A bright spot - thanks to Americans

[katzefan at yahoo.com]

The following (which has been edited for space consideration) 
appeared in a local Niagara paper Friday. Some 100 children 
from Southern Ontario, all with serious illnesses or physical 
challenges, were left stranded in Orlando, Florida, after the 
terrorist attacks in NYC and Washington DC closed Disneyworld 
and also closed American airspace. However, despite all that 
was going on in their own country, Orlando residents were not 
about to let the kids sit there and be frightened, nor go
home disappointed....

***************************
WELLAND

For the parents of a group of Niagara children, the word RELIEF 
is spelled in big capital letters.
They are the parents of 14 children between the ages of seven 
and 19 who were stranded in Orlando, Florida, for three days in 
the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York City and 
Washington, D.C. The children  finally arrived back home 
Thursday afternoon.
The 14 were part of a group of 95 children from all over Southern 
Ontario, all with life-threatening illnesses or severe physical 
challenges, who were sent on a one-day dream trip to Disney 
World by Sunshine Dreams for  Kids of London, Ont.
But the attacks also closed Disney World, and because all air 
traffic in the U.S. was grounded, their Skycharter aircraft could not 
take them back. They ended up in a hotel. Also part of the group 
were 85 adults, including medical personnel, volunteers and 
airplane crew.
Nancy Kacur of Ridgeway let her son Nathan, 19, go on the trip.
She was driving back from the Hamilton airport Tuesday 
morning after dropping him off, "when I heard about it (the 
attacks)."
Like so many other people, "I didn't believe it was real,"
she said Thursday afternoon. "This can't be happening,"
she said she told herself. "Not today."
At about noon the Sunshine foundation called her to say the 
airplane had landed at  Orlando and the children were safe....
The children were disappointed Disney World was closed in the 
wake of  the terrorist attack, "but they had a great time
anyway," said Bill Rockwood, executive director of Sunshine 
Dreams for Kids.
On Tuesday evening a group of Boy Scouts loaded with board 
games came to their hotel. 
And since the children couldn't go to Disney World, Disney World 
came to them. Mickey, Minnie and many of the other characters 
who inhabit the park ame to the hotel on Wednesday to entertain 
them there, said Rockwood.
McDonald's sent in a free lunch for everyone.
Wal Mart donated clean underwear for anyone who wanted it, 
and TJ Max Estates, operators of the Winner's chain of
clothing stores, donated $150 worth of clothes to everyone on 
the airplane, said Rockwood.
Parents are also grateful to the Sheriff's Department of Orange 
County, where Orlando is located.
"They were wonderful," said Mary Carew of Thorold, mother of 
15-year-old B.J. Carew. "They went to the hotel and took the kids 
to local malls"  and other places.
"The Americans took very good care of our kids," she said....
The organization called parents again on Thursday to tell them 
the airplane had received special medevac permission to return 
to Canada and that  their children would be arriving at the 
Hamilton airport at 6 p.m....