Kids Will Be Kids: Costumes & Comedy at Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center

By Aimee Mahmoud

"Children see magic, because they look for it," quotes absurdist fiction writer Christopher Moore in his hilarious Biblical satire, Lamb. I've heard this phrase in one form or another throughout the years, but never paid much mind to it until very recently. As you may already be aware, Wonder Costumes is an e-commerce company specializing in year-round sales of costumes, decorative props, and costume accessories at discount prices. We take great pride in the fact that our industry frequently caters to a young audience, and as adults with young children, nieces, and nephews; we're all-too aware of the extraordinary effect that a tailored piece of fabric in mimicry of a popular character can have on a young tot. Naturally then, and with the spirit of community service in mind, we volunteered to participate in a playtime activity for the elementary-aged students of the Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center after-school care program. Jorge Mas Canosa Community Center, located in Miami, FL is what you'd call an all-in-one: From after-school care programs to senior activities, to athletic teams and support groups, Jorge M.C. Community Center has it all. Mostly serving the residents of the Sweetwater vicinity, the students in the after-school care program are all from nearby elementary schools. They are picked up from school and dropped off via bus where they are able to enjoy a Miami-Dade County subsidized curriculum that offers snacks, tutoring, and in-class activities for only $4 a day. Students can get their homework done and still have time to socialize while they wait for their 9-to-5 working parents to pick them up. As fate would have it, we volunteered to donate 37 costumes to the youth center's after-school care children, and agreed to arrive in costume ourselves to liven things up. As resident copywriter, the task mainly fell on me! I reluctantly resolve to take part - the idea of just being around elementary-aged kids fills me with dread as I vividly recall some of my less-than-blithe childhood moments. To further add to my humiliation, I'm required to don an appropriate disguise. I choose the titular character of Alice In Wonderland, a Disney character that I still hold dear to my heart, in order to spare myself as much discomfort and awkwardness as possible. The event is scheduled on April the 14th (a Monday, no less) for 4 pm, and sitting in my office space I can already hear my boss nervously preparing. "Let me do your makeup, quickly!" I whisper to Tamara, a feisty yet friendly shipping clerk who has agreed to accompany us in costume, mostly for my peace of mind. She chooses a charmingly classic Little Red Riding Hood costume, and as I slip in to my powder blue Alice dress and Victorian platform booties, my stomach is in knots. I'm expected to do most of the speaking, and I nervously clutch my notepad where I've scribbled down several TV and movie trivia questions for the kids to answer. They may just be children, but I confess that public speaking assignments - no matter how insignificant - make me incredibly uneasy.

We're dressed and prepped, and cautiously make our way to the Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center on the other side of town. As we get out of the mini-van and begin to unload the boxes containing costumes and treat bags, we're greeted by two kind-faced ladies - Virginia Rego, Coordinator from Switchboard of Miami, and Yuraima Montenegro, assistant to the parks and recreation department of the city of Sweetwater, FL director. The children, none older than ten, have been waiting in subdued anticipation; partly due to the top-notch teachers in charge of maintaining order. "Cinderella!" a tiny blonde boy named David shouts at me from across the room. It seems some of them are too young to be acquainted with classic Disney films like Alice In Wonderland. Perhaps I should have worn a blonde wig and black ribbon headband? Regardless, they seemed thrilled. "For the first activity, you guys are going to draw your favorite character! Don't worry if you're not a Picasso, just do your best!," I assure them. They took to the task immediately, and I was stunned by how many promising artists there were among them. Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Spongebob Squarepants, and some unidentifiable characters from the 'Call of Duty' video games are the most common subjects. The parks and recreation director, Luis Quintero, was able to make a brief appearance long enough to say hello and take pictures. We then collect all of the finished pieces and call out the students names one-by-one for a photo opp with Little Red Riding Hood and Alice. Laughter and cheers echo throughout the building as the students compliment each others artistic abilities. Predictably, scrumptious treat bags are given out to all of the students as a participation gift. A short trivia game follows, and hands shoot up like sparklers in their eagerness to be the first to answer. Funny enough, the children know all of the answers but one: "What's the name of Harry Potter's pet owl?". The only arm in the air was that of the classroom know-it-all who had already answered my first question. Observing the children in their activities, I deduced that this was a fairly well-managed classroom: The children knew when to be quiet, and to respect their instructor's authority. Surely, every classroom has it's malcontents, clowns, outsiders, and bullies; and while being no exception, this one managed to stay on top. After all, kids will be kids. Finally, there came the grand finale of handing out the costumes. Every disguise had been individually hand-picked according to the student's interests: Ninjas, Power Rangers, Disney princess costumes, Greek goddesses, and superheroes were apparently the most popular choices. The students were amiable enough to clap and cheer for each other when their surprises were revealed from the inside of black gym bags. However, the real fun began when four of the best-behaved students appeared in full costume. A lovely girl named Priscilla made a dazzling pirate princess, a sweet one named Cindy was a feisty feline, Noah was a terrifying ninja warrior, and bashful David was insistent that he didn't precisely resemble his favorite superhero, Iron Man.

As we bid goodbye to the pleased children and their teachers, some of whom were dashing to the restrooms to change into their new costumes, I felt a sense of satisfaction and inner peace that only comes with something like acing a final exam you crammed for, or executing a proper somersault on your first attempt. Who would have thought that an impromptu costume gift (months away from Halloween season, I might add) could make a young human being this ecstatic? A few were already proceeding to take part in comical role-play! "Thank you for everything," Ms. Montenegro tells us. "You guys really made my day, and the children's." Who can't help but beam at a compliment like this? "It was a pleasure," I reply, with a smile. I was beginning to tug at my gown, the polyester fabric becoming itchy and suffocating. Through my sense of accomplishment, there was also some confusion: I don't like kids. I've never liked kids. Why was I so good with them? Why do I feel so good about it now? Even now, I'm still not completely sure. In my mind, I repeat Alice's memorable mantra: "Sometimes, I have believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." What I can tell you, however, is this: Never underestimate your capacity for kindness. Never believe you can't take part in volunteer work and not feel good about it. With each and every passing day, I continue to surprise myself with abilities I didn't even know I had. My party and I left Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center with a sincere feeling of joy and resolve. My boss, Tamara, and I instantly conceded to take part in kid-friendly community service opportunities whenever possible. As a college student and aspiring writer who's still somewhat ambivalent about her future career options, I recall one of the center's co-director's compliments: "You're really wonderful with children. You should seriously consider doing something involving them." A few months ago, I would have scoffed at such a comment. Now, as Alice would say, I've changed a few times since then.

Wonder Costumes would like to thank: Luis Quintero, (Parks and recreation director, City of Sweetwater) Virginia Rego (Program coordinator from Switchboard of Miami, Inc.), the city of Sweetwater, FL, Jorge Mas Canosa Youth Center, Yuraima Montenegro (Assistant of the Director - Park and Recreation Department), Monica Bustabad (After-school facilitator), Yaima Rodriguez (After-school facilitator), and Mariela Rodriguez (After-school facilitator).