Have you ever met an angel? Not the ones they sell, or the ones in paintings, or the ones in movies, but a real life angel whose power can be felt just by her effect on others? I have. I met an angel on Friday – and her name was Dr. Lorraine E. Hale.

I had the pleasure of going to Hale House to represent The Brooklyn Daily Eagle as part of New York City Technical College’s Gifts For Special Children Program. I must admit that on the way to Hale House, I did not know what to expect. I have heard of Mother Hale and her daughter, Dr. Lorraine Hale. I know that Hale House cares for children who are born either addicted to drugs or with HIV, but I never had the opportunity to really experience what they have done first hand and to see the impact their work has had on others. When I arrived at Hale House, I immediately got my answer.

Outside of Hale House, there is a statue of Mother Hale, with a plaque that reads, "To Mother Hale: A Woman Who Loved Children." The statue was made possible by funding from some caring citizens – caring citizens like Yoko Ono, Patrick Ewing, Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch. I thought that if I had left right then, I would have known the impact of Mother Hale. But when I got inside, my eyes – and my heart – were opened as never before.

We were taken into a room which contained awards given to Mother Hale for her work with Hale House. Believe me when I tell you that there was not an inch of empty wall space in the huge room. Hundreds of awards from everyone from President Reagan to the community center down the block blessed and praised Mother Hale for her work. I was in awe how one woman could make such a difference.

We were greeted by a young gentlemen who worked for Hale House. As he gave us a history lesson on Hale House, I listened intently. As my ears listened and my eyes traced the countless awards on the walls, a woman entered the room. She didn’t make a sound as she walked into the room because she didn’t want to disturb his speech. She sat down in a rocking chair next to me. As I looked at this woman whom I did not know, she smiled at me and gave me a wink. I immediately felt the power and the warmth of her smile and knew exactly who she was. "Hello Dr. Hale", I said.

Dr. Hale, after getting up off the rocking chair, led us on a tour of Hale House. As we walked through the hallways, I noticed that there were mirrors on the walls no higher than my knees. I was about to ask why when I read an inscription on one of the mirrors. It was an inscription of the words spoken by Mother Hale to the children as to why the house had so many low-placed mirrors on the walls, "I want you to know just how special you really are."

We were taken to the backyard which contained a beautiful playground for the children. The playground is fall-proof thanks to the foam floors and walls. I was told that a caring citizen, after hearing about Mother Hale’s work donated the money to build the rather expensive playground – his name was Spike Lee.

As we went up the stairs, I began to hear the sounds of children. We saw the infants first. Little children who have been born with such horrible drug addictions or with the HIV virus. Babies. Victims. Infants. Children. Humans. They didn’t have a choice. If drugs is something you choose to do and AIDS is a disease that can be transmitted if one chooses to either share an infected needle or have unprotected sex, these babies are victims. They are victims because they don’t even know what unprotected sex is or what drugs are, yet, they were born this way anyway. But just when their lives were about to end, just when their little lives had so many problems, they found hope, hope in Hale House.

The toddlers were our next stop. We met three little toddlers with the most beautiful faces I have ever seen. Dr. Hale picked one up and kissed his little face. Here is a woman who has no maternal connection to this child – but try telling that to Dr. Hale. "How’s my beautiful baby?" she asked the little one. The baby smiled and put his head on her shoulder. "He loves when I hold him", she said. "He loves to be held." The baby, as I approached Dr. Hale, reached its hands out to me. I took the baby in my arms and felt the true power of what was going on here. The baby looked at me and began to touch my face. How sweet, I thought. As I was holding the baby, I realized that this is why Mother Hale did what she did and why her daughter continued her work. For this little child in my arms, and all the others that have passed through this door.

As we made our way to the third floor and to the four and five year olds, I was told that Hale House now has a program called, "Time Out For Moms" where they help the parents of these children as well. I was told that yet another caring citizen had donated $50,000 to fund this project – her name was Cissy Houston.

The five year olds were in awe when a member of our group appeared in the room. The jolly old man in the red suit came with his sack full of toys and passed them to the children. Frank Betancourt, another angel on Earth because of his work with Gifts For Special Children, made a donation of toy chests and toys to the children, as well as $2,000 on behalf of the college to Dr. Hale. She made a moving speech and thanked him. After her speech, I asked to speak, I said that when I arrived, I was in awe as to how one woman could make such a difference. "I was wrong Dr. Hale", I said, "Two women have made such a difference."

Hale House is, and has done an invaluable service to the children they have helped. Dr. Hale is truly and angel and has her mother’s love and warmth of children that she will carry into the next century. I hope all of us can learn from her that we are all part of one family, and if you ever get the chance to, do what Mother Hale and Dr. Hale have, let someone know just how special they really are.

On your holiday list this year, would you do me a favor? Would you send a Christmas gift to Hale House? Any amount you can send will help Dr. Hale continue to help these beautiful children. If you would like to send a donation, send it to:

As I was leaving Hale House, I was given a copy of a book that Dr. Hale wrote called, Hale House – Alive With Love. I asked her to sign my book, and she did. I also took out my wallet and gave her a donation. "Oh no", she said. "Oh yes", I said with a smile. She gave me a hug and that smile again. "God bless you", she said. No Dr. Hale, God bless you.

In the car on the way home, I opened the book and began to read it. As I opened the book, I saw what she wrote to me:

To Paul, It’s your world, make it better. Dr. Lorraine E. Hale