Today there were several meetings taking place in the Collegium Café. There was a mother with two young boys looking into options of renting one of our spaces for an upcoming birthday party. Her boys were keeping her busy by running away from her any chance they got. Sitting on the couch with a laptop was Bryan Valencia, a 10 year-old who lives here in the Tierra Vida Community. Bryan spends quite a bit of time in the Café either doing homework or just hanging out. It didn’t take long for one of Bryan’s natural gifts to shine through. He had moved over to one of the recliner chairs by the fire place, and with him he had the two boys pictured above. It was the cutest thing! With permission from Mariya, mom of the two boys, we were able to get a picture of the three of them watching a cartoon together. Mariya was in awe of how caring Bryan is and that he was the one who offered to help keep an eye on the boys for her. Soon after that Bryan was walking the younger boy down the hallways, with the other boy following closely behind, and introducing them to all the staff. Because of Bryan’s act of kindness, he was invited to attend the birthday party that Mariya is planning for her son. Bryan is one of the happiest, most respectful 10 year-olds that we see almost daily here at The Collegium Cafe. We welcome and encourage gathering in community to support each other when in need. Thanks Bryan for being such a wonderful example of this!
