ARK Volunteers Bring Fun to Foster Kids

Some of the foster kids on a beach field trip Saturday were black. Some were brown and others white. But after a few minutes at the Corona del Mar tide pools, most were the color of sand.

Moments after hitting the beach, the children immediately began rolling around in the sand, not to mention kicking it, throwing it, pouring it in each other’s bathing suits, and even burying each other in it.

“Someone itch my nose for me,” pleaded 9-year-old Shasta Whorrallc, who found herself being covered with sand by her young friends. “And stop pouring sand in my face! Just up to my neck! Just up to my neck!”

The fifth-grader from Anaheim was one of 35 foster children and 21 adult volunteers participating in a monthly “Fun Day,” sponsored by ARK (Advanced Resources for Foster Kids) Services for Abused Children located in Orange.

The nonprofit organization, which received a “Point of Light” award from former President George Bush last year, provides counseling services, plans activities and supplies a meeting place for Orange County’s estimated 600 foster families.

“Most of the children come from very abusive homes, mostly where the parents were drug-abusers,” said Anita Kramer, 46, the ARK volunteer who organized this weekend’s beach excursion. “They’ve been abandoned, and they need (parental) substitutes.”

The monthly outings, which have included slumber parties, special holiday events and trips to theme parks, have two main purposes, said Kramer, who runs her own software business in Irvine. One is to give foster parents a brief respite from the stresses of parenting. The second is to provide the children with companionship and fun.

“I guess I would have been sitting at home vegetating,” said Alanna Levi, 12, of Garden Grove, who has been in two foster homes in three years. “I really like the beach.”

ARK volunteers are screened for suitability, and they are required to spend at least eight hours a month with children they are matched with by the agency.

“Just to see the kids laugh and forget about their problems for a while” makes the effort worthwhile, said Barbara Hellwig, 26, who postponed a trip to the Colorado River to donate her time Saturday. “It just makes you feel good and like you’re helping.”

“I just do whatever they want,” said Mary Anne Sauerwein(, 26, a recent graduate of Cal State-Long Beach interested in becoming a child psychologist. “I like to hear them laugh and scream my name,” added Sauerwein, as she blanketed Shasta in sand. “These kids really need somebody.”