Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022 ASKS | FROM PAGE 3 ing. They have golf carts, which we volunteer to take them around at night before we go to bed. They have milk and cookies. They have pizza deliveries. This is all for naught. They have handicapped vehicles that pick up the children. I drove a train that we could pick up the children with to bring them to dinner or lunch. You cry because you are so happy. These are kids with life-threatening illnesses. Cathy: They have a Halloween and Christmas party every week because some of those children aren’t going to make it to the holidays. Ken: Yes, it’s for some of those kids who aren’t going to survive. Q: So, how did you get involved with “Give Kids The World”? Cathy: Through our church. Ken: We’ve gone three times. We’ve gone in October with the church – the 16 of us. Then we go by ourselves because we enjoy it so much. It’s so giving for these kids who have never been on a ride. These kids are all handicapped. There’s horseback riding; these kids have never been horseback riding. And they are so grateful, they want you to come to their house. The parents cry because these kids aren’t second-class citizens now. They’re Number One. They get the biggest room in the villas. They get special animal characters that put them to bed at night. The love we feel for that – getting a child to be able to get something they never got before is huge. Q: Is that your favorite mission? Ken: That’s our favorite. Cathy: Absolutely. Ken: It’s by far the best, because of some of the feedback you get from the parents. I got a child to see Santa Claus because he came late – their flight was late, so they got there late. The dad was a Marine. When I got his child to see Santa, he cried. Q: Wow. Ken: You cry with happiness, but it’s so touching to see these kids and their parents who are so thankful for what they got. There were 16 of us who went, so we’re all doing this – making waffles with a face on it for them and cooking those. It’s endless what you can do for these kids. We give up our vacations so we can do this. Q: This is one of the missions you have been involved with since coming to Saugus? THEY SHARE A BIRTHDAY: Ken Strum (right) with a 16-yearold boy he met several years ago while doing volunteer work for “Give Kids The World” in Kissimmee, Fla. The organization provides cost-free trips to kids with life-threatening illnesses. Ken and the boy were both born on Feb. 15 – the day after Valentine’s Day. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) Ken: Yes. Q: What’s your favorite story from your volunteer service with “Give Kids The World”? Cathy: The day I met John Stamos [the actor]. He’s a big contributor and always drops by to see the kids. One day I was dishing out ice cream for him, his bodyguards and his wife, who was pregnant. My friends from church were ogling him and taking pictures while I was working. Later that day, Ken told me he had seen John Stamos. I told him I got my picture with him. Q: What about you, Ken? Ken: I’m Facebook buddies with a “Make A Wish” child I met in Kissimmee, Fla. He was 16 when I met him back in 2019, and we share a birthday – the day after Valentine’s Day. I was born Feb. 15th, 1950. He’s had multiple heart attacks and multiple surgeries on his heart. He was hoping to live long enough to work at “Give Kids The World” because they’ve done so much for him.” Q: So, please tell me, what do you love most about Saugus? Cathy: I like that there’s not a lot of triple-deckers and stuff that makes it congested. I just like the quietness of my street. It’s almost like being out in the country; moving from where we were to here is almost like moving to the country, and I just love that. And nice people here. Q: What brought you here was … Ken: That reason. We wanted to get out of the city and get some place nice. We bought this little ranch [on Endicott Street]. Q: It’s small and looks like a toy house. Ken: Yeah! Somebody said today that they had a garden that was 40 by 20 – that’s the size of my house. That was also because of my legs. As far as Saugus, we googled and did searches of crime. I went to the police station before we bought the house to find out what it’s like in this area that we’re coming to. It had good reports. And thankfully, we’ve met so many great people and got involved in the town in many different ways, where we never did in Malden. Saugus is a smaller community, but we really enjoy this. We’ve loved the Senior Center. That’s huge for us. And we have somewhere to go. It’s so great. Cathy: We needed to have a ranch house because of Ken’s polio. We moved from the projects of Malden, where there was a lot of drug stuff going on, to a nice, quiet neighborhood. We weren’t at our new home for a month when the car got broken into and a CB radio was taken, but we’ve been fine ever since. We moved here for the quality of life, and it’s been very good for us. Q: How are you going to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Ken: The funny thing is, we really don’t. I don’t like chaotic. Valentine’s Day is chaotic, so we celebrate after Valentine’s Day: We go out to a Valentine’s dinner maybe a week after Valentine’s Day when things settle down. For one thing, the food is not as good because there are so many people going out, but afterwards we can sit by ourselves, enjoy the meal and have a good meal and just enjoy ourselves. Q: What will you usually get Cathy for Valentine’s Day? Ken: Well, that’s an awful question to ask. I give her my love. Cathy: We’re not so big on that. Q: Chocolates or roses? Cathy: He’s never bought me flowers. Ken: I don’t buy her flowers, but I bought her chocolates and stuff. But then, we try to watch our weight, and that ends. 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