Last Friday we had our annual open house and Christmas party. The open house was an opportunity for stakeholders (local government leaders, teachers, former children served) to come to our office and hear about the programs we have been involved in. It was a very typical "formal" event with a high table, long speeches, music that was too loud, and a delicious meal. All of the children we serve were in attendance and the coolest thing for me was seeing the children that had been served in years past. They were now teenagers or adults and many shared stories of their success and stability. Having been completely flooded with work since I arrived, it was also nice to meet a lot of the children that we currently serve.
The open house ended at 3 p.m. and from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. we had our Christmas party. After the somewhat boring open house, the Christmas party completely switched the vibe from formal and stuffy to raging good times. The party was mainly dance competitions, dance performances, and general dancing. The kids were having an absolute blast and I think all the staff were pretty emotional to see the kids having such a good time. Knowing their story and their hardships, it was incredibly satisfying to see them just acting like kids. These children don't have elaborate birthday parties nor do they receive any Christmas presents, so the one time of the year there is a party for them, their energy and joy shine through.
There were two main highlights of the Christmas party for me. First, was the incredibly resourceful Santa that we had. One of our staff members dressed up in a Santa suit and with financial resources for this kind of thing low, we did the best with what was around. His beard? Unwrapped medical gauze from the medical kit. His gloves? Latex gloves from the medical kit. His sunglasses? Why not. He enjoyed walking around giving candy to the kids and was even kind enough to pose for a picture with me, though I did not sit on his lap and request any presents.
The second highlight was the dance contest. The contest featured about 10 initial participants who danced to 30-second clips of music. After the dancing the MC would ask the crowd to make noise for either "staying" or "going". Everyone was having a blast choosing their favorites and making a lot of noise. Luckily everyone received cheers although in the end, someone had to go. When the dancers were down to two participants, one of the staff members was asked to come join the competition and after a little bit of encouragement he went up and danced.
Although the kids had more energy and perhaps some more flexibility, they were not prepared for the experience and "moves" that our staffer unleashed. Everyone went absolutely crazy as he wiggled and wound his way across the stage. The kids especially enjoyed seeing their "serious" social worker get loose and perform in a way I'm sure they never imagined he could. Waves of cheers roared from the crowd with every new move that he did.
The open house ended at 3 p.m. and from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. we had our Christmas party. After the somewhat boring open house, the Christmas party completely switched the vibe from formal and stuffy to raging good times. The party was mainly dance competitions, dance performances, and general dancing. The kids were having an absolute blast and I think all the staff were pretty emotional to see the kids having such a good time. Knowing their story and their hardships, it was incredibly satisfying to see them just acting like kids. These children don't have elaborate birthday parties nor do they receive any Christmas presents, so the one time of the year there is a party for them, their energy and joy shine through.
There were two main highlights of the Christmas party for me. First, was the incredibly resourceful Santa that we had. One of our staff members dressed up in a Santa suit and with financial resources for this kind of thing low, we did the best with what was around. His beard? Unwrapped medical gauze from the medical kit. His gloves? Latex gloves from the medical kit. His sunglasses? Why not. He enjoyed walking around giving candy to the kids and was even kind enough to pose for a picture with me, though I did not sit on his lap and request any presents.
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| The medical gauze as a beard is probably the single greatest thing I have ever seen. |
The second highlight was the dance contest. The contest featured about 10 initial participants who danced to 30-second clips of music. After the dancing the MC would ask the crowd to make noise for either "staying" or "going". Everyone was having a blast choosing their favorites and making a lot of noise. Luckily everyone received cheers although in the end, someone had to go. When the dancers were down to two participants, one of the staff members was asked to come join the competition and after a little bit of encouragement he went up and danced.
Although the kids had more energy and perhaps some more flexibility, they were not prepared for the experience and "moves" that our staffer unleashed. Everyone went absolutely crazy as he wiggled and wound his way across the stage. The kids especially enjoyed seeing their "serious" social worker get loose and perform in a way I'm sure they never imagined he could. Waves of cheers roared from the crowd with every new move that he did.
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