Generosity and happiness are contagious.

ST. LOUIS - On February 8, 2003, the apostolic project "Angel for a Day" brought together 100 young women between the ages of 15 and 20 and 100 underprivileged children ages 6 to 10 for a day of fun and friendship. Our 100 "Angels" were local Catholic high school and college students. About 20 were from the Gateway Academy, a school affiliated with the Legionaries of Christ.

The day began at 8:00 am at Gateway Academy where the Angels registered, received their t-shirts and nametags, and met their team. At 9:00 am, the underprivileged children arrived by bus. A line of Angels greeted a line of children as each Angel located the child whose nametag she had received during registration. The Angels led their children into an earthly "Heaven" - the cafeteria of the school had been transformed with balloon clouds, lights, and angelic decorations.

The teams gathered in "Heaven" to get acquainted. Each of

	Every “Angel” received a tee shirt to promote their apostolate.

the ten teams consisted of one Archangel and ten Angel-child pairs. Archangels were responsible for all the Angels and children on the team, overseeing their general welfare, insuring they were punctual, and generally helping wherever needed. Many Archangels took their responsibility seriously bringing homemade bags of treats or stickers for their Angels to give to the children. Throughout the day "St. Michael the Archangel", the event photographer who is also the husband of Gateway Academy´s Upper School principal, recorded the day´s moments on film.

"Charlie" the emcee explained how the day would run and off they went into the buses. The first stop was the Cineplex where all 100 Angel/child pairs watched "Treasure Planet" while enjoying complimentary popcorn and sodas. After the movie the buses split: two went to a children´s museum

	100 young women dedicated a day to make others happy.

called the Magic House, and the other half went to two McDonalds for lunch. Afterwards the two halves switched places. After lunch and the Magic House, everyone returned to the "Heaven" at Gateway Academy for the closing ceremonies, where each team received an award, had a team photo taken, and each child received a stuffed animal. After the ceremonies, the Angels escorted their children back to the buses that would take them home.

Photography by Jerry Adlersfluegel

(April 2, 2003)