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By Patricia Johnson-Hill Family Advocate/Educator
Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School and Markham Middle SchoolWatts,
California
The children of Watts are normal fun-loving kids who deserve to live in an
environment that is free from crime, gangs, drugs, shootings and stabbings. For
these children, these elements are everyday occurrences. They do learn some
survival skills!
Many of Watts’ children face violence on a daily basis – these are experiences
that will haunt them all their lives. They become afraid to come out of their
homes – it might be a “bad time”.
Normally, when children have disagreements, there might be an exchange of words
or, at worst, a fight – that would be it. In Watts, if children have a negative
encounter, their lives can be at risk.
There are incidents where children are shot, stabbed or badly beaten – often at
the hands of adults, family members or “boyfriends.” Many of their
families are routinely entangled in the same situations. Recently, in our
community, a father was shot over 70 times after having an altercation with a
resident. In another recent incident, a father was riding his bicycle home from
work when three young men robbed him at gunpoint. There was a scuffle,
the gun went off and one robber was shot and killed. To avenge the death
of their friend, the other two gunmen, burned the victim's home down.
Fortunately, the victim's family had been escorted out of the community
by the LAPD so there were no additional injuries or fatalities.
The stories are many but I just wanted to share a few incidents that our
children face on a daily basis. Unfortunately, they perceive these
encounters as normal because they are such regular occurrences within the
community. But despite these grim realities, our children still hold onto
great expectations; they dream of a good life and have developed the courage to
withstand the difficulties that confront them. Being exposed to another
life is something that Horses in the Hood (HHLA) provides. It's been an
important outlet for these children to experience something positive. They can see
something good is possible through hard and honest work.
This year was another exciting experience for our children. For many of
our children who participated, this was the first time they had seen the
Pacific Ocean. The wonder on their faces is always awesome. They have so many
questions and are so excited they can hardly contain themselves. Once
arriving at Mill Creek, some were frightened but all were thrilled at the sight
of the horses. Their minds were put at ease when the Mill Creek staff approached
the bus with a calm demeanor and a welcoming sense of excitement to have our
children as their guests for the next five days. Cory Walkey’s wonderful
staff has a great love for both children and horses—what a combination!
Every year our children learn something new and exciting about horses.
This year they learned that horses need immunizations just as they do.
With the assistance of the veterinarian, each of the children was given the
opportunity to immunize their own horse. They were so exhilarated; they
discussed the events of the day during the whole trip home.
They love the fact that they have keepsakes to take home at the end of the
week. On Monday, each child is given a camera to take photos of their week at
horse camp. On Thursday, the cameras are collected, the film is developed, and
the children receive their photos on Friday.
Fridays are both happy days and sad days for our children. They are happy
because this is the day set aside for their families to come and to see what
they've achieved during the week. They are so proud and excited about
showing off their horsemanship knowledge and their riding skills. They are also
love the all-you-can-eat PIZZA PARTY. What a treat! They love it. At the end of
the day, the happy faces turn to sad faces because it's the end of their camp
experience until next year. Some request another week, but for now it
must end.
A special thanks to Kathy Kusner, Horses in the Hood, and the donors to Horses
in the Hood, for making this opportunity, again, available to our very
deserving children.
Sincerely,
Patricia Johnson-Hill
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