Family focuses on aiding those who are in need

The 13-year-old parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption in Schenectady has collected food and clothing for Harlem's poor, and teaches Tae Kwon Do in Schenectady's Hamilton Hill.

Adam-Rey and his parents, Raul and Nancy, annually go to Harlem to assist a family friend in feeding the poor. In 1998, the family stood outside in 16-degree temperatures on New Year's Eve making ham sandwiches. In 1999, they traveled before Christmas to take food they had collected from Adam-Rey's peers in the religious education program.

Helping others

"Adam-Rey said, 'Mom that lady looks cold. Can I give her my gloves?'" Mr. Gonzalez recalled.

Adam-Rey doesn't see helping others as being remarkable. "It's the same thing as Tae Kwon Do," he said. "You see people the same as you. You help because they are the same as you."

Black belt

Tae Kwon Do, he said, emphasizes respect for others. While Adam-Rey's students must respect his black belt, he must also be respectful to them. Originally, Adam-Rey was interested in the Korean martial art as a way to defend himself. Now he is interested for other reasons.

"I like being with other kids and socializing and helping," he said. "It's a good way to socialize, and to learn discipline and respect for others."

Similarities

"We see five- or six-year-old kids walking home alone," Mr. Gonzalez said. "You wonder why they come back since there's no one pushing them. Test day is sad. You wonder, 'Where are the parents?'"

Although those in his class may have difficult personal lives, Adam-Rey doesn't notice. "When you're in class, you're all the same," he said.

That lesson is reinforced at home. "We've never stressed difference," Mrs. Gonzalez said.

Children of God

"I was [called] a 'spic' for the longest time," Mr. Gonzalez said. "We talk about nerds, geeks, dumb blondes, the homeless. They're all still Jesus' children."

The family has seen the face of Jesus in those they feed in Harlem. Adam-Rey ran after one old man to let him know about the food. "He was lonely, hungry and cold," Adam-Rey said.

Sharing

That two dollars went directly to another person in need named Samuel. "He asked, 'Is this American money?'" Adam-Rey said. "He hadn't seen American money."

According to Adam-Rey, other teenagers have the same desire to make a difference as he does. "We're not really bad," he said of youth. "We have to learn what to do and what not to do. Sometimes, we try things and we're seen as bad. When we do good things, some still think of us as terrible."

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