The Magic School Bus Summer

Hello dear ones!

First, thank you for your care in reading this. I appreciate you.

This year I found my calling as a child therapist. I work in an elementary school in a poor predominantly latino area of the East Bay. In my work I get to spend one-two hours a week with 16 different children playing, talking, making art, and just taking a break from the chaos of their classroom, their school, and their home. In this work I have been incredibly saddened and humbled by the depths of suffering and violence we cause our children in this society. I have also been incredibly inspired and enlivened by the joy, creativity, and orientation towards growth and peace these kids have demonstrated despite all odds. These kids have been through so much already and yet they just want to be good, to grow, and to be loved. I feel so honored to be a person they trust enough to do this with.

I started this Gofundme because over the summer I get the cool opportunity to continue meeting with the kids outside of school and I get free reign on deciding where we go and what we do. Knowing that all of these kids will otherwise be spending all day inside on their electronics, I plan to take advantage of this to help them experience joy and wonder. My plan is to drive them around the East Bay taking them to forests, beaches, zoos, museums and just hanging out with them making art, playing games and eating ice cream in the park. However, my organization doesn't give me any money to do this so I will be paying completely out of pocket (ah!).

My hope here is that people who care about me/the children will feel good donating just $5-20 and with enough small donations we will reach the goal and me and the kids can move through the summer with a feeling of abundance rather than stress. Any surplus will be used to buy supplies for the next school year.

Because these kids have experienced such little opportunity for wonder I have seen how much small instances of it affect them. I would be overjoyed if you could help me show them a world beyond their tik tok videos, beyond their loneliness and stress, and experience the magic and wonder that most of us got to feel as a child. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!