A Child's Haven - 51. Chapter 51

“I’ve been thinking of doing something for the kids on their birthday.”

“I thought that you celebrated with the cake once a month.”

“I do, but we don’t do anything special on the day of their birthday. Somehow I think there should be something that sets that day apart for them.”

“You could buy them a gift.”

“Yes, but how about taking them shopping. I know the girls would probably like that.”

“I’m not sure about the boys. There are so many, and of different ages, shopping may not be their thing. I guess you could break it down by age groups and then plan on something for each age group.”

“The problem would be if you had boys of various ages on the same day. You’d have to pick an outing that would please everyone.”

“Maybe a gift given to them on the day of their birthday would be best.”

“Why don’t you put together a birthday calendar? Post it in the dining hall so all of the kids can see it. With the kids developing friends, some of them might want to buy or make a gift for a kid’s birthday.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I could get a crazy hat for the birthday kid to wear that day.”

“There you go, that’s a good idea.”

Sanctuary began to fall into a routine. Aaron, with Beth’s help, made medical forms for the kids. I still hadn’t found a doctor to put on staff, but Don from the clinic was willing to see any exceptional cases. Aaron, working with Don, reduced the number of cases Don would have to see. He became a close friend with Janine and Don, which allowed him to discuss cases without calling in other doctors. We always had the capability of utilizing the emergency room at the local hospital.

Not having been home for a while, I went to have dinner with Mom and Dad. “Mom, I wanted to do something special for the kids on their birthday. We celebrate all the kids’ birthdays on the first of the month with a large cake. Tony suggested that I get a special hat for the kids to wear on the exact day of their birthday. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a good idea. Birthdays are special days for kids. I’d bet many of your kids either forgot what a birthday should be liked or never had one. If you want, I’ll look for an appropriate hat.”

“That’d be great. I also wanted to ask you to do something special for the girls. We only have 5, and I thought if you could, on their birthday, maybe take them to a hairdresser and give them some make-up tips.”

“I’d love to do that. What are the ages of the girls?”

“Beth is the oldest, and she’ll be 15 on her birthday. The other four girls range from 13 to 14. I think these girls would love to have a female figure in their lives.”

“Just give me their names, birthdays, and ages. I’ll plan on something.”

“What about the boys?”

“We tried to think of something special for them as well. The problem is that there are so many and different ages that a specific outing for a 14-year-old may not appeal to a 10-year-old. Do you have any suggestions?”

“I understand your problem, but there has to be something that appeals to all boys like a ball game or visiting a special place.”

“The problem is that those activities may not fall on the boy’s birthday. I wanted to make that day special for the boy.”

“Do you have a list of the boys and their birthdays?”

“Yes, we have all of that information.”

“Then put together a calendar listing all the boys that have a birthday on a specific date. Maybe the problem is not as big as it currently seems.”

“OK, I’ll have Beth do that for all the kids.”

“It seems Beth is doing a lot of your secretarial work.”

“Actually, as far as the kids are concerned, she handles all of the records, except medical. I made an exception with her. Although she is not old enough to work part-time, her allowance reflects the work she does for me.”

That evening driving back to Sanctuary, I reflected on my family’s support for this project. No matter what I ask of them, they always come through. It’s as if they are my coaches and pep squad. I was lucky to have them in my life. Knowing that makes me work harder for Sanctuary.

When I arrived back at Sanctuary, Jeff and Andy were in the dining hall working on a calendar. “What’s up, guys?”

“We were putting together a calendar showing the names of the kids and when they arrived at Sanctuary. We’re wondering if we should have a special treat on the days the kids arrived. Maybe a homecoming treats of some kind. For most of us, that was the first day of our new life. It means a lot to Andy and me, and I’ll bet it’ll mean a lot to them as well.”

“That’s a great idea. What do you suggest as an appropriate way of recognizing that day.”

“That’s where we’re having a problem. Maybe you could suggest something.”

“I think I can, but I can’t tell you and Andy because you are going to be part of it as well. Great idea, guys; when you have completed your calendar, let me have it, and I’ll take it from there.”

Tomorrow I’ll go to a jewel store and see if they can supply me with what I had in mind for the kids. Of course, this still didn’t solve the birthday problem. With 199 kids, this meant a birthday every other day. I need to bounce my ideas off of Tony.

That night after I went to bed, I thought about a logo for Sanctuary. I’d ask Tony, Aaron, and Abe for ideas. It’d be nice if we had letterhead with a logo and the Sanctuary shirts and coats. A small lapel pin shaped like the logo would look nice on their coats and jackets.

I always sleep better when I’ve solved one of my problems. Moving into the third-floor bedroom helped. It strengthened the sense of belonging and being a part of these kids’ life.

The next few weeks we’re very calm, too calm. I knew something was going to happen, and it wasn’t going to be good. I haven’t had this feeling for a while, but I knew when I did, the result wasn’t good. That morning as I was having my coffee, Tony stopped in to review the finances.