Living Well

Helping Hands

Troubled boys get annual gifts, including leftover
Halloween candy, from a dedicated Oak Park couple.

program. "Schools in Huntington Woods, Berkley
and Royal Oak have been really good. We often
get candy from Bloomfield Hills, and some-
eaps of Hershey's, mounds of
times from as far away as Walled Lake," she
Mars, stacks of Starburst. When
said.
Halloween comes, Joy and
For years, the Landaus' children —
Lou Landau are surrounded
Sharon (Levine), Maureen and Barry —
by candy — not just the few bags that
helped sort and bag the candy. So did the
most households purchase for
girls from the Camp Fire groups Joy
Halloween, but hundreds of pounds.
Landau led for more than 30 years. Now
The Landaus don't have a candy
the Landaus do it themselves.
addiction, or even much of a sweet
Children participate by sharing their
tooth, but they do have a soft spot in
Halloween loot with those who don't
their hearts for the children at Maxey
have a chance to trick-or-treat. "It helps
Boys' Training School, where the treats
them learn sharing skills," said Joy. It's
will be donated in December.
great for children who are diabetic,
Joy, who's been collecting goodies for
because they can have.fun going out on
more than 40 years, is known as the
Halloween and know they're doing some-
Candy Lady throughout her Oak Park
thing worthwhile with the candy they
neighborhood. She got started in 1959, as
can't eat themselves, she said.
she was putting together clothing and
She gets a kick out of discovering that
equipment her three children had outgrown
some kids aren't quite as altruistic as their
to donate to the Oakland County Children's
parents think. "Occasionally, I'll reach for a
Village in Pontiac, a foster care facility.
Hershey bar and half of it will be empty paper,
The Landaus' oldest child, Sharon, was 4 at
where the kid has unwrapped it, took half the
the time. "She had a bag of suckers, and she want-
chocolate and wrapped it up again so his mother
ed to give them to me for the children," said Joy.
wouldn't know. That just makes me laugh!"
"I told her no, and she started to cry, so I called
The Landaus' candy project eventually grew to
Lou and Joy Landau have been
the home. They said they'd be happy to have the
include holiday gifts. Joy and Lou keep a lookout
collecting candy for kids for 40 years. for sales on items like socks and gloves that they
candy because the kids never got any."
That was at the end of September. Knowing
know the Maxey boys can use, as well little luxu-
Halloween was coming up, Joy worked with the Parent-Teacher
ries like art supplies and basketballs. They collect them throughout
Association at the nearby Pepper Elementary School in Oak Park
the year to distribute with the candy at Christmas.
to ask parents to bring in what was left after the trick-or-treaters
had come and gone. They collected 400 pounds of candy, which
Troubled Kids
they checked and sorted into bags to distribute to the children at
- Christmas.
As the Landaus learned more about Maxey, they liked what they
"That was the beginning, and it just grew," said Joy. "It was just
saw. The facility, near Brighton, serves boys and young men con-
one of those ideas you get that takes on a life of its own."
victed of criminal offenses. While some are there for status offens-
Lou,_ a retired chemical engineer, worked at Parke-Davis at the
es, many have been sentenced for serious crimes, including rape
time, and put out candy collection barrels at work. Other schools
and murder.
got involved.
"People ask us why we're so interested in delinquent boys,
instead of 'normal' boys," said Joy. "Well, what's normal? These are
kids like any others. Some of them are really smart. But they come
Switching To Maxey
from environments that are so bad they never had a chance."
After a few years, the administrator the Landaus worked with at
Maxey teaches them social skills and self-esteem as well as aca-
Children's Village left and the new administrator wasn't enthusias-
demic and vocational skills, so they can be self-supporting when
tic about the candy. The Landaus knew someone who worked at
they leave.
Maxey in Whitmore Lake, a facility for 320 boys aged 11 to 21
Longtime members of Congregation Beth Shalom, the Landaus
who had gotten in trouble with the law. Maxey welcomed them.
also parry criticism from people in the Jewish community who
Every year, at the end of September or early October, Joy sends
don't like the idea of distributing Christmas gifts.
a letter to 50 or more schools, usually to the principal or PTA
"I know it's not our holiday, but we don't like to see children
president, other organizations and the news media explaining her
doing without. It really bothers us," Joy said. "Most of the organi-

BARBARA LEWIS

Special to the Jewish News

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11/2
2001