In the Summer of 2000, two UK members of Childrens Express joined colleagues from America and Japan at the Republican Party National Convention in Philadelphia
| One volunteer thought it was her civic duty to be there clapping even though she didn’t know for whom she was cheering. |
At the 30th Street Amtrak station, students from Drexel University and RNC volunteers welcome delegates to the convention city. One volunteer, Jenny Wray, thought it was her civic duty as a Philadelphian to be there clapping and cheering even though she is a Democrat and didn't know for whom she was cheering.
"Whenever a dignitary comes in view and you see the crowd applauding, that's me," said the 75-year-old. "They have a group just for this. Maybe the average person would think it's someone who loves the candidate. In all probability, they don't even know that candidate. I'm a staunch Democrat, but they're not asking for that. They tell you that you're doing this for your city, to show everyone that Philadelphia is the town that loves you back."
When asked about the conflict of being a "staunch Democrat" volunteering for a party that she thought was spending too much money on the convention, Wray answered, "It's just something to do. This way, they don't have to hire you, don't have to fire you. In a week's time, they'll say, 'OK, it's over' and you're gone.
"They [give you] this shirt, a fanny pack, the red, white and blue vest; then they give you soft pretzels, all that frills; that's a waste."
Wray also volunteers for Traveler's Aid where for 17 years, at this station, she's given directions and helped travelers lost in the city. She also feeds the homeless that are usually camped there. Visitors to the station a few days earlier didn't see decorations and it wasn't as clean. Now, it's spotless and there are loads of balloons everywhere. They had a band playing and no homeless people in sight.
"They're taking them and putting them in a special place," she said. "They say they're not doing this to hide the homeless, they're doing it to keep the homeless from becoming frustrated with all the crowd that's coming in our city.
"If they can do that for now, why can't they do that all the time?"
About the team
This article was produced by UK editors Sara Hawkins and Philip Lockyer, and CE USA editors Josh Kretman, 17 and Matthew Shopsin, 16. It was published on the CE USA website.
