It was an honest question from a 12-year-old boy who didn’t think he was ever going to amount to much. For a year, he had struggled to get along with other children his age at school and at The Cabbage Patch. Sometimes he would act out to get attention. Other days, he walked in the door with a bad attitude. But staff members and volunteers knew that life at home was not always easy for him.
Every day, the boy was greeted by volunteers and staff who took an honest interest in him: they worked to help him adjust his behavior, they helped him play well with other children as part of a team during group games in the gym, and they helped him with his homework when he was struggling with an assignment. One day, astounded, he asked Mr. Raz:
“Why do you care about me so much?”
Mr. Raz responded with a big smile: “Because I just do.”
Over the last year, the boy changed his behavior drastically, adopted a good attitude and decided to set goals for himself. He is on the honor roll at school, active on the track team, and looking forward to starting his first year of high school this fall.