Balloons for kids who need them
May 3rd, 2007 by craigdos
Every year when I’m home, I visit my Mom’s class to twist balloons for them. This week I visited her first grade class at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary on the west side of Louisville. I answered questions about my running and traveling, about Seattle and Brazil. The kids are kept up to date on my whereabouts by my Mom, and they don’t seem to forget even one detail. Sadly, most of them never have left the boundaries of downtown Louisville, and will probably never go abroad, or in a lot of cases, even outside a 100 mile radius of Louisville.
The kids come from poor families, broken homes and are often neglected, as is evident from their behavior, language and appearance in school. Multiple kids have lost siblings or family members to shootings or other acts of violence. It’s sad truth that most of these kids never really have a chance to realize their potential.
They were, however, looking forward to balloon day for months, thanks to my Mom. After introducing myself, I made each kid a balloon hat, which they were exceedingly happy with. Balloons have turned from a silly hobby to a medium for connecting with people no matter what their age, social class, or culture.
I had a great time. 
That’s awesome Craig! Made my day to see this.
You never know the impact of “little” events like this. There are certain events I remember well, like someone giving me a nod when dancing, that encouraged me to do more. Maybe 1 of those kids will feel that way about Balloon Day =)