Marion Kimble
Once a year Pierce College has a carnival unbeknownst to the general public. It has food, games, music, activities and it’s all free but few children have had a chance to attend. This is an event for children who don’t have the opportunity to go to an event like this whenever they please; an event for the foster children of the Los Angeles County. This is Day of the Child.
Children Uniting Nations, the sponsor for the event, contacts various foster agencies throughout L.A. County to invite as many foster children as possible.
Each year, foster children ages 6 to 15 from all over L.A. County are invited to attend the event. They gather early, waiting for the buses to arrive that will take them to Pierce.
“It is a wonderful day for the children and a magical day for the mentors, who have the chance to learn the nature of foster care,” said Larry Kraus, associate vice president of Pierce College.
Everyone over the age of 18 is invited to volunteer as a mentor for Day of the Child. Students who have previously attended have found the experience to be enjoyable and rewarding. “I was paired with a 7-year-old boy. He was very polite and very smart,” said Marcie Sakadjian, a student who mentored at last year’s event. “We avoided the events, but had fun eating and talking. We talked for about two hours about him and his situation.”
The actual event takes place on Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mentors should arrive at Pierce before 8:30 am. Applications can be found in the president’s office or at the Day of the Child Help Desk Life Science Building. The final day to turn in applications is Tuesday, Oct. 9. This year near 1300 children are expected to attend and Pierce is looking for volunteers to help accommodate. The administration for the event strongly stresses the importance of mentors remaining with their child for the entire day.
“Mentors are strongly encouraged to stay for the entire event. Leaving early makes it difficult for the child.” Said Kraus Sakadjian experienced this firsthand when she had to leave early to make it to work on time. “I felt the little kid felt bad that I left early, but there was nothing I could do about it,” said Sakadjian. “He opened up to me when we were talking, I felt we really connected.”
Giovanni Frausto, a CUN representative, says Day of the Child will be like the carnivals many students are already familiar with. “There will be a rollercoaster, booths for face painting and other activities and as much carnival stuff as possible”
There will also be a live performance. Frausto was unable to provide a list of past entertainers or of current candidates but says “many performers have already been invited, though unconfirmed.”
The pairing of mentors to children around 11 a.m. and will last about an hour. “We want to finish the pairing as quickly as possible but still be accurate,” said Frausto. “We can’t have the mentors or children standing around getting restless.”