A Tower of Joy

Humanist, Jan, 1999 by Bob Harris

There's a thing called Project 9865 I want you to know about. Project 9865 is a completely cool way for injured or seriously ill children to expand their world, both inside and out.

In an effort involving every pediatric ward in the state of California, thousands of seriously not-healthy kids are getting the chance to work together to paint a mural on the sides of a 140-foot tower, which will go on permanent display in Los Angeles alongside a major highway on the border between Beverly Hills and Century City.

We're talking about kids suffering through just all sorts of hell--from spinal cord problems to burn trauma to cancer to HIV--all getting a hopeful, joyous opportunity to create and contribute to a mural twice the size of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Imagine for a second what that could mean to a child who has to spend months, years, or even their entire life stuck inside the deadly serious world of a hospital.

Take a minute. Imagine.

Project 9865 (which is named for the street address of the tower) will bring panels and paint to any hospital, anywhere in the state, where any child wants to participate with their families. Special brushes have even been designed for those who can't use their hands but who can still paint to their hearts' content.

When the kids have finished, a crane will put the panels in place. And these children will know for the rest of their lives that they've contributed to something beautiful and like nothing else in the world--just like them.

This unique tower will be seen by millions of people every year as a monument to the courage of these children and, indeed, to hope itself. If the project in Los Angeles is a success, similar projects will be created to give hope and a sense of community to hospitalized children all over the country.

Bob Harris is a political humorist who has spoken at over 275 colleges nationwide. For more information on Project 9865, check out its website at www.project9865.org or call (310) BREAD-52.