The Littlest Volunteers
Written By Jeff Wagenheim
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Grand Prize
Pet Project
Kate, Evan, and Dylan Houston, ages 8, 5, and 4
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The soundtrack to Saturday morning in the Houston household used to be the "boing!" and "splat!" and the canned laughter of cartoons. But these days the sounds filling the house are barks, splashes, and live laughter coming from the bathroom, where Kate, Evan, and Dylan are sudsing up the dogs.
Their mom, Aimee, is a certified therapy-dog handler, and for two years she's been part of a group called Petting Paws, which pays weekly visits to hospitals and nursing homes. When the Petting Paws arrive, residents flock to see obedience demonstrations and not-so-stupid pet tricks. "Pearl is great at the stop, drop, and roll," Aimee says of her Great Pyrenees mix. "She even takes a bow afterward." But the visitors who fetch the most attention are Aimee's children.
Evan and Dylan steady the dogs' tunnels and jumps during trick time; Kate works with a bichon of her own, Ellie, who, at 15 pounds, is just enough dog for an 8-year-old. But there's something Kate likes to hold on to even more than Ellie's leash. "I like holding the grandpas' and grandmas' hands," she says.
The feeling is mutual. Maybe because she's the oldest, Kate gets a constant stream of questions — "What's your name?" "How old are you?" — and these days, she actually answers them. "When I first started bringing her, Kate was pretty shy," Aimee says. "She just stood back and watched, and if anyone talked to her, she'd hide behind my leg. But now she'll go over and sit with the older people when they take an interest in her." The residents will talk and talk about when they were younger. Kate triggers a flood of memories.
These visits also bring up memories for their mom. When Aimee was a kid, her mother got her to join a clown troupe that visited nursing homes and hospital wards. "I was a shy girl, almost as much as Kate, and being in costume allowed me to take on a whole different character," she says. "I loved all the attention I got from the elderly people."
Volunteering has not only brought the kids out but drawn them in too, giving them patience Aimee hadn't seen before. "They now understand that there are wonderful people there, with wonderful stories," she says. "The kids, especially Kate, are much better at just sitting and listening."
Don't tell the experts who say kids are all about "me" and "mine," but the Houstons seem to have gotten into the habit of giving: For her birthday party this year, Kate asked that guests bring a gift not for her, but for local underprivileged children.
Photo: Evan, Aimee, and Dylan
Next page: Grand Prize winners Nathaniel and Madelyn Dohm
