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OT: heartwarming NY Times story about Teens with MI marching in inauguration parade

Hi,
I've been following this story a little.
I find it touching that the adminstrator of the facility applied to send his troubled teenagers to the parade as drummers even though at the time the facility had poor equipment (not enough drum sticks, no uniforms, kids who came and went into the program and were not actually any good at drumming).

Since they got accepted into the parade, they have been practicing marching and playing and learning to carry the heavy drums.

I will be looking for them when I am watching the parade on Tuesday.

-=-=-=
Troubled Boys Step Up to Inaugural Challenge

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/ny...18Rbandli.html

Quote:

It’s an unbelievable, unlikely, undreamed-of honor for a boy like him and the 15 others who will be marching alongside him.

They are residents of the Bonnie Brae Residential Treatment Center, a rural campus here housing 98 boys ages 8 to 18 who cannot live in the community at large because of what the state calls “psychiatric and behavioral challenges.”

Nearly 80 percent were abused, neglected or abandoned, and failed to adjust to traditional foster care. Fifteen percent do not have homes in the traditional sense and are wards of the state. Some ended up at Bonnie Brae because they got in trouble with the law. They stay an average of 16 months.

Others might not have considered the Bonnie Brae Knights ready for national exposure, but the Presidential Inaugural committee chose them to march in the historic event, and millions of people will be watching.

It’s a Cinderella story, about a ragtag group of kids who loved making noise, but didn’t have a clue about precision or style.

This is sooooo coool!

Some of the notes on the boys were really touching.

Quote:

Sandel, on the other hand, a tall, thin 15-year-old with a reputation for being aggressive, stopped getting in trouble.

“When I choose to do something, I stick to it,” Sandel said, acknowledging a compliment about improved behavior. “When I find something to focus on, I don’t fail.”

Quote:

Jameer, at 13 the youngest Knight but a focused and capable tenor drummer, said
[...]
“I’m worried I’ll just stop when I see Obama.”

And the last bit by the counselor brought tears to my eyes:

Quote:

The boys will cover three miles on foot. First, they will walk a mile and a half, carrying their drums. Then they will march the same distance, drumming. Mr. Powers and Mike Flaherty, one of the counselors who has guided the boys through the last five weeks, will be at their side.

Like the boys, Mr. Flaherty, 42, is excited. And worried.

“[...]I don’t want them to be uncomfortable. This should be one of the most memorable moments of their lives.

“I’m going to tell them: ‘If you make a mistake, don’t worry. Keep marching.’ We may not be the best musicians, but we’ll be the best musicians we can be that day, for our president.”

what an inspiring force. i really hope they do well. and i hope Jameer manages to keep going when he sees Obama!

Thanks for sharing this, Mari!

~ waves ~

This is such good news to hear. I will be looking for them also.

barbara

Wow, what a story.

Donna

hey did anyone get to see them?

sooooooooo, did anyone get to see the boys marching???????

i was out for my pdoc appt during the ceremony, so even if i could have found live coverage, i could not have watched it. anyway BBC would have really been my only hope. i can't seem to stream from the live websites.

alternately... does anyone know where i can find recorded footage of the ceremony on the web?

i will try the major national networks for starters... anywhere else i should check?

i haven't been looking yet :( been kinda out of it.

thanks!

~ waves ~

Dear Waves,

Here is Obama’s 2009 Swearing-In Ceremony.

http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/...2009-obama.cfm

At 73.49 the ceremony starts.

This is the only one I could although there are likely others.

Mari

Bonnie Brae Knights

Yes,
I saw the Bonnie Brae boys marching in their blue and yellow uniforms.
Their place was late in the parade -- 2/3 or 3/4 of the through and it was dark by the time that they passed the White House viewing stand.

Here's a news piece talking about how they did:
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/artic.../NEWS/90121046

Bonnie Brae Knights thrilled with Washington experience, marching in Inaugural Parade

Quote:

Enduring extreme cold, long delays and hauling around heavy instruments, 14 young drummers from Bonnie Brae School reveled in their moment of glory on Tuesday, Jan. 20 when they marched in the Inauguration Day Parade for President Barack Obamaand First lady Michelle Obama.

"They said Michelle Obama waved to them,'' said Cathy Phillips, special events manager for Bonnie Brae, a residential learning facility for adolescent boys with troubled pasts.

The Bonnie Brae Knights drummers rolled home to their school in the Liberty Corner section of the township at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, after performing in a show watched worldwide, Phillips said later Wednesday.

"I think they thought it was everything they thought it would be,'' she said. . . . .

i just watched Pres. Obama's speech

I just watched Obama take the Presidential Oath and deliver his inaugural speech. very powerful. i was glad to be able to see that.

thank you very much, Mari.

i have not much been in web-hunt mode. thank goodness i posted to you here. without your link, i might have given up. not exactly in the spirit of Pres. Obama's words, sigh :o

i confess, i felt both inspired and daunted in my current state... i want to "brush myself off" and make a difference! i just seem to be stuck. i don't know how. i wonder if Pres. Obama has ever experienced this.

there will be an answer... let it be?

anyway, glad we have him IN OFFICE now. i believe he can and will make the world a better place. I hope Florida sees some improvements Mari. I was there for the largest chunk of my life, including critical parts of my adolescence and adulthood. I consider it my home even if i cannot be there now. :o And most of my friends are there.

~ waves ~

Thank you for posting the experience. I was watching but missed
them. I was trying so hard to catch them.

Donna