Playing for Others

It’s December, so I’ll take a slightly different tack as a grateful parent singing the praises of PFO. I’m singing, all right, but the season suggests more.

Friends were talking about the story of the good Samaritan this week, and how the usual reaction is to ask yourself: Would I have pulled that half-dead guy out of the ditch and helped him? Would I be strong enough to risk myself to be a neighbor in the true sense?

It’s tempting to think that we would. An Esquire writer put it this way in a recent World War II story: He’d like to imagine he would stand up for what’s right, risk everything to change the world, but I see little evidence for this in the actual course of my actual life.

PFO is evidence in the actual course of our kids actual lives.

Evidence that they believe in something enough to risk their time, their image of themselves, their comfort levels to create change. PFO is many things, but perhaps the most important is a training ground. As someone in that Samaritan discussion said, life presents infinitely more of the daily, incremental opportunities to do what’s right than the life-or-death ones. PFO kids get to practice thinking and speaking up and determining what matters, and they get stronger and better at it as they do. Facing realities, marshalling resources, conveying beliefs, handling naysayers, making tough decisions: These build spiritual muscles for creating change in ever more profound ways.

At the last performance of How to Eat Like a Child, Jen Band said it surprised even her that Kate, my daughter, and Nicole Ramsey, two of the shyest teens she’d ever worked with, would direct the play, research and choose the beneficiary, promote the work, work the crowd and present the check. Seeing Kate grow into a young woman I so admire, watching all these young people, is a privilege. Knowing PFO teens will be a blessing to others makes that privilege sweeter. Happy holidays.

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Application for 2009 – 2010 PFO Season. Word .Doc – Download Now

Special Performance of Honk! for Scouts and their families

Thursday, March 26th 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $8.00 each for Scouts and family members
(savings of 20% off of the original ticket price)

Scouting emphasizes service to the community…So does Playing for Others!

By attending the show, not only will you have a good time, be exposed to a grass roots organization that is creating unique waves of change in Charlotte, but you will also be supporting the services that Easter Seals/UCP provides its clients.

Help us serve others!

▪ Scouts can come as a troop, individually or with their families
▪ Troops of 5 or more will be able to take a picture with the cast following the show
▪ Scouts who come in uniform, will be entered in a drawing to win cool prizes
▪ Use this experience towards achievement of a scouting badge
▪ First Edition Playing for Others patch will be available for purchase

Questions: Email playingforothers.scouts@gmail.com or call 704.999.4564

Do you like to color?  Print out our coloring card of the Ugly Duckling and color away; in the lines, out of the lines, we don’t care!  Bring it to any one of our performances of Honk! the musical story of the Ugly Duckling to enter.  One card will be drawn at intermission to win a show pack.  All you have to do is drop your card in the box! 4 pictures come on a page so give away the rest to your friends!