A state lawmaker wants to give children who aren't with their mothers something to be joyful about this holiday.
A hundred and thirty-nine children attended the 4th annual "A Mother's Wish" by State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, Tuesday in Downtown Peoria, 25 News reported.
These children who did not have their mothers with them to celebrate the holidays were given a day in their lives to have fun. They spent time with Santa Clause, played games, enjoyed the music, and got home carrying toys and lots of holiday gifts. They were also given free flu shots and COVID vaccines.
"Many of the young people that you see in here today, beautiful smiles on their faces , but they've been through a lot. This is why we wanted to have an event. It's good to bless any child, but particularly children who have experienced trauma, it's an extra special blessing," Gordon-Booth expressed.
Pain into purpose
According to the Illinois House Democratic Caucus, Gordon-Booth partnered with Meridian on this fourth year of the event to make the holiday dreams of these children come to life, even just for a day.
Gordon-Booth lost her mother on December 20, 13 years ago. Thus, this is why the annual "A Mother's Wish" event is held on this particular date.
What happened to her 13 years ago made her realize that many others out there are not celebrating the holidays because, like her, their parents have died, or they are in foster care, or their parents are in jail.
In 2018, she started "A Mother's Wish" - a beautiful result of her painful journey, turning her pain into a purpose.
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Lawmaker knows how these kids feel
There is no other individual qualified to do the event as Gordon-Booth did not only lose her mother but also empathized with foster kids as she grew up with foster brothers and sisters.
She recalled how despite all the love she and her parents poured into them, a piece is still missing from them because they are not with their real families. Thus, with this in her heart and mind, helping kids in foster care has been "second nature" to the lawmaker.
Helping children with incarcerated parents, on the other hand, is a priority for her because, as being on the criminal justice reform for the past eight years, she "saw a void that needed to be filled."
She was able to engage with many incarcerated mothers and has heard stories of what incarceration can do to the bond of a mother and child. She stressed that it's "significant."
CEO of Family Core, an agency that helps with adoptions and foster care, Ann Lading-Ferguson, was impressed by the event that Gordon-Booth is doing, noting that these events can help create healthy, positive core memories for kids, CI Proud reported.
Lading-Ferguson stressed how each one should focus on the children who are the nation's future leaders. It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that these kids are not just having good education but also fun.
