Convention in NYC, June 12-15

On Friday June 12th, 2009 we the San Francisco Guardian Angel Chapter went to New York for our CONVENTION. This is our 30th year anniversary and this is where the Guardian Angels first began.

(photo courtesy of http://www.johnniehwilliams.com/photos.aspx)

There are going to be Guardian Angels from around the world there and every angel would like the chance to go to this CONVENTION. As we did get this chance, we are a blessed chapter, because there where 9 of us San Francisco Angels that got to go on this trip to New York.



That evening on Friday we arrived in NY, made it to the hostel, the place that we would be staying with other angels, changed into our uniforms to begin night patrols. The leaders that had been there before knew how to start things out, first is to separate the angels into teams for patrols, next is to go into these areas that are picked out by these leaders so no one criss-crosses each other.

(photo courtesy of http://www.johnniehwilliams.com/photos.aspx)

My leader of our patrol took us into the sub-ways, this was cool but it was hot outside, and I did learn how to patrol sub-ways again, but I did not know if the other angels I was with had experience. Got back up to street side to meet up with another team, posted up for awhile then headed back to the hostel for debrief. Got to the hostel, did our debrief, came back safe, a few of us was tired, called it a night.

(photo courtesy of http://www.johnniehwilliams.com/photos.aspx)

On Saturday June 13th, 2009 all Guardian Angels will meet up with Curtis Sliwa at a movie theater to hear upcoming events and upcoming announcements. There was a big surprise for all the angels, Sliwa's Mom and Dad, and his family were there for everyone to meet, this was a moment to remember for all of us. Next we marched down to one of the GA leaders DO-JO, a self defense studio and a Guardian Angel HQ.

I felt this was cool a place, this was a place to come to be somebody and to learn confidence in yourself. Then the rain came as we started to head out to our next assignment, a Festival, to help out with traffic control and crowd control. It was raining, but everyone was OK with it, we even do it in SF because the rain doesn't stop the drug dealers. The rain stopped the Festival was ending we got into ranks and march back to the hostel for the award ceremony.

(photo courtesy of http://www.johnniehwilliams.com/photos.aspx)

Curtis Sliwa was there and always as he does, a great job for acknowledging the chapters for there well done deeds. Next is the night patrol to the McDonald's, the store that Curtis first started thinking of doing something about the streets, this is amazing a chance to see how this first started with Curtis. We took some pictures, paused for a moment, and begin the tour back to the hostel. It was getting late so we all called it a night and thank Curtis for his story where it first began.

On Sunday June 14th, 2009 our day is pretty much planed out, first thing is to get some breakfast and the second thing is to make sure everyone is wearing their best uniform for the PARADE. Today we are going to be in a PARADE, The Puerto Rican Parade. Everyone is very excited and very thrilled to be doing this, as of now all the angels must be ready and march to the area where the PARADE begins. We get there to the area and never in my life have I ever seen this many Guardian Angels come together to do an event. There had to be at lease 100 Guardian Angels, and there was the leaders that started with Curtis Sliwa (The Alumni), there was even Curtis's family that got involved. This is a major event for the Guardian Angels to do anything like this, and it was fantastic, it was the biggest, it was the most, it was the loudest PARADE I have ever seen in my life.

As the PARADE had reached its end for us, there was so much more to go for the Bands and the Floats. Then we begin to march to Central Park to take a break and grab some water. While we were taking our break I was thinking, I am very proud to be a part of this as an angel and I feel the other angels felt the same way. Now we began to march through Central Park back to the hostel, we got there at the hostel we looked like one long line of Guardian Angels, it looked great, then Curtis Sliwa spoke and said he had to graduate one more angel to Safety Patrol, this was an honor to see this, this man had been in training for almost a year, this man is 77 years old, but he was ready. Then he dismissed us and we all started to make plans to get home, or to go out on the town. Our chapter had one more night, so we went out to TIME SQUARE and had a great time, then we went back to the subway to get back to the hostel.

On Monday June 15th, 2009 we wake up, but there would be no Guardian Angels today. Today we fly back to San Francisco, all 9 of us, no one got left behind. There is not much to say about this day, one-because we were tired, two-because we were hungry, and three-because we had learned so much about the Guardian Angels and about ourselves. This is what it is all about, (Commitment, sacrifice, caring) that is DARE TO CARE, that is the GUARDIAN ANGELS. CAPTER LEADER/JERRY LONGORIA/J.D.