Humanity does exist. Foster children’s lives consist of insecurity and often empty of the opportunities to just be a kid. But what happens when they get to truly be kids? A wonderful, crazy, chaotic, and heartfelt time.
That is what 70 foster kids living at the SOS Children’s Village Florida got to experience. An article in Fortune magazine disclosed that in the midst of Hurricane Irma in Florida, the children’s home lost power and no one knew when the power would be restored. An alternative safe place was needed for the children.
Stepping up to the plate was Marc Bell, who opened his mansion to house all of the children. Marc and Jennifer Bell sit on the Children’s Village Board, and when they found out about the power outage, they didn’t hesitate to invite the children to stay with them.
They thought it would only be a few hours. But that turned into 24 hours and then 48 hours and then 72 hours. But during this time, the children had the time of their lives. They ate pizza and ice cream, the girls got their nails painted, a balloon guy came, different celebrities and athletes stopped by, and the children had free rein in the home. The house also had an arcade room and pool, and the bedrooms were open to all the foster children.
In an USA today article, Marc stated, “we celebrated three birthdays, two doctor visits, and a tooth fairy. It takes a village.”
Seventy-two hours later, the Bell’s did receive notice that the children’s home had its power back and the children could return. Marc and Jennifer said they felt fortunate that they could help the children and also remarked on how well-behaved the children were.
