Very good news this week. The refugee soccer team (ten of them) are going to Ramblewild, the famous Forest Adventure Park on August 20 to spend three or four hours from 15 to 100  feet off the ground and up in the trees, where they will  built team work,  and build confidence. And have a blast.

The focal point of the aerial adventure is a 15 ft. high central platform, which is the starting point for the eight aerial obstacle courses. Courses meander from tree to tree at various heights throughout the forest and include elements like high wires, zip lines, balancing logs, rope ladders, cargo nets,  and suspended bridges.

The Aerial Adenture, which we chose for many reasons, including cost, runs three-and-a-half hours.

Four of the eight courses cross over the ravine via zip lines that will keep the team members over 100 feet above the bottom. Everybody will be wearing helmets and gloves, and be attached to zip lines to keep them from falling. Guides will be available throughout the course.

I want to thank Derek Hargreaves of Ramblewild for donating gloves to the players at no charge, they will also be able to use them in soccer practice and games.

Ali says he is going to climb up as well.  I am not going up in the trees, but I am joining the team at a lunch we ordered that will be delivered by a nearby country store – wraps and sandwiches – at 1 p.m., when they come down from the trees.

I thank Ramblewild for a discount as well, it cost $601 for the players to sign up for this activity, I think it will be wonderful for them, and thanks for your support. I appreciate Ramblewild. They don’t just pretend to care, they care.

Also this week, I spent $540 to purchase 13 tickets for the Lac Du Saint Sacrement Luncheon and Dance Cruise on September 13. That paid for 10 residents and three staffers to help and supervise.

We went last year and it was a particular joy to see the residents and the fun they had. As of now, Joan is not signed up for the trip, I’ve offered to buy a ticket for her and for an aide to assist her if it’s okay with Morgan Jones and Julia Harlin, the activities director. I think she’d really love it and I’ll be going also and can help keep an eye on her.

The cruise is a hoot, a beautiful ride around Lake George, lunch and dancing. It lifted my heart to see some of the residents put their walkers aside and  hit the floor. Joan was first among them.

I’m also still hoping to be able to get the soccer team to the New England Aquarium in Boston to see the giant octopus exhibit there and the newly renovated and expanded aquarium, considered one of the best in the world. I think that would end up costing around $700 if I factor in food.

Today, the soccer team makes the first of two visits to the Powell House Youth Center and Retreat in the hills just outside of Albany. They will engage in supervised confidence building activities from trained counselors and can play the games inside of the youth center – pool, guitar, song, and they can visit the extensive library there and get some snacks.

I hope the Powell House will be a regular element in their lives, the Quakers have been working with refugees for centuries and know what they need.

Negotiations involving refugee children and the elderly are complex and require a great deal of planning. I’m getting good at it.

Another big move this week:

In the next few days, I’m going to write a check for $1,900 on behalf of Kelly Patrick, the Mansion certified nursing aide who has been living in a  tent with her daughter and grandson all summer.

Kelly has found a double-wide trailer and plans to sign a rental agreement this week. I thought initially it would be $1,600 but the rent is now $900 a month, and her grandson will be living with her. Kelly has a lot on her plate.

With the funds you sent, I’ve also purchased a TV and some household needs for Kelly.

So this is a banner week for the Army Of Good. I’ve spent a lot of money, but it will really change and enhance lives. I wish all of you could see the progress and growth and confidence of the refugee children.

You are altering the course of their lives, and of Kelly Patrick’s as well. She is deserving of support. We have helped transform the Mansion. It is already a loving and warm place, but they needed a lot of help, they are a Medicaid facility, and discretionary funds are tight. We are helping a lot of people, from getting them air conditioners to buying clothes and shoes, (this week, I’m order  two computer games for Peggy.)

The fund is getting low, naturally, I don’t keep money sitting around, and if any of you have any spare change lying around, please consider sending it to the Gus Fund a/k/a The Mansion Refugee Fund, c/o Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y. or via Paypal, [email protected].

I’d like to get it back up to around $1,500 and chill for a couple of weeks. We have some wonderful things planned for the Mansion and the soccer team and some of the refugees. I intend to keep this work small and measured, small acts of great kindness. So grateful.

Your contributions have made this wonderful work possible, and I thank. Doing good feels good, it is the most selfish thing there is.