My company has a couple charities of choice that we work with throughout the year.  One of them is TLC, a local shelter for battered and abused children.  TLC approached us about partnering up a couple years ago because we were next door neighbors.  At the time, it sounded like a unique and exciting endeavor. 

PlattFormers love to get out of the building … so we’d find any ol’ excuse to have a party and go hang out with the kids at TLC.  From shooting hoops to decorating Xmas cookies, no event was too big or too small.  At first, the kids would not come out from their dorm rooms.  I’m sure it looked a little odd for a bunch of over-the-hill 30-somethings to be playing bean-bag toss.  But eventually the kids came around and joined in the festivities. 

All these kids have amazing, yet horrendous, stories of survival.  Most are shy and see any adult as the enemy, so clearly we have our work cut out for us.  But most PFormers are really overgrown 12-year olds at heart – so it seems to work out well.  We even managed to score them new basketball hoops for their playground last year.  Talk about winning them over.  I wonder what would have happened if we got them a Wii? 

Today, we’re headed over to make Valentine cookies with the kids.  It seems like a simple gesture, but the kids really get in to it.  Last year when we made actual Valentines, it was a sea of red construction paper, glitter, glue and markers.  Teen spirit ran high trying to decide who will be the recipient of said Valentine.  Teen angst also ran amuck when a kid can’t decide who to give a Valentine.  (Uh, we told them they could make more than one.  Problem solved.)

 Typically, I don’t care for kids.  I go out of my way to avoid them.  Mainly because kids will detract all the attention away from me – which is selfish on their part.  Also, kids are always saying things like: “ME! ME! ME!” or “MINE! MINE! MINE!”  It’s like a little shriveled version of myself.  But I’ve grown quite attached to the kids at TLC and want nothing but the best for them.  They’ve got a tough road ahead of them … but with a lotta love and a little TLC (so to speak), they’ll be able to get past this rough patch in their life. 

And, hopefully, my co-workers will take pride in the fact they helped these kids in some small way.