The buzz at Cafe 1000 in Woodbury was over a new doll last weekend, but the purposes behind the local debut of the latest cute creation from the Pleasant Company had nothing to do with child's play. The event helped in the battle to prevent child abuse and stressed education and family unity.
Before 365 children and parents, one for every day of the year, the Pleasant Company, a catalogue order enterprise, introduced Josephina Montoya, a fictional Hispanic pioneer girl of the 1820s, as its latest creation in the American Girls Collection, a line of dolls, books and accessories featuring young females living in different eras.
Donations paid for admission to this event went to the presentation's cosponsor, the Coalition on Child Abuse and Neglect, a Hempstead organization that seeks to identify and forestall possible abuse, as well as rescue children from abuse. The family event raised $9,000 for the coalition, whose programs have been rapidly expanding recently.
Ronni Strongin, community outreach specialist for the organization, said that the coalition was aware that Wisconsin-based Pleasant Company often engaged in community events and projects that raised money for non-profit groups, and therefore sought out its partnership.
Special Event Coordinator of the Pleasant Company Susan Parks said that the coalition met the standards Pleasant Company looks for in organizations seeking a fundraiser. "One of the requirements is that the money that is raised is benefiting a children's charity or organization," she said.
Josephina is the sixth young heroine to become a doll in the American Girls Collection of dolls, books and accessories. The collection, explained Parks, is "designed to give girls ages 7 and up a better understanding of American history as well as traditions of growing up female in America."
The six dolls represent various periods in American history, and reflect different cultures and lifestyles. "All the dolls have historical values," praised Strongin. "They are girls that pioneered America. They're all based on historical facts. Children learn about their lives."
For example, Addy is a runaway slave who finds freedom during the Civil War era. Felicity is a colonial child. Molli is a mischievous girl who grew up during World War II. Each characters has six books written about her life experiences and adventures in that time period. The literature not only promotes positive values, but offers historical insights into the cultures and people of America's various ages.
"The books are really at the heart of the collections, and the strength of the stories make the doll play seem more real for the girls who play with them," said Parks.
At the cafe, girls watched a beautifully filmed 20-minute video presentation that transported them to the early 19th century, when the Santa Fe Trail first opened. Showcasing marvelous desert plains, mesas and valleys, the live-action video re-created the natural and manmade environments that a young lady such as 9-year-old Josephina Montoya would have lived in as Hispanics traveled from Mexico to the wide open western territory that would later become New Mexico.
Viewers learned about responsibilities of living in ranchos such as home maintenance and farming, and also saw the lighter side of special celebrations and occasions.
"They get to travel back in time to see what life was like for Josephina and family, and they experience the sights and sounds and celebrations," said Parks. The Santa Fe Trail led its way to Woodbury.
After the video, the "fiesta" in Woodbury continued as local girls and their parents became involved in two related craft projects that the coalition organized. Participants created decorative Mexican paper flowers called ramilletes and embroidered handkerchiefs with a stitch called the colcha. The hope of the coalition, said Strongin, was to encourage joint family activities to strengthen loving bonds.
"It's a child-focused event...so it brings in parents and their children to get involved in activities that we would like all parents and children to be involved with. And, unfortunately, too many parents don't get involved with their children and take time to do these kinds of activities," remarked Strongin.
The point of the event, Strongin continued, was twofold. It "was to have a child-focused event that celebrated parent-child interactions, and, of course, to make money for our organization so we can continue our program to prevent child abuse and protect child victims."
Fund-raising is especially important to the coalition currently as it is expecting to open by early 1998 Long Island's only child advocacy center, where a comfortable environment will welcome abused children who need to seek refuge while informing authorities of their situation.
