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PHOENIX SOUTH MOUNTAIN
The children of the Phoenix South Mountain Youth and Family Center were treated to a concert recently by famed singer/songwriter Peter Yarrow of the group Peter, Paul and Mary.
Yarrow visited the center to promote goodwill and tolerance between the children who spend their days in The Salvation Army’s pre-school, day care and community center.
Yarrow has developed a program entitled “Don’t Laugh at Me,” which teaches children to accept one another despite their differences. Children were drawn in by charming songs such as “We’re Going to the Zoo” and “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
Everyone in the audience participated by singing lyrics and making silly sounds, and some of the children were invited to sing with Yarrow at the microphone while others made up hand motions and demonstrated them. To end the concert, Yarrow asked all the members of the audience to draw as close as possible, put their arms around one another, and join in singing “Blowing in the Wind.”
“It was a stirring close to a wonderful concert,” reported Corps Officer Lt. Amy Reardon. “We have all been touched by Peter’s love for children and his interest in the Army.”