuana, drug obtained from the flowering tops, stems, and leaves of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa (see hemp) or C. indica; the latter species can withstand colder climates. , said the Geimers inspire dreams of a reunion with her own family. ``It gives me hope,'' said the girl, who told of being beaten and raped while living on the streets for four years. ``Sometimes you lose that.'' It is moments like those the Geimers live for. ``Special Angel has a message for kids and families,'' said Marty Geimer, who doesn't perform but watches his wife and daughter in concert. ``It's trying to help bring families together.'' Kelly Geimer, now 24, said it takes patience, communication and maturity to heal family rifts. ``I always thought I was going to be this little kid and they always would be telling me what to do,'' she said, referring to her parents. Now the once troubled teen sings beside her mother. She can hardly believe it: ``I never thought it could be like this.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1) Suzanne Geimer sings at Children of the Night, a Van Nuys haven for exploited youngsters. (2) Suzanne Geimer expresses how the parents of a runaway child feels, having lived through it with her daughter Kelly. Dusty Locke/Special to the Daily News |
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