I'm not much for charity, but....

B-Money

King of the Arcade

I read this in a column by Brian McGrory in today's Boston Globe and it compelled me to email the author and get the address where I can send some money to help this kid out. If anyone else wants the address, I can give it to you.


***Story two involves young Alex Morse. He has severe autism, or, in the words of Sister Briget Haase, a family friend, he is ''lost in his own little world."

Alex's parents saw that animals could change his outlook, first a family cat, then some neighborhood dogs, then a horse he visited during therapy. ''He tries to avoid adults," Donna Morse said. ''With animals, he's drawn to them."

So Donna Morse did some research and learned about an Ohio organization called 4 Paws for Ability, which trains dogs to help children with autism. The dogs watch over the kids, provide a touchstone, and guide them through life. The problem was the cost: $8,800.

Soon Sister Haase, spiritual coordinator of The Boston Home, a Dorchester facility for disabled adults, was helping to organize an April 15 fund-raiser at Florian Hall. Other Morse friends formed a committee to do the spade work.

The results were immediate. A firefighter gave a $700 check, raised from colleagues, to a family member who works at Lambert's market in Dorchester. Security guards at Northeastern handed over $1,000 to another relative.

''It's unbelievable," Donna Morse said. ''It's so unbelievable it's emotional."

They've already raised thousands and have thousands to go, but Donna Morse has no doubt they'll get there.

People are good, hard as that sometimes is to believe. They're not going to leave recovering addicts in the cold, and they're not going to leave a needy boy without a dog who could change his life.***

B-Money