Project Children
How will the next generation shape our Homeland Security Enterprise.
How will the next generation shape our Homeland Security Enterprise? Are our children the future? With all the fighting, chaos, political agendas and immigration dilemmas in the world, we often see children getting caught in the middle of these tragic circumstances. They are used as pawns in a torn world with all sorts of adult agendas.
If our children are our future, what are they learning, what are we teaching them? How do we teach them to solve conflicts if they are learning to act out in violent manners. Are we changing the face of peace, respect, human dignity and humility as we know it?
One organization, Project Children, has been attempting to change this since 1975. This organization is a fine example of how positive change can be made, and watch it blossom to a full bloom! Here is the story of one man, himself a homeland security practitioner who makes a big difference in a small part of the world.
The Story
Denis Mulcahy, the founder of Project Children, doesn’t use the power of personality or the force of rhetoric to inspire others to join his cause. Denis Mulcahy leads by example. He takes no salary from Project Children and works long hours tending to the big plans and small details of running the organization. Over the past twenty-five years he has quietly masterminded summer vacations in America for more than 14,000 children in Northern Ireland. He has given these children — Protestant and Catholics a much needed break from the grim politics of their own country and an extraordinary chance to play together. He hasn’t done it all alone, and he will be the first to tell you. In fact, if you try to praise Denis, he will quickly start praising Project Children host families, area coordinators, fundraising volunteers, and benefactors. Denis considers himself simply one of the many. But Denis is truly the heart and soul of Project Children. He started it in 1975, along with his brother Pat. They had both grown up in County Cork, Ireland, and emigrated to New York, where they joined the New York Police Department. Denis is now a retired 1st grade detective, his last assignment being that of a bomb squad technician. Pat retired early because of injury and returned to County Cork.
In 1975, Northern Ireland was a boiling pot of political violence. Armed soldiers, rolling tanks, and surveillance cameras were everywhere, trying to keep the lid on. People were dying and children were growing up scared. Protestant and Catholic families were insulating themselves against each other — fleeing integrated neighborhoods in search of segregated enclaves. Denis and Pat were heartsick. They decided to do something to help the children. That summer they brought six kids from Northern Ireland-three Protestants and three Catholics-to Greenwood Lake, NY, where they lived. The idea was twofold. Most importantly they wanted to get the kids away from the violence and the paramilitaries who work double time recruiting kids during school breaks. Denis and Pat also wanted to show the Protestant and Catholic kids that they could live together and actually like each other.
Their plan worked very well. One of the Catholic boys became great friends with one of the Protestants. Years later, when the Catholic boy got married, the Protestant boy was at his side as his best man. Then the Protestant boy got married, and the Catholic boy boy was at his side, returning the favor. Project Children has grown a lot from the initial six kids and the $1600 budget it took to bring them over. Now, each year, Project Children brings over more than 600 kids and places them with host families in more than twenty states. The budget is close to a million dollars. None of it goes to salaries. The headquarters is Denis’ home, which is completely overrun with Project Children paraphernalia (papers, freebies for the kids, donations for fundraisers…) and noises (faxes, ringing phones, knocks at the door, meetings…). Luckily, his wife Miriam is equally dedicated to Project Children.
Denis could not have known in 1975 just how strong and how sweeping Project Children’s influence would be. Denis has been recognized by President Bill Clinton and has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize-twice. He’s been honored at gatherings across America and Northern Ireland. But all that praise doesn’t swell Denis’ head. He still pitches in wherever he’s needed. When a young Belfast girl’s luggage was put on the wrong plane in New York, it was Denis who tracked it down in Dublin.
