First Presbyterian
Church
Hollywood, Florida
A PLAYGROUND FOR RITCHY
A few months ago, I received tragic news from Haiti. Ritchy, one of the children in our home for HIV children, after two months in the hospital, died. Even as I talked with John from Project Papillon (our partner in Haiti) about the details, I could hardly grasp it. In January, I had been running around with this child, as we joined with our partners at Temple Beth El in dedicating this home. Now, I was hearing that this same little boy was dead. It seemed so wrong. How could such a tragically senseless thing happen? Even as I knew that the children we cared for carried a virus that had killed millions, I thought somehow that this same virus would never kill one of our kids. But now it had. John was especially devastated. He had seen Ritchy every day. When Ritchy was in the hospital, he and his staff had been with Ritchy for hours on end, to help him win this fight. And now with the fight lost, John was struggling to hold things together for himself and the children at the home.
As we dealt with the loss, we struggled to find a way to remember and honor the life of this amazing child. Out of that struggle, an idea for a memorial playground at the home arose. When John heard the idea, he felt, as we did, as if God had inspired us with a way to bring some good out of this tragic evil. He did the leg work in Haiti to prepare a site and secure the equipment for Ritchy’s playground. And here in Hollywood, the children of our church rallied to bake and sell cookies to make Ritchy’s playground a reality. In one Sunday, they raised over $400.00 for this project. And with additional gifts and monies already on hand, we were able to provide the funds needed to make Ritchy’s playground possible.
And this past Tuesday, this dream become reality, as I and folks from Temple Beth El journeyed to Haiti to join with John and his team to complete this project. We finished preparing the land. We put the play equipment in place, and laid down the sand. We planted the plants, and put in the wood shavings. And finally, we gathered with all the children to remember Ritchy, and dedicate this playground in his memory. Thanks to all who supported this project, and especially to our children and their leaders, who provided the key gift that made this playground possible. And thanks be to God, who showed us that even in the face of evil, God could enable us to work for good.