ROSEDALE, Md. — Bringing smiles to faces of all ages, and it’s all for a worthy cause.
WATCH: Bringing smiles to faces, all for a good cause
We caught up with the Boumis as they get ready for a busy Fourth of July weekend.
Tom, Norberto, Bruce, and Rick are members of the Boumi Shriners Temple in Rosedale. The guys are here at their garage, doing final checks on the gas-powered miniature vehicles.
“It’s fun,” says Norberto Eraso, colonel of the units for the shrine. “The rigs, the carpets, the little Jeeps—all this is good times in the parade. We make the children very happy. That’s the most important thing, to make the children happy and see their smiles while we’re parading.
Bruce went on a magic carpet ride for us.
Their presence in these parades serves a much greater purpose. The Boumis carry out the Shriners’ mission, raising funds to provide free healthcare to children through their network of hospitals and clinics around the country.
“We raise money and have fun,” says Bruce Mulligan, the shrine’s chief ambassador, “but all the money that we raise goes towards Shriners Hospital. So, we’re one of the only clubs that is strictly devoted to making money and donating it directly to the hospitals.”
Rick knows firsthand how life-changing the Shriners’ work is. He was one of those children.
“What they did for me growing up, I was able to go to regular school with regular kids,” says Rick Williams. “If I had an issue with a prosthesis, they took it, took me to Philly, took care of it, put me in a new one, repaired the old one, and it never cost my parents anything.”
And now he’s a patient ambassador for Boumi Shrine, driving children and their families to doctor’s appointments and treatments, all paid for by the Boumis.
“Shriners gave me the opportunity to be a real kid, not one that sits in the house somewhere,” he says. “So, I wanted to pay back, and when I found the opportunity and the way to do it, here I am.”
The Boumis will be at the Towson, Catonsville, and Bel Air parades on July 4th and Havre de Grace’s on the fifth.
So, the next time you see these colorful little cars cruising down the parade route, remember the work the Boumis do all year long to put smiles on faces.
