The Secret Village

I ran out of pedal power in downtown Philadelphia, PA, USA.
As I sat on a hard concrete curb, munching on a hard-boiled egg and
a honey bun, I pulled the day old tea bag out of my pocket and sought
out some hot water.
I poked here and there and spotted twenty tiny eyes and snaggle-toothed smiles
in a little clearing .Muffled giggles and squeaking noises from
stuffed bears and a sweet aroma of baked goods gently pulled me into a
124 year old village. Puffy little cheeks, round pot bellies and busy bee
tots were being entertained by young maidens.
What place is this, I questioned? Why are these kids here and where are their
mommies and daddies? A sign on a wall said it was the House of Saint
Michael’s and All Angels, The House of The Holy Child that came to be named as
Children’s Service, Inc. or CSI for short.

One maiden gave me a cup of hot water for my tea bag and a giant hunk of cake.
As an old clown, I figured I died and went to heaven. I poked around some more and found an old tattered document that described the mission of the village:
“Our goal is to maximize the strength of the family by delivering services and resources that promote self-discipline, initiative and independence.”
Somehow I learned that ‘The Village’ was led by a white –haired elder who was a
distant cousin of Frederick Douglas .How interesting! Also, many of the keepers of the village worked for 30, 40 and even 50 years! I wondered what magic kept them there!

I lingered around for a while and gained years of wisdom from the little cherubs
who were fascinated by my big red nose and bobo shoes.
I had to leave but I realized that this village was a place that you could not find on your own.
This little known secret village in Philadelphia could only be discovered as you
accidentally happened upon it. You can get lost there but definitely find yourself!

You can visit the Children’s Service, Inc. village at www.csichild.org or at Facebook.com Tell ‘em Flash Mc Cool sent you!