Smiles don’t lie, and Ali is always beaming when he is around his kids. His mother freaks out every time I put his face up on the blog, she lives in Egypt and assumes he is in some kind of trouble. He is not. Ali is a kid magnet, there are always kids hanging off of him and around him.

He has been fighting for some time to get some of the RISSE kids to the Great Escape Adventure Park, and he is about to pull it off. I like him more and more every time I see him, and I have met few people as dedicated to his work as Ali is, or as loving and open.

Yesterday, he said, the owner of a top-line sneaker store came by and dropped off two boxes of $250 designer sneakers, which all the boys were very proudly wearing today at RISSE. It was a much appreciated gift.

I am happy to know this good man and call him a friend. I think they will all have the best sneakers at the Great Escape.

There is much back-slapping in America this week about saving “God’s Beautiful Babies” in Syria. All of the children in this photo were beautiful babies and are now beautiful children.

There are many more beautiful babies and children all over the world, many of them suffering horrible injuries and death.

Many of the beautiful children at RISSE are alive because of America. I wonder if we will ever evolve in our humanity, and save the children with something more than missiles – love, compassion, sanctuary, safety.

There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions more like them, calling out for help.