The Realities of "Annie"

Last night was “Foster and Adoption Awareness Night” at ThePlayhouse’s production of Annie in downtown San Antonio, Texas.  The house was filled with foster children and foster families, as well as child advocates from The Department of Family ProtectiveServices (DFPS), The Legacy Ranch, and Adoption Angels.  It is an understatement to say that Annie was viewed from a far deeper perspective than that of a typical audience member getting their fill of seasonal theatre fluff.

Annie is a musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and book by Thomas Meehan.  The story is set in 1933 New York City and centers around an infectiously optimistic orphan named ‘Annie’ – played by powerhouse belter, Marissa Ramon.   The Playhouse cast does a fantastic job of singing their way through the depression-era woes, with standout performances by: Elise Lopez in the role of the drunk and surly Miss Hannigan; Sara Brookes as the ever-feminine Grace Farrel; and Oliva Silva as the ridiculously cute and lisp-ridden orphan, Molly.

Olivia Silva, 8, playing Molly, right, performs with Tess Acosta, 16, center, and Ava Schweninger, 13, playing Pepper, during a dress rehearsal of Annie at The Playhouse on Monday, Dec. 3, 2012. MICHAEL MILLER / FOR THE EXPRESS-NEWS Photo: Michael Miller, Freelance / © San Antonio Express-News

The New York Times estimates that Annie is produced anywhere from 700-900 times in the United States during any given year, at any given theatre.  This is a show we all know well.  Or, do we?

The inciting incident, or the event that moves the plot forward, is when Annie is pulled from the “Municipal Girls Orphanage” to spend Christmas with billionaire businessman Oliver Warbucks – played by the refreshingly vulnerable, William McCrary.  In today’s world, trying to place children so they do not spend the holidays alone is a very real, very dire problem.  Texas is the second most populated foster-to-adopt system, narrowly following California.  With an estimated 30,000 children from ages 0-17 running through our system each year, safely placing “orphans” in certified foster homes is a REALLY, REALLY BIG problem.

Unlike Annie, most real world orphans get pulled from their biological families because of physical/sexual/emotional abuse, neglect, sex trafficking, their parents are incarcerated, and/or they are born addicted to drugs.  Anyone who has worked within the system for any length of time will tell you that the stories of these brilliant innocents never cease to shock, and never seem end.  That said, and regardless of what heinous event placed the children into the system in the first place - most of them, like Annie, have a deep-seated longing to reunify with their birth parents.   

Oliver Warbucks (who for all intents and purposes is a Foster parent) exposes her to the riches of life and wants nothing more than to give Annie her heart's desire and launches a nation-wide search for Annie’s biological parents.  The foster-to-adopt process is far less glamorous.  The stories vary from case to case, but to provide an example:  Many foster families know the birth parents of their precious kids well, since they have to monitor visits that may or may not happen.  Exposing them to the “riches of life” may include much-needed therapy, access to food, shelter, education, a bed, and most importantly, stability and unconditional, unwavering love.  

After vetting the thousands of vultures claiming to be Annie’s birth parents, only to find that most of them are simply after the $50,000 reward, Annie meets a couple who seem to have concrete evidence of their child’s birthright.  Unfortunately, like Annie, sifting through potential foster families who aren’t after the state-funded stipend (which isn’t much!) is difficult and foster children must often go through several foster families before they land in a “forever home.”  This is a painful, heart breaking, and unavoidable part of these children’s journey.  Thankfully, child advocates like Stacy Palm, Lori Cervantes, and Sondra Ajasin from the Legacy Ranch (who were in the audience) are working tirelessly to minimize this pain and place each and every child they encounter.

In the end, and after a long journey, Annie is “placed.”  She finds that her birth parents died long ago and accepts the adoption proposal from her foster father and re-labels him the now famous, “Daddy Warbucks.”  The "end" for children in care is often just the beginning.  Around a quarter of the children within the system get “adopted out.”  Many of them reunify with their birth parents.  Many of them find their way back into the system.  Many of them drop out of high school.  Many of them will end up in jail.  These are all children with a “Hard Knock Life” who want nothing more than love and for the “Sun to Come Out Tomorrow.” 

Ramon and McCrary play Annie and Daddy Warbucks. 

Stacy Palm, Compliance Business Manager, Family Link/Legacy Ranch, said after last night’s performance, “I am really fond of this tale, as it gives children in care a "princess" of their own.  Children in care do feel as though they are alone in the world and it's important for them to have someone they can relate to. Every day I see miracles occur when we place kids, who have been through worse than I can imagine, into loving homes that focus on helping to heal that child.  These kids need someone to love them, to believe in them, and to show them a better life.  We get calls every day asking if we have a home for every race, gender, and sibling group size.  We do not have enough homes to place all these kids.  Consider opening your heart and home.  I always hear from people, "Oh, but it would hurt me too bad if the foster children have to leave."  Well ask yourself, how hurt do you think that child is every day that they don't have a home?”  

The ONLY way the sun will ever come out for these children is for the adults of our world to be brave enough to look this problem dead in the face, courageous enough to get involved, and vulnerable enough to be loved by a broken child. 

LOVED BY A BROKEN CHILD?!?!?

Ah, yes!!  That’s the part that sneaks up on you. . .the love.  I promise, the minute that  you allow these children to enter into your life to flourish, to shine, and to grow – their love is so overwhelming that you too will be singing, “I don’t need anything but you!”   

Please consider supporting this ageless tale in its final weekend of performances.  For more information, please visit:  http://www.theplayhousesa.org/  

**Special thanks to The Playhouse for donating 150 tickets to the foster children and their families from The Legacy Ranch.  The Department of Family Protective Services.  The Adoption Angels.  Texas Lutheran University.  The cast and crew.  And most of all,  the audience who was committed to Theatre for Social Change!  May this be the only one of many poignant and inspiring events in the San Antonio Theatre Community!***

Superheroes

“Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look."    -Ronald Reagan

On July 20th, during the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado, a madman ravaged a movie theatre and killed 12 innocent moviegoers and wounded 58.

Immediately our world began to rage:  Who was to blame?  Were guns at fault, or Hollywood, or the unsecured exit door at the movie theatre, or Atheism, or Christianity, or was this simply the horrific actions of a psychopath?  The chaos that followed this heartbreaking event was epic.  It was as though our collective grief  for the victims and their families was quickly overshadowed by the inevitable politics that often springs from tragedy.  I believe it was Rahm Emanuel who said, "You never let a serious crisis go to waste." Well. . . it seems as though every pro/anti gun control advocate and talking head volleyed for the spotlight. . .and won.

Until now. . .

As if scripted by Hollywood herself, the stories of selfless heroism have begun to rise from the ashes and introduce us all to the (up until now) unsung heroes of that fatal night.

Meet hero, Jon Blunk.

Blunk selflessly pushed his friend, Jansen Young, to the ground and threw his body on top of hers when the gunfire erupted.  Blunk served eight years in the Navy and was in the process of re-enlisting in hopes of becoming a Navy SEAL.  Jon was killed in action; his friend survived.

"He kind of pushed me in under the seat and pushed on me real hard and he was like laying up against me… and I was like oh my gosh, I think Jon just took a bullet for me," Young said during an interview on The Today Show Friday.

Blunk's wife, Chantel Blunk, said his sacrifice comes as no surprise and was quoted as saying,

"He always said if he was ever going to die he wanted it to be in battle and he wanted to be known as a hero to his kids."

Meet hero, Alex Teves.

The 24 year old dove on top of his girlfriend, Amanda Lindgren, and absorbed the relentless rounds of bullets. She survived the massacre; he did not.  Lindgren said,

“It’s like Alex didn’t even hesitate. Because I sat there for a minute, not knowing what was going on, and he held me down and he covered my head and he said, ‘Shh stay down. It’s ok. Shh just stay down.’ So I did… He was my angel that night, but he was my angel every day I knew him… I’m broken.”

Lindgren added:

“My other half was just ripped apart from me and so for me it’s still unreal. I can’t picture my life without him. How do you? When someone loves you that much and you love somebody that much…how do you believe that this is real? And of all places. We were in that theater, that specific room. We were just supposed to watch a movie.”

Meet hero, Matt McQuinn.

The 27 year old threw his body in front of his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, shielding her from a seemingly endless barage of shooting. Yowler survived with a gunshot wound to the knee, while McQuinn's body absorbed the fatal shots.

McQuinn’s stepfather, David Jackson, told the Dayton Daily News that McQuinn was a hero.

“Him and Sam were very much in love and planning their life together… it’s not surprising to me that his first thought would be her. That’s what a man does. He protects his loved ones. I’m very proud of him. I’m going to miss him,” Jackson said.

“He was probably scared, terrified,” said Jackson. “I just can’t imagine what would be going through his mind except saving Sam. I’m sure from his actions that he didn’t put anything except for her first. Other than that, how could you not be terrified in a situation like that? I just hope it was quick.”

Meet hero, John Larimer.

The 27 year old Navy intelligence officer was killed while shielding his girlfriend, Julia Voijtsek,  from gunfire.

"John knowingly shielded me from a spray of gunshots," Voijtsek said in a statement. "It was then I believe John was hit with a bullet that would have very possibly struck me. I feel very strongly I was saved by John and his ultimate kindness."

Adam Kavalauskas, 26, who described himself as Larimer's best friend and former college roommate, joined Vojtsek at her home Monday. He also issued a statement about Larimer, saying that his friend was "always serving others" and was "never selfish."

"His pride for his country was both endless and fearless," Kavalauskas said. "He was a gentle soldier. This country, and in my opinion, the world, needs to know just how John lived his tragically shortened life. Fun-loving and gracious on the outside, proud and self-sacrificing on the inside.

"He never made it a flashy point when he did something good; he simply assumed that doing what is right is what we ought to do."

Meet hero, Christian Bale - the man behind the mask.

In an act of humble respect and gentle kindness that is all too often rare for Hollywood's elite, "The Dark Knight Rises" star traveled to Aurora to visit survivors of the mass shooting; spending a significant amount of time at The Medical Center of Aurora and paying his respects at the memorial erected near the movie theater.

Bale released a statement following the shooting:

"Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them"

Bale didn't speak to the press during the somber visit with his wife.

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

. . .and the goodness, the bravery, selflessness, and chivalry of these men defeats evil once again.

Respire Haiti

If ever there was a worthy cause; Respire Haiti inspires the world!  Please take a moment and watch the video below:

COWARDS!

NEWSFLASH:  Children are human beings.  Not sub-human, inferior, or less than - but genuine, passionate, living, breathing, gifts from God who deserve our guidance and protection.  At the risk of sounding cliché, our young are our future, our hope and all that is right in our broken world.

Enter: The top ranking officials at Penn State. 

According to Penn State's long-awaited internal review over how the university handled the rampant pedophilia of Jerry Sandusky (which can be read in its entirety HERE), former President Graham Spanier, former Vice President Gary Schultz, Paterno, and former athletic director Tim Curley "never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky's victims until after Sandusky's arrest."  

"Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University --failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade."

FOR OVER 10 YEARS?!?!?!

 

I’m sick.  We’re all sick.

Allow me to shine a light on our world's ultimate example of COWARDICE:

On Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno:

"On Friday, February 9, 2001, University graduate assistant Michael McQueary observed Sandusky involved in sexual activity with a boy in the coach's shower room in the University's Lasch Building. McQueary met with and reported the incident to Paterno on Saturday, February 10, 2001. Paterno did not immediately report what McQueary told him, explaining that he did not want to interfere with anyone's weekend."

"Paterno told a reporter (regarding the 2001 allegations) that 'I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was. So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I did. It didn't work out that way.'"

"Paterno was asked, "Other than the [2001] incident that Mike McQueary reported to you, do you know in any way, through rumor, direct knowledge, or any fashion, of any other inappropriate sexual conduct by Jerry Sandusky with young boys?" Paterno responded, "I do not know of anything else that Jerry would be involved in of that nature, no. I do not know of it. You did mention -- I think you said something about a rumor. It may have been discussed in my presence, something else about somebody. I don't know. I don't remember, and I could not honestly say I heard a rumor."

Rot in hell, you son of a bitch.

On Penn State's President Graham Spanier:

"By not promptly and fully advising the Board of Trustees about the 1998 and 2001 child sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky and the subsequent Grand Jury investigation of him, Spanier failed in his duties as President. The Board also failed in its duties to oversee the President and senior University officials in 1998 and 2001 by not inquiring about important University matters and by not creating an environment where senior University officials felt accountable."

"Spanier said, in his interview with the Special Investigative Counsel, that he never heard a report from anyone that Sandusky was engaged in any sexual abuse of children. He also said that if he had known or suspected that Sandusky was abusing children, he would have been the first to intervene."

On Penn State's Senior Vice President-Finance and Business Gary C. Schultz:

"Even after criminal charges were announced against Schultz and Curley in November 2011, Spanier continued to downplay the serious harm that could result to Penn State's reputation from the criminal charges, and issued a statement of 'unconditional support' for Schultz and Curley."

"... In order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the University -- Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley -- repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the authorities, the University's Board of Trustees, the Penn State community, and the public at large. The avoidance of the consequences of bad publicity is the most significant, but not the only, cause for this failure to protect child victims and report to authorities."

On Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley:

"These men concealed Sandusky's activities from the board of trustees, the university community and authorities. They exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky's victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being, especially by not attempting to determine the identity of the child who Sandusky assaulted in the Lasch Building in 2001."

"Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky's child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State," Freeh wrote. "The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized."

I'm not sure who deserves worse treatment in prison, Jerry Sandusky or every single on of these dirt bags.

Welcome To Prison You Son of a Bitch

Dear Inmate Sandusky  - 

It seems that you have finally lost control of the fantasy.  The darkness of lusting after young flesh has been brought into the light, and it seems “Coach" that you are now headed to prison. 

I wanted to offer you a word of welcome:

The nighttime is terrifying.  You will shiver often with the mind-numbing fear of his unwelcome hands.  The stench of his filthy teeth will commandeer your sense of smell.  Your body will be riddled with the aching aftermath of his carnal brutality.  Screams of protest will radiate from every cell in your body as your attacker marks YOU as his target.  A mark you will feel every moment of every day, even when he’s not there.  

Welcome to the nighttime that your victims, and your son, know well.

The showers will also pose a problem.  It is a place, as you know, that leaves one quite vulnerable.  Naked.  Exposed.   You will never again be able to bathe alone and in peace.  The cleansing warmth of a simple shower will forever be tainted by the horror of intrusion, the panic of constantly being preyed upon, and the anxiety of relentlessly being watched.  Unfortunately, "Coach", there is no soap that can wash away this fear; no salve that will bring back the experience of losing yourself in the warm embrace of a shower.

Welcome to the shower that your victims, and your son, know well.

All this, and yet the nagging and unyielding embarrassment will be your biggest challenge.  Congratulations!  Your diseased thirst for little boys is now infamous; your name synonymous with "pedophile", "pervert", and "molester".   Your journey on this planet, your legacy, will be forever connected to your predatory assaults on the innocent.  Your history is set in stone.   

Welcome to the hell that you must endure alone.  Every day.  For the rest of your life.

You see, "Coach", your end is your victim’s beginning.  A beginning marked with hope, healing, and light.  You no longer have control over anyone (including yourself).   My deepest prayer is that one day you will find the courage to admit to, for the sake of every boy you’ve ever put your hands on, what you’ve done.

Asking forgiveness is the least you could do.

So, without further ado, welcome to prison you son of a bitch.  May time with your demons usher you into the light.

Sincerely,
A Survivor 

    

Easter: The Magic of Balloons

It is in the rawness of death that the grace of our Creator is revealed.

On January 5, 1997 my brother Jon was killed on our driveway; he was 17 years old.  While lying on his back repairing the oil pump, the brakes of Jon’s old yellow truck suddenly gave way, rolled over his neck and suffocated him.

The scream that bellowed from my mother’s gut is seared into my soul forever.

This Easter Sunday I have no choice but to parallel Jon’s story with Jesus’ Passion, as the wisdom that often partners with death changes one’s perspective on everything - including the nature of God and Holy Week.

Autism Awareness Day

In honor of Autism Awareness Day, please enjoy a short film put together by one of my students, Nolan Schmidt, who is a high functioning Autistic filmmaker.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AUTISM, PLEASE VISIT:  http://www.autismspeaks.org/

"KONY 2012" Please Watch and Share!