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    CLJobe
  • CLJobe
  • Author
  • 01/12/2021
  • 1,799 Words
  • 2,998 Views
  • 39 Comments
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

A Child's Haven - 56. Chapter 56

The next morning, I went to the hobby shop and picked up several different kinds of models. I also picked up some glue and paint. Then I went to a toy store and picked up a deluxe bingo game. I got some extra cards and markers. Hurrying back to Sanctuary, I saw one of the kids leaving the cook shack as I parked my car. “Carl, can I see you for a minute.”

He came running over, “Carl, could you please tell the kids that we are going to play bingo after lunch today.” His smile was enough to assure me that everyone is going to have fun this afternoon. I took the models to my office until I had a chance to talk to the lads.

At lunch, Tony looked at me as if he knew I had something up my sleeve. “Tony, I’m going to need you this afternoon after lunch and you also Aaron.” They both gave me funny looks knowing that I had something that’d make them work.

After lunch and everything was put away. “I want each of you to take a seat. Tony and Aaron will pass out cards and markers to you. For you who aren’t familiar with this game, it’s called Bingo. The way we play, I’ll call out a number. If you have the number, you mark your card, when you have completed the line, you yell Bingo, and then we start the game all over. Any questions? No, then let’s start. Tony, if you and Aaron hand out one of these cards and a marker to each kid, we can get started.” I had a cage for the numbered balls. Then I turned the crank, which spun the balls around. “Is everyone ready?” I got a very enthusiastic yea.

I started the game. As a ball got caught in the wheel, I would read off the letter and number. I noticed the older kids helping the younger kids. One of the kids yelled Bingo. Tony checked the numbers, and they were correct. I had some poker chips and gave the winner a poker chip. I explained on the day that allowances were given; a chip would be worth 50 cents. We played the game for 3 hours. I knew I’d have to restock the vending machines, but I didn’t care. The kids had fun.

“Brad that was a great idea. Why didn’t we do that sooner?”

“Because I forgot the purpose of Sanctuary, I was so intent on saving lives I concentrated on the outside and ignored the inside. Not anymore, I’ll still be concerned about kids on the street, but I’ll also keep my focus. That’s why I asked you to sit with the kids during mealtime. I thought they enjoyed the game today.”

“They did. Now we’ll have to do this every Sunday afternoon. Maybe there are other games which will include the whole group.”

“How about you and Aaron think up group games? Maybe simple card games, like fish. We could have a contest winners from one table would play winners from another table until we got down to one winner.”

“Will give it some thought, but I think we should be careful of the games we get. We have games in the amenities area that involved small groups. The nice thing about Bingo is that everyone can play at one time.”

“Yes, you’re right, but I don’t know any games except Bingo that’s a group game. Maybe you could search to see if there are other group games. But for now, we have Bingo, and that will be good for a long time.”

“Tony, I’m going to enroll Adam in culinary school. I think there is one that is associated with the Culinary School of America. Could you inquire about the tuition and see if we can get a brochure for Adam.”

“Sure, what are your plans for replacing Adam?”

“I’ve asked Mario to look for a replacement or replacements. Mario thinks the load is getting large enough to have several kids working in the shack. I told him to get what he needs and to clear it with Mrs. Jenkins. I’ll give him a week and then check with him.”

Monday morning, the buzz about the Bingo game was still alive. I felt good about spending the time with them; it has been a while since I spent time with them. I got my coffee and sat at one of the tables, which had girls and boys. They asked me if we were going to play Bingo every Sunday. I assured them that it would be an ongoing event. Then the talk went toward the model building. I told them that I had bought some models and we can look at them after school. “Ladies, I have a question for you. Do any of you think you might like to learn how to sew or knit? You could make your clothes or blankets. What do you think?”

I felt the response was a little lukewarm, but I’d let it foment for a while. I wanted to talk with Mrs. Chester this afternoon about the aptitude profiles and the kids’ evaluation toward a GED. To that list, I also wanted to get a feel for how many kids wanted to learn how to paint, cook, or make clothes. I thought if they had some additional activities outside of book learning, they could learn a skill and perhaps be able to make a living out of it.

I left a message for Mrs. Chester that I’d like to see her after classes. I called Abe about putting a second floor in the dining hall. He said he had the plans already drawn and felt it would take a week to get the floor to a state that wouldn’t interfere with the dining hall. I went to see Tony to relate to him about my conversation with Abe. “Tony, I want to take the kids on vacation. I want to rent an island where the weather is warm and fish and swim in the ocean. Can we do this?”

“Is this so they can work in the dining hall?”

“Partly, but we have promised the kids a fishing trip, so I think this’ll be a lot better. We could hire some lifeguards and security as well.”

“Are you planning on flying there or sailing?”

“That’ll depend somewhat on the island. If we could fly in, I would prefer that. We’d also need staff and enough housing or at least tents.”

Mrs. Chester came to my office after class with a list of the kids. I explained about wanting to know who was close to being able to pass the GED. She said she thought there were three that might be ready. I asked her to get the book with sample questions and test them. If they fail any part, then we would know what to emphasize in class. I also asked her if she felt any 16-year-old kids were mature enough to move into the quads. I explained that I didn’t want to run out of cocoons, and although I hadn’t reached that point yet, I didn’t want to be too close, so I needed some back-up positions. I told her about going ahead with the building on the next lot and adding another cocoon floor. I asked her about aptitude tests that could give us some idea of what the various students are capable of and perhaps point us in the right direction as far as trades.

“Finally, Mrs. Chester, I was wondering about offering special classes like art, music, woodworking, and home economics. I’d be willing to bring in specialized teachers under your guidance to lead these classes.”

“Where would you have these classes? The school doesn’t have any more rooms.”

“I could provide space for them in the new building. Right now, I’m interested in your feedback, and do you think that might be something the kids would like.”

“Off the top of my head, I think that would be good for the kids. We might find some hidden talents.”

“Great, I’ll call Abe and have him adjust the plans to provide a woodworking shop, a home economics room, an art room, and a music room. I’m getting a little excited about this. Sometimes I feel that the kids get bored, this’ll offer a noncritical challenge for them and at the same time give them something to look forward to each day.”

Wrapping up my meeting with Mrs. Chester, I headed toward the dining room. With my coffee, I called Abe. “Abe, in the new building, I’ll need a wood working shop, a music room, an art room, and a room for home economics. I want to provide some extracurricular activities, so the kids aren’t bored, and at the same time, we may discover some hidden talent.”

Abe thought the idea was a good one and said he’d do some research and build the design into the new building. I told him about taking a one-week vacation to work on the dining hall second story floor.

That evening at dinner, the boys asked about the models and did I get some. I told them I had them in my office, and after dinner tonight, I would bring them to the dining hall, and we’ll make a list of which ones they would like to have. I had to caution them to take their time eating. Several of the girls also showed an interest, so I told them they were also invited to select a model.

After dinner, I went to my office and got the models I bought. Before leaving the office, I marked each model with a black non-erasable pen. I had Beth take some paper to record the names and model number. When I entered the dining hall, I had everyone sit down while I explained the procedure. Beth sat at one table, and I placed the models on the second table. The kids would look at a model, check out the box and go to Beth to tell her the model number. For the number of kids, it was quite orderly. It took about an hour for each of the kids who were interested in modeling to pick one.

The rest of the week was routine; Tony got the culinary school information, which I passed on to Adam. He also arranged for driving lessons for Adam and Jeff, taking them to the driver’s license office, and picking up a learner’s book for each of them.

I was anxious to get the holiday out of the way as I wanted to get the extra floor on the dining hall finished. I thought it would be good for the kids.

Copyright © 2020 CLJobe; All Rights Reserved.
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  • Haha 1
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Chapter Comments



CLJobe
12 minutes ago, Buz said:

Hey Cal. Yeah, I know he didn't. That's why I was initially gonna say what I put on the bottom of my comment. It was worth a mention but not an examination.

I was adding to the thread of some of the other comments.

That is okay. Since that was touched on several times,. I was thinking of what would I do if I was Brad. Obvious the boys were not a problem with the kits. And I know that Brad would let any girl who wanted to build a kit, have one. But what'd you offer a girl if she doesn't want to build a kit, or a boy even. He has the painting, but what else? Cooking, they can help in the cook shack. What's left? Sewing, crochett, knitting all of these have a connotation of being girl things. Brad is trying to have something for everyone, maybe that is his  problem. 

I have assurance from Tony,. all will work out in the end 

 

  • Like 2
CLJobe
37 minutes ago, davewri said:

This should be a good sign to you that your readers actually respond to what you write. Just struck me as somewhat "old fashioned" the way it was written.

I am glad that my readers enter into dialogue with me. And I respect their comments  and views. I am old fashion , and although I hold no sexist opinions, I do believe that generalization are based on statistics, i.e. more women know how to sew than men. My interaction with my readers are a great joy to this old man. I particularly enjoy when they get v=into the story.; Many offer very interesting views that will shape stories to come.

  • Like 1
Paqman

Communal games for 200 children? Hard, but you could have one hell of a beetle drive (and the way my family played was very aggressive and fast). 

Split them into groups - charades.

We also had a game that was a sort of drawing version of charades (not pictionary). Teams in different rooms had one person drawing a term/word/item, the others had to guess it. The successful guesser had to get the next word from the person with the list, and repeat, until the list of words was finished. First team to finish wins. The hardest I had to try and draw - mimosa.

Cheap party games, paper and pencils.

  • Like 1
CLJobe
11 hours ago, Buz said:

Hey Cal. Yeah, I know he didn't. That's why I was initially gonna say what I put on the bottom of my comment. It was worth a mention but not an examination.

I was adding to the thread of some of the other comments.

That's Okay,  Not a problem here. You learn from the negatives as well as the positives. Stay well, next chapter up. Vacation time. 

  • Like 1
CLJobe
9 minutes ago, Paqman said:

Communal games for 200 children? Hard, but you could have one hell of a beetle drive (and the way my family played was very aggressive and fast). 

Split them into groups - charades.

We also had a game that was a sort of drawing version of charades (not pictionary). Teams in different rooms had one person drawing a term/word/item, the others had to guess it. The successful guesser had to get the next word from the person with the list, and repeat, until the list of words was finished. First team to finish wins. The hardest I had to try and draw - mimosa.

Cheap party games, paper and pencils.

You right these are fun. There was another game where you had to guess a word on a card. The person with the card would give clues. 

  • Like 1
Clancy59
On 1/13/2021 at 4:20 AM, CLJobe said:

Model building was always an option for the girls, but what if a girl didn't want to build models. he needed something for them. Fashion, design, all involve sewing. I painting  was offered as well. Sewing isn't limited to girls. which you will see later in the unpublished chapters,. 

I also have to chime in about the boy/girl activity issue.  As a child, my dad taught me basic woodworking techniques and skills, and even electrical basics (he was an electrician).  When I was a teen, I (F) enjoyed making some models, also, but I enjoyed learning how to sew, embroider, crochet and knit much more.  I am a born crafter and simply enjoy seeing things come together into a finished product.  It’s why I also love baking.  I take disparate ingredients and out come lovely cookies, cakes, pies and other delectables.  I was the one who painted in our house when we moved, not my husband.  

However, I had to take exception to Brad turning to only the girls and asking if they were interested in sewing or knitting.  There are many men who take great pleasure in the so-called ‘feminine’ arts.  I know a number of men who produce beautiful blankets in both crochet and quilting.

Brad would have been much better off presenting the question to the entire table as an open-ended question.  For example, he could have said, “We have people doing models. That’s a start.  Is there anything anyone else would be interested in doing?  Possibilities could include sewing, knitting, painting, quilting, woodworking or anything else you may have seen someone work on that interested you.  We can investigate all possibilities.  Any suggestions?”  That would have allowed the kids to brainstorm without censure, and later, to get involved in any activity they are interested in, irrelevant of their gender.

I am sure I speak for many of your readers when I say I am sorry that you seem to be getting beaten up over this single sentence, but it seems to have hit a nerve for many of us.  Perhaps you can fix this in future chapters (if you haven’t already, since I am a little behind in my reading).

  • Like 1
CLJobe
1 hour ago, Clancy59 said:

I also have to chime in about the boy/girl activity issue.  As a child, my dad taught me basic woodworking techniques and skills, and even electrical basics (he was an electrician).  When I was a teen, I (F) enjoyed making some models, also, but I enjoyed learning how to sew, embroider, crochet and knit much more.  I am a born crafter and simply enjoy seeing things come together into a finished product.  It’s why I also love baking.  I take disparate ingredients and out come lovely cookies, cakes, pies and other delectables.  I was the one who painted in our house when we moved, not my husband.  

However, I had to take exception to Brad turning to only the girls and asking if they were interested in sewing or knitting.  There are many men who take great pleasure in the so-called ‘feminine’ arts.  I know a number of men who produce beautiful blankets in both crochet and quilting.

Brad would have been much better off presenting the question to the entire table as an open-ended question.  For example, he could have said, “We have people doing models. That’s a start.  Is there anything anyone else would be interested in doing?  Possibilities could include sewing, knitting, painting, quilting, woodworking or anything else you may have seen someone work on that interested you.  We can investigate all possibilities.  Any suggestions?”  That would have allowed the kids to brainstorm without censure, and later, to get involved in any activity they are interested in, irrelevant of their gender.

I am sure I speak for many of your readers when I say I am sorry that you seem to be getting beaten up over this single sentence, but it seems to have hit a nerve for many of us.  Perhaps you can fix this in future chapters (if you haven’t already, since I am a little behind in my reading).

I never even thought about that being such an issue. I was very surprised with those comments. I guess I'll. have to review my chapters a little closer. The problem, I see, is if we focus on one aspect we lose the whole picture. But I will be more careful in future chapters.

  • Like 1
Clancy59
8 hours ago, CLJobe said:

I never even thought about that being such an issue. I was very surprised with those comments. I guess I'll. have to review my chapters a little closer. The problem, I see, is if we focus on one aspect we lose the whole picture. But I will be more careful in future chapters.

Like I said, we don’t mean to beat you up about this.  We love what we’re reading.  This one just hit a nerve, evidently.

  • Like 1
CLJobe
9 hours ago, Clancy59 said:

Like I said, we don’t mean to beat you up about this.  We love what we’re reading.  This one just hit a nerve, evidently.

I have broad shoulders and I'm old enough too know how to carry the load. I would rather have my readers speak their mind and continue to read my stories than for me to be insulted, or angry, or feel something rather than the thanks for pointing out these errors.  I am not to old to learn. To my readers, speak your mind, I am open to your comments

  • Like 1
Clancy59
5 hours ago, CLJobe said:

I have broad shoulders and I'm old enough too know how to carry the load. I would rather have my readers speak their mind and continue to read my stories than for me to be insulted, or angry, or feel something rather than the thanks for pointing out these errors.  I am not to old to learn. To my readers, speak your mind, I am open to your comments

And I think we understand that.  I’ve seen some authors who have obviously taken exception to any negative commentary.  You haven’t.  That is why people have felt comfortable discussing things with you.  @Carlos Hazday is much the same.  You both listen and take friendly criticism as it is meant.

  • Love 2
CLJobe
10 minutes ago, Clancy59 said:

And I think we understand that.  I’ve seen some authors who have obviously taken exception to any negative commentary.  You haven’t.  That is why people have felt comfortable discussing things with you.  @Carlos Hazday is much the same.  You both listen and take friendly criticism as it is meant.

I am not to old to learn. I appreciate comments, they make me a better writer. So let them come, good, bad, positive , negative. I learn from them all.

  • Like 2
pickuptoy

I know this story is complete and has been for getting close to 2 years now. One thing I would be very rewarding for both the kids in Sanctuary and some older people in assisted living and memory care communities getting together and spending time with each other. Maybe once a month a bus load of the kids go visit at the ALMC and one a month maybe 2 weeks between send the bus to the ALMC and pick those guys up and bring them to The Sanctuary. Maybe a Sat. afternoon or a Sun.

I know the ones in the Metro Atlanta area like these are elderly people that are still in good shape and mind. Most just don't want to keep up a house or condo anymore and have the onsite activities that are offered there. I know some have both Apts for their clients and also 2 and I have even heard 3-bedroom patio condo's or Apts, and their clients can still have their cars there too. 

But mixing the elderly men and women with the young boy and girls can be really good for both of them. Lots of the elderly don't have any kids or grandkids or some that do they may live hundreds or even thousand miles away. All the elderly have stories to tell, and also may help lead some of the young people in the direction of what kind of career decision. Some may have once been doctor, nurses, lawyers, legal sec. financial backgrounds, officers in the military, business or cooperate leaders, politicians, etc. I think they can be a win/win for both groups. 

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