D.C. or Bust!

I don’t remember how it started. Probably with one of my you-can-do-anything speeches, meant to cajole the Glendale Boys into doing homework. Probably when the boys showed up at our weekly meeting, furious with the news of  a school-sponsored trip to Washington, D.C. The school trip, three days in Washington, cost $1200.00 ~ more money than these boys could even imagine.

We were aghast. Three days in Washington, D.C. for $1200.00? Ridiculous! We could do better.

Only Washington, D.C.? What about Cape Cod? Boston?

Instead of three days, how about nine days?

How about a tour of East Coast colleges thrown in for good measure? Julie told us she was moving back to Connecticut, so part of the trip was to designed to re-connect with Julie.

What were we thinking?

Overall, the trip was wonderful, exhausting, gratifying and just plain horrible ~ depending on the moment. 

The total out-of-pocket expenses for our trip, including airfare, was $545.00/person. United Airlines discounted $3300.00 from our ticket prices. We sold hot dogs in front of Cub Foods for weeks, to raise money. We solicited donations from the City of Glendale, Cherry Creek High School, and West Middle School. Target gave us cameras, notebooks and pens. Each family chipped in $50.00. It began to look like this was really going to happen.

Oh, my …what were we in for?

Rather than summarizing  the entire trip, one grueling day at a time, I will try to briefly hit the high (and low) points for you.

Certainly the best part was traveling to cities I’d never been to and watching the boys experience those things they never thought they would: flying in an airplane, eating all-you-can-eat dry cereal from dispensers in a university cafeteria, going out so far in the ocean on a boat we could no longer see land, watching momma and baby whales swim together just a few feet from our boat, laughing at a sea lion playing in the waves, visiting the Smithsonian museums, finding our way around the subway systems in Washington and Boston and, best of all, seeing our friend, Julie, again and meeting her parents.

Among the most difficult? Having one of the boys steal $45.00 from another. Sitting outside the  boys’ cabin at the youth hostel in Eastham, Massachusetts from 2:00-3:00 a.m. to keep them from charging a group of gorgeous girls who were staying two cabins down. Having only cold water in the showers in the Howard University dormitory where we stayed for four days. Dealing with boys who would not go to sleep at a reasonable hour and then were so tired they couldn’t keep up us the next day.

My proudest moments came often, as people stopped us to ask, “Who are these boys? Are they are sports team?” When we said they were at-risk, inner-city boys from Denver, the response was consistently, “These are some of the finest boys we’ve ever met. They are so polite, and helpful and friendly.”

The most rewarding moments came when I thought we really made an impact: marching the boys past yet another East Coast college. Teaching them how to learn something in a museum. Having long discussions about tolerance. Acknowledging together the best and worst parts of each day before we said good-night.

And my most lasting memories? Going to wake up the boys the first morning and finding five of them asleep ~ head-to-toe-to-head-to-toe-to head ~ in one dorm room. They pushed two beds together because the room was ‘too big and too lonely” for just two people. Hearing them argue constantly and realizing that they never let their bickering get out of hand or interfere with their friendship. And mainly, watching them change from little boy/puppy behavior to acting grown up and responsible.

I came back from the trip bone-tired, foot-sore and energy- depleted, swearing “I’ll never do that again.” And I never did. Some of life’s best moments only come around once.