Intersection of Kindness and Warmth
| January 17, 2018
A
n Orange Vest
It started like so many great things in good fun. Twenty-one years ago when Mr. Reuven Stein’s oldest daughter was six years old he’d walk her to school every morning and at the busy intersection of DeVimy and Goyer Streets there was a crossing guard courtesy of the City of Montreal.
But not on Sunday when municipal schools are closed but our yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs are open for business (I know grooaaaannnn.).
On Sunday mornings Mr. Stein would see many children walking to school alone since for various reasons their parents couldn’t walk them. He started hanging around after he’d dropped his daughter off and crossing these children and after a few weeks of providing this service people expected him to be there. A Bais Yaakov staff member brought him an orange vest and red stop sign and asked him to officially do the job.
And 21 years after accepting the volunteer job Mr. Stein is still there — crossing kids making them smile and leaving them with a memorable parshah rhyme.
People often assume the job requires special skills but really Mr. Stein says anyone can be a crossing guard. The main thing is to make sure the cars actually stop. It’s happened that Mr. Stein walked right into the street with his stop sign held high and a car zipped right by the girls.
And that was back when he started. Today with drivers often speaking on cell phones they’re more distracted than ever.
“Always make sure the road is clear before crossing ” Mr. Stein warns. “Mostly being a crossing guard is common sense.”
No Matter the Weather
Montreal is known for its freezing snowy winters. How does Mr. Stein stand outside for a half hour in the biting cold? He says it’s no big deal. “When it gets really cold I put on a couple of pairs of pants some sweaters and I make sure to keep moving.” He stresses that it’s very important to dress warmly.
When he was younger he used to cross the girls at two different crosswalks and because of the constant running back and forth he never got cold.
It’s happened that Mr. Stein couldn’t make it: What does he do then? “My wife substitutes for me. The parents expect me to be there so at this point we can’t not have an adult at the crosswalk.” He laughs. “But of course she can’t sing the parshah rhymes!” (Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr. Issue 694)
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