读者文摘:他们生活中的聚会(1)（在线收听）

Skid Row. The very phrase conjures images of drunks passed out in gutters, lowlifes lying in wait, addicts in darkened alleys.

贫民区。这个词语让人联想到醉汉昏倒在水沟里，卑微的人在等待，瘾君子躲在黑暗的小巷里，

It's the definition of a place where dreams go to die.

这个词界定了梦想死亡之地。

In Los Angeles's infamous Skid Row, the scene can be even bleaker.

在洛杉矶臭名昭著的贫民区，情况可能更为惨淡。

There are hundreds of children living there—on the streets or in shelters—at any given time.

任何时候都有成百上千的儿童生活在街头或庇护所里，

But amid all the poverty and desperation, one couple is determined to use their own experience with loss to foster a sense of hope.

但是在所有的贫困和绝望中，有一对夫妇决心用他们自己的经历来培植希望。

In 2012, Mary Davis, who works at an enrichment center for young children,

2012年，在一家幼儿活动中心工作的玛丽·戴维斯

and her husband, Ari Kadin, who is in property management, were expecting their first child when Davis miscarried.

和她做物业管理的丈夫阿里·卡丁，正等着第一个孩子的到来，戴维斯却流产了，

They were devastated. But the couple, who were volunteering with adults in a Skid Row homeless shelter,

他们极度不安。但这对在贫民区收容所做志愿者的夫妇，

refused to let their heartbreak break them.

不想就这样伤心欲绝。

"In 2013, our child would have been one year old," says Davis, 38.

38岁的戴维斯说：“2013年，我们的孩子应该就一岁了。

"And we kept seeing these kids at the shelter, and I said to my husband,

我们一直去收容所看这些孩子，我对丈夫说，

'We couldn't throw a birthday party for our child, so let's do it for these kids.'"

‘我们不能为我们的孩子举行生日派对，那我们就为这些孩子开派对吧。”

They took over a room in the Union Rescue Mission and filled it with streamers, gifts, a cake—all the makings of a great party.

他们占用了联合救济会的一个房间，房间里摆满了彩带、礼物和蛋糕——所有这些都是超棒聚会必不可少的物品，

Or so they thought. "I forgot the music!" Davis says, laughing. It didn't matter.

或者他们是这么认为的。“我忘了音乐！”戴维斯笑着说。没关系，

Many of the 15 kids who showed up had never had a single birthday party before,

到场的15个孩子中，很多人以前从没经历过生日派对，

and they were so excited to have one now that they made their own music—singing and clapping and, of course, laughing.

现在他们非常兴奋能有生日聚会，于是他们自己创作音乐、唱歌、鼓掌，当然还有大笑。

Since then, the couple have thrown a bash each and every month.

从那以后，这对夫妇每个月都要举行一次狂欢。

They routinely attract 250 kids and their parents—they’ve had to take over more rooms in the shelter and the rooftop.

他们通常会吸引250个孩子和他们的父母——他们不得不占用避难所的更多房间，还有屋顶。

An hour before each party, volunteers arrive to set up the decorations and activities:

每次聚会前一小时，志愿者们都会来布置现场，并安排活动：

face painting, balloon artists, a DJ, cake, and pizza.

面部彩绘、气球师、DJ、蛋糕和披萨。

There are small presents for the kids celebrating their birthdays that month,

有一些小礼物送给孩子们以庆祝他们的生日，

but Davis makes sure there are more than enough to go around.

但是戴维斯会确保有更多事情可做。