Karina Gonzalez
Approximately 1,500 Los Angeles County foster children and their volunteer mentors attended the ninth annual Day of the Child for a day of fun on Sunday at Pierce College.
Day of the Child is an event designed to bring awareness and support for the needs of children who are living in foster care, residential facilities and homeless shelters.
Shepard Stadium was transformed into a wonderland of rides, games and free food. Whether it was a ride on the Ferris wheel or the chance to participate in a dance contest, children and their mentors enjoyed themselves, sharing stories and creating connections. Jennifer, 12, said she was having fun with her mentor, Pierce student, Jessica Kathol, 21.
Magdalena Estrada said she liked the slide the most. Her mentor, Lizbeth Estrada, 17, also a Pierce student, said, “It’s a good way to let them know that people do care for them.”
According to Daphna Ziman, co-chair and founder of Children Uniting Nations, the main organization that fuels Day of the Child, there was a lot of outreach and support – and some setbacks in organizing the event.
More than 1,800 volunteer mentors attended but 500 were left without children, providing many kids with more than one mentor.
Ziman added that 500 of the volunteer mentors signed up to be permanent mentors. “This effort is to be a constant in their lives,” said Ziman. “One caring adults effort changes their life from hopelessness to hopefulness.” Ziman said the event, which takes one year of planning, is sponsored by 62 organizations as well as the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services and state services. The children were bused in, which according to Ziman was costly for her and her husband, who paid for some of the buses.
She said First District Supervisor Gloria Molina and Fifth District Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich did not raise the funds to bus children from their district in. She expressed disgust towards Molina, stating that 335 children were from her district and the funding should have been provided. “Supervisors work for us, we don’t work for them,” she said.
As well as children and mentors, elected officials and celebrities were in attendance, including the Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, and Darryl McDaniels, DMC from rap group RUN DMC.
Both Villaraigosa and McDaniels shares stories they had about foster care. Villaraigosa said his mother was in foster care and he still remembers the stories his mother would tell him and his siblings. He thanked everyone for taking the time out their day to mentor a child “with a little love and a little support their talent will shine,” he said. “I believe in you…” Villaraigosa yelled out to the crowd of children, “You’ve got love in the house.”
Villaraigosa expressed the importance of taking time out for children. “Los Angeles the city of angels it is a city were everyone is interconnected and we are well on our way to being connected. “They [children] are the connection, if we don’t realize it, we will lose the connection,” said Villaraigosa.
McDaniels also told his story as a foster kid then being adopted by a loving family. “I was lucky. I was adopted,” said McDaniels.
He said he remembered when he found out he was adopted, “My world just stopped.” Although he said he struggled to find peace with it, he knows children in foster care are in need of more than just peace and he stressed the importance of being a mentor to a child.
“If every child had someone in their life to call them up once, or once twice a week, it could change a kid’s life. We need to show these kids they are not alone,” he said.
Pierce College President Robert Garber was also at the event. Garber was happy with the high turnout of student volunteers from Pierce.
“Looks like everyone is having a blast,’ said Garber.
For more information or to become a mentor, contact Children Uniting Nations at (310) 203-0500.
Belinda Perez 4, said she was enjoying the day with her mentor. ()
Due to short lines children were able to ride the Go Go Gator many times over and over. ()