Anaheim : Benji the Dog Takes Bow for Disabled Youngsters

“Just to see the happiness in their faces and the look in their eyes is worth it,” Joe Fox said with a wide smile. Fox watched from his wheelchair as a line of disabled children waited excitedly to meet Benji, canine star of TV and movies.

Fox and Benji were among the visitors at Lord Braden Powell Public School for the Physically Handicapped Thursday for a special pre-Easter party co-sponsored by the California Paralyzed Veterans Assn. and spinal cord injury patients from the Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center.

“We’ve been involved with these kids about 12 years,” said Fox, a veteran. “They see our chairs, and they know we’ve come to help bring joy to them. The greatest joy is when we reach out and they reach back. To be able to enjoy them as children regardless of their individual handicap brings much pleasure.”

Ninety-two children from 3 to 13 years old with varying disabilities are enrolled in six classes at the Anaheim school. More than half are afflicted with cerebral palsy, according to Principal Harold Stinson.