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THE GREAT CROSS-COUNTRY CAMARO TOUR
By Susan Wade. Photos by Susie Q and Mom.
DAY 4
 "It
ain't heavy. It's my Camaro." That's our new motto since we visited
Boys Town in Omaha, Neb. There the football team gave an all-American
salute to the 35th Anniversary edition of the powerful little sports
car. These young men were extraordinarily polite and articulate -- and
they looked buff in their blue and white uniforms as they gathered around
the red car in front of a Father Flanagan statue on campus.
This village, founded in 1917 by Edward J. Flanagan and
dedicated to the care and treatment of troubled children and families
in crisis, officially has become Girls and Boys Town. The needs have
expanded to abuse, neglect, behavioral disorders, physical challenges
and chemical dependency. But the faith-based organization has branched
out to New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta,
Rhode Island, California and Florida -- helping an estimated 29,000
children each year. Children at the Omaha headquarters live in private
houses, six to eight per group, with trained husband-wife teams who
serve as foster parents, role models and counselors.
The village, a national historical landmark, got its biggest
publicity boost from the 1938 Oscar-winning film "Boys Town" that starred
Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.
The Camaro jogged the memory of John Melingagio, Director
of Media Relations. His first car was a cream and bronze '56 Bel Air.
He said he remembers watching races at Cornhusker Dragstrip and relives
the memories with other Omaha hot rod enthusiasts Wednesday nights at
a local hangout called Flashbacks. Folks come to the spot at 82nd and
Center to enjoy the beer garden and nostalgia cars on display each week.
So on we went toward Sioux Falls, S.D., inspired by the
newest wave of young persons trying to develop into model citizens and
the men and women committed to helping them. What could top that?
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