BOYS GIVE THEIR BIRTHDAY GIFTS TO CHARITY.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
Best friends Anthony Lozano and Mike Olsen Olsen may refer to:
This is their last year at West Valley Christian Christian flees the City of Destruction. [Br. Lit.: Pilgrim’s Progress] See : Escape Christian travels to Celestial City with cumbrous burden on back. [Br. Lit. Academy in West Hills before they graduate and moved up to middle school, and they wanted to have a combined 13th birthday party at Skateland in Northridge Northridge is the name of some places in the United States of America:
They wanted to invite everyone in their class - 55 kids in all. They knew that was a large number, but it wouldn't be right not to invite everyone. Oh, and one other thing, the boys said. They had talked it over already and decided they didn't want any presents. No, what they wanted was this: for each classmate who came to their birthday party to bring a check made out to to the American Cancer Society American Cancer Society, n.pr established in 1913, this national volunteer-based health organization is committed to the elimination of cancer through prevention and treatment and to diminishing cancer suffering through advocacy, scholarship, research, or to their school. The boys asked their moms: Would that be all right? Becky Lozano and Linda Olsen looked at each other and took a deep breath as they tried to keep tears from their eyes. They had never been as proud of their sons as they were at that moment. Cancer had taken its toll on the boys' grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl this past year, but Anthony and Mike hadn't talked about it much - hadn't opened up with their moms about their feelings. But what they wanted to do for their 13th birthday told these two mothers what they already knew deep in their hearts: The illnesses of their grandparents were obviously weighing heavily on the boys' minds. This was their way to reach out and help - the way for a couple of buddies See buddy list. turning 13 to deal together with the helplessness helplessness, n a perception held by a person because of which he or she feels powerless or unable to act independently. Typically associated with persons diagnosed with chronic disease. of not being able to do anything for some people they loved very much. Sure it would be OK, Linda and Rebecca told their boys - and gave them a big hug. It would be better than OK. It would be great. And that's how checks totaling $669 landed last week on the desk of David Hechter of the American Cancer Society, with an additional $200 earmarked for the private Christian school A Christian School is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country according to the religious, educational, and political culture. . ``I was astonished a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. by the amount,'' Hechter said. ``I knew what the boys were doing for their grandparents, but we never anticipated it would be that much. ``Who knew how many kids would show up and bring a check to the Cancer Society as a present?'' Turns out most of the class showed up at the birthday party because Mike and Anthony had become the hit of the school after word of what they were doing - and why - got around. Oh, a few kids in school thought they were a little loco, passing up on the chance to receive so many birthday presents, the boys said Monday. But only a few. ``Our friends kept asking us if we were sure this is what we wanted to do, and when we said yes, they understood and thought it was great,'' Mike said. ``Who needs 55 sets of Legos, anyway?'' added Anthony. While the boys were hearing from their classmates Classmates can refer to either:
``I got so many calls from parents who thought it was a wonderful idea,'' Becky said, ``and how did we think about it? I told them we didn't; the boys did.'' Their sons understood the excessiveness of 55 birthday presents each, Linda said - understood the money for toys they didn't need was needed somewhere else. ``My dad, a fireman, just passed away from cancer, and (Mike's) grandma is in the hospital right now with the same cancer Becky's mother-in-law MOTHER-IN-LAW. In Latin socrus. The mother of one's wife, or of one's husband. is suffering from,'' Linda said. At 13, their sons still may be too young to verbalize what they're feeling, the women say, but they understand the reality of cancer. Maybe, just maybe, that $669 is going to be part of the money that finally breaks the back of cancer - money that helps find a cure. There isn't a toy or birthday present in the world that can touch the importance of that. ``A lot of the moms who called us to say thanks said they were going to try and do the same thing on their child's next birthday,'' Becky said. ``Wouldn't that be great?'' It would be more than great because, as her son says, how many sets of Legos does a kid need? CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Anthony Lozano and Mike Olsen gave their birthday checks to charity. |
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