"Kids Care Club is fun.  I hope you join.  I love it because it is fun doing the activities and helping people,"  says a Universal City Kids Care Club member.

"Our vision was to allow everyone the opportunity to participate.  All activities are free.  It was important to us to have active and involved parents. The parent's involvement allowed us to do more involved, heartfelt projects that are meaningful to the kids," says Cynthia Lang, parent and facilitator. 

Cynthia A. Lang, Facilitator
Universal City Kids Care Club
Universal City, TX

Universal City Kids Care Club in Universal City, TX started as a group of elementary school kids who wanted to volunteer.  After being turned down because of their age, the kids got creative and started helping out wherever they could.  A small group started getting larger and soon Olympia Kids Care was formed.  Other groups from the community found out about what they were doing and wanted to help and Universal City Kids Care Club became their new name. 

Everyone is welcome no matter what their age, gender, ability level, race, economic status or family situation.  Everyone has a position within the group and contributes with their own special talents.  All ideas are considered.  The kids spur each other on to do great things for a large number of people (and sometimes animals, too).  No one tells the kids what they MUST do.  Every project is voted on by the kids with the support of the parents.  All the children hold positions on the board.

This year the Universal City Kids Care Club voted to support the Wounded Warrior Family Support Center.  Kids partnered up with Soldier's Angels and they were given blankets that the kids signed.  

Before going to the Wounded Warrior's Family Support Center the group held a meeting to prepare the kids for the injuries they might see during the event.  They downloaded the disability etiquette manual from the Spinal Cord Injuries Association website and discussed injuries the kids may encounter on their visit.  Each child was given an injury, asked to act out how they might feel with such a injury.  They would then tell the rest of the group how they wanted to be treated.  Kids were able to feel empathy for what it might be like to have such injuries.
 
Later that night they welcomed home a Wounded Warrior from the hospital.  They went dressed in red, white and blue and all the kids were waving flags.  One child was chosen to give the Marine a blanket that all had signed.  The news station was there and the flags and blankets were on the news that night!  A balloon popped while they were there and the Marine jumped and started to cry.  One girl understood the effects of PTSD and asked him if she could give him a hug.  They presented him with the blanket and he said he was so grateful for it.  Later, as we were walking away, he came up to us and said, "Hey, I just want all of you to know I am going to sleep with this!  It is like a great big hug."
 
They took all of the cards, 400 cupcakes, 100 blank Christmas cards and letters, stamps and 10 "blankets of hope" to the Wounded Warrior Family Support Center the following week.  There were about 250 people there.  The club members earned the nickname "the cupcake kids."   The kids spread out and gave out their blankets.  These men were so grateful for the blankets.  We wished we had 100 more to give out!!!  We told them that we appreciated their service and dedication to our country and thanked them for their sacrifice.  We told them we hope they get well and feel better soon.  We thanked their families for taking good care of them.  We passed out all of the cards and left.
 
"Afterward, we talked to the kids about giving and how much better it felt to give than to receive.  The kids told us what they learned.  I think the parents learned even more than the kids.  While staring in the face of the most catastrauphic injuries I have ever seen on a human being, I saw only another human being -and so did those kids.  I have NEVER been more proud of any kids in my life than I am of these kids,"  says facilitator, Cynthia Lang.

Other service activities that have kept this Kids Care Club busy are:

*Christmas Caroling for Cans - The kids made flyers and invited neighbors to Christmas Caroling with a twist.  Carolers were asked to give cans of food as the Club came through to serenade them.  Carolers were surprised by the overwhelming response.  Over 100 cans and packages of food were donated.  These were given to the San Antonio Food Bank which is desperately in need of these donations.

*Thank you to the Police and Fire Departments --Universal City "Cupcake Kids" honor their Fire Department and City Police Department with 50 cupcakes.  It felt great to thank them for helping to keep the community safe.

*Turkey Trot 1/2 Mile Run and Other Events -- For Scholarships, to fight obesity and to teach sportsmanship 

*Caring About Our Senior Citizens -- "Reverse Trick or Treating" at the Autumn Winds Retirement Lodge.  The club brought 200 cards and letters that they made for the residents.  They also sang a few Halloween songs.  The seniors surprised them with sweet treats!

*San Antonio Zoo Run --  To help animals and to encourage fitness -- The Universal City Kids Care Club raised over $50. for the event and will try to triple that amount next year.

The club also has many plans for 2012:

In January they will be helping the Animal Defense League.

February includes a trip to Austin to help with the Special Olympics Winter Games.

The kids will grow plants for "Spring Seniors Day" in March.

For Earth Day, in April, the club will travel to South Padre Island to work with Sea Turtle, Inc.

Finally in May, the kids plan on making roses for teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day and for Mother's Day.

GenerationOn Kids Care Clubs commends The Universal City Kids Care Club for all they do to make their community and the world a kinder and better place.  Congratulations on your  continuing efforts to reach out and help others!