[photo Lexin, Lynn, Lindsey Maynard School Counselor, Teresa and Charlotte]
Lexin Chen, Lynn Zambrano, Teresa Kwan, and Charlotte Kobayashi ventured out from Larkspur Office, mid-day to take part at a post-lunch event at Davidson Middle School, in San Rafael, California on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2014. Davidson is a middle school nestled in an area that has student population from a mixed range of socio-economic backgrounds.
The CVI four-some team volunteered through a program called “Beyond Differences”, an agency that provides support to many Marin County middle schools to prevent students from feeling isolated and bullied. This program was founded by Laura Talmus and Ace Smith, the parents of daughter, Lili Rachel Smith.
As with many children, Lili suffered from social isolation. Lili wasn’t bullied or teased, but was often treated as if she were invisible. What we now know is that social isolation is an experience felt by thousands and thousands of middle school students across America. The good news is, once you make kids aware of how others around them are feeling, they want to make a difference to transform the situation into something positive.
When Lili passed away unexpectedly in her sleep due to complications from Apert syndrome in October 2009 at 15 1/2 years of age, the outpouring of grief was enormous. Lili’s inspiring life, particularly her success in overcoming social isolation by the time she entered high school, serves as a guiding light for other children, adolescents, and families.
The CVI team assisted in creating positive experiences by passing out note cards and asked students to write something positive or nice about someone else and tie them on to the tree. [See photo.]
Another activity was to circulate a letter-size paper with many questions for students to fill in by talking with other students. Questions like, who was born in the same city as you or, who has their birthday in the same month, or, find someone who likes the same color, etc. Once the form is completed, a volunteer reviews the form and issues either a one night’s homework pass or jogging pass credit of one mile.
We were kept busy for the hour and half and had fun as well. The students were very cooperative and seemed to enjoy the time interacting with one another.
For more information about Lili Rachel Smith and legacy she left behind, please go to the website: http://www.beyonddifferences.org/#!lili/c17a0
[By Charlotte Kobayashi]
