My Mother (Florence Cohn) and the Pleasure of Giving

The Pleasure of Giving:

Claremont resident Florence Cohn, continues her annual acts of kindness.
Perched on top of a desk layered with paper-clipped contracts
and canary-yellow writing pads, is an unframed photograph
of an infant Navajo boy, keenly pushing a shiny
fire-truck across what appears to be a makeshift floor.

“Isn’t that the cutest toy you’ve ever seen?”
asks Claremont resident Florence
Cohn, smiling broadly.
A cursory glance around the office of
the 84-year-old real estate agent reveals
a dozen or so similar images of beaming
children—opening gifts, eyes glowing
brightly.

This December will mark the 17th
consecutive year that Ms. Cohn has embarked
on the day-long drive to Kayenta,
Arizona, to present toys to hundreds of
needy Navajo children. For several
weeks in advance, she stockpiles bicycles,
skateboards, boxed toys, and clothes
in her garage, before loading up a cargo
trailer and heading east with her team of
volunteers.

“The Claremont community is involved
every year,” she said, describing
the many local residents and businesses
who donate to her cause. “Sometimes I’ll
return home from work to find four bikes
sitting in my driveway.”

Ms. Cohn first discovered the need
within the Kayenta reservation while visiting
her geodesic vacation home in the
south-western region of Colorado. The
township, situated directly south of Monument
Valley, is home to just over 1,000
Native American families of Navajo
tribes.

For the next eight years, Ms. Cohn
worked directly with the nearby Hopis—
but eventually discovered that the Navajos
were even needier. “These kids are
poorer than anywhere else in the country,”
she said, “and they want toys just
like any other children their age.”
Each December, the residents of
Kayenta come together to host a big celebration
at the township’s recreation center,
putting together an enormous holiday
feast. As welcomed guests, Ms. Cohn and
her volunteers are awarded free accommodation
at the local Hampton Inn, and
area police officers contribute by transporting
as many as 600 Navajo children
from all corners of the 5,000-acre reservation.

“Every visit brings new experiences,”
said Ms. Cohn. “On our last trip I was
able to meet and talk with a Native American
man who was a code talker during
World War II.”
And the events are reciprocal. Earlier
this year, several Kayenta families made
their first journey to Claremont to participate
in the annual 4th of July parade.

They set up tents in Ms. Cohn’s front
yard and were welcomed into the neighborhood
with open arms.

Although still healthy and active
within the community, Ms. Cohn sees
herself passing on the torch to likeminded
individuals within the next few
years. She hopes to write a book entitled
The Pleasure of Giving, documenting
her adventurous and serendipitous life.
“Amazing things happen to me all the
time,” she said, glancing at the image of
a Navajo baby in a papoose. “The more
you help others, the more it comes back.”
Donations of toys and children’s
clothes are welcomed up to December
15th and can be made at 21 Choices,
local elementary schools, or by contacting
Ms. Cohn directly at 909-624-4505.

—Simon Lee- Claremont Courier, Claremont, California