230 Strong Smiling Faces and More

March 7, 2019

For those of you that don't know me, my name is Tyler Barry. One of the things that I loved about this whole trip was the Boys and Girls club here in Peurto Rico. It was a great experience to see a different Boys and Girls club in a non-English speaking community, a true experience that you can't get everywhere.
For those of you that don't know what the Boys and Girls Club is, here is a brief description of what it is and what it's functions are in the community. The Boys and Girls Club is an after-school activity facility that is used by all students, ranging from the ages of six to eighteen. This facility offers tutoring for classes like math, English, and even Spanish. They also have a full-size gym and classrooms in the different areas of the building to help assist the students in the best way they can. On average the Boys and Girls Club here in Peurto Rico sees anywhere from one hundred to two hundred and thirty children each day, throughout the day. They come and go as they please and they can do what they want. All the Boys and Girls clubs around the world have the same saying and it is "A Great Future Begins Here" which is seen in the pictures below. Along with the great things like these listed, one thing that all the clubs around the world do is they trade shirts. Each club has a shirt that is special to them and made for their club every year. Being that I have worked many events in the Boys and Girls club in McKeesport, I have many shirts with different designs. I got the opportunity to trade shirts with the club down here in Peurto Rico. It was a memory that I will never forget. I will never forget the children and all their smiling faces and all the great memories we made, not only today, but all the ones made this whole trip. I am proud to be a Penn State student and very happy my school offers chances as grand as this for our Spring Break. I have learned more about my fellow classmates and myself than I ever thought I would. I need to thank Louise, Tony, and our chancellor Dr. Edemondson, for this great opportunity and these great memories that will last me lifetimes.
Along with all this, I tend to have a way with words, as Louise and Tony would tell you. So this was a poem I wrote for the Boys and Girls Club of Peurto Rico. I hope they can get it and they receive not only a shirt but a memory that will bring a smile to their face every day. Please enjoy and thank you all for this great opportunity.

230 Strong Smiling Faces
By: Tyler Barry

Colours seen all around
Broken English
Yet easy to understand
Groups gather round and form ranks
Divide and Conquer
A tsunami of children flood through the clear glass doors
We stand strong in our different locations
Waiting patiently with arms open wide
Waiting for the children
Waiting for the perfect moments in time
Children of all ages and sizes
Tall and short
Young and old
They stormed into each location
Some in the gym
Some in classrooms
Some in the game areas
And some just eating food
Just doing their daily routines
Until they saw us
Standing in the areas
Just watching
Watching the biggest smiles run across their faces
The smile you have when you see your friends
The smile you have when are loved
The smile you have when you are cared about
They ran to us with their arms filled with toys
Hoping to play every game they could make up
Basketball, volleyball, tag, piggyback rides
Games that brought out the kid inside of us all
As sweat dripped from our brows
Spanish speaking all around
Not knowing how to respond
With few words learned
We learned our ways around
Keeping them happy
And their faces smiling
All excited and happy
Happy to be alive
Happy to be cared for
Happy to be loved
As our times together flew by
People moved from place to place
Seeing each of the smiling faces
Of children who just wanted a friend
A friend who will play with them
A friend who will bring the light
A friend who will bring them happiness
And that's what we were there for
To bring them joy
To bring them peace
To bring them unity
With children on our backs
And holding our hands
Laughing and smiling at all the friends that we made
Smiling because they smiled
Knowing everything they needed
A little entertainment
A little friendship
A little happiness
Happiness to bring them back to the light
The light that Maria destroyed
The light that brought them from the shadows
The light that will light their future
We came with our hearts on our sleeves and arms opened wide
We stood strong
Standing in the light
All standing with smiling faces