KWGN Tennyson Center News Report
In December 2012, local Denver, Colorado news and television channel KWGN reported on the Tennyson Center, a home for abuse, crisis-affected, and special needs children, featuring a 14-year-old Daniel Larson and his grandmother Nancy Shimer. This video shares his experience at the center, and the progress he made.
The video shows several revealing things, such as the fact Daniel came from a neglectful household, small insights of his grandmother gaining custody over him. This video is the first known instance of Daniel being seen in the media, as well as the first instance of him mentioning his passion for acting, specifically mentioning that he wanted to chase storms on the news.
In this video, Daniel is consistently called Danny by several people, even by the anchorwoman narrating the program.
| Account | N/A |
| Source | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyCZEd11Hdo |
| Archive | https://archive.org/details/tennyson-center_202302 |
| Date | December 2012 |
Video
Transcript
Daniel: So wonderful!
Anchorwoman: The Tennyson Center for Children has become one of the Rocky Mountain region's leading treatment centers for emotionally and crisis affected children, particularly those suffering from abuse and neglect.
Nancy: Good boy. [Kisses Daniel on the cheek]
Daniel: When I first came here, I- I actually... was really nervous.
Anchorwoman: That's 14-year-old Danny, who came from an extremely neglectful home.
[Daniel giggles, Nancy laughs]
Anchorwoman: When his grandmother got word of Danny's situation, she moved here from California to be his guardian,
Daniel: Wonderful!
Anchorwoman: ...so he wouldn't end up in a foster home. Danny still lived at the center for a year and a half, but now lives with his grandma, continuing to go to school at Tennyson and receive treatment.
Nancy: When he came to Tennyson almost three years ago, he was very angry... and confused, and feeling very uncertain about his life, and where he belonged, and what was going to happen.
Anchorwoman: Rod Whitt, the president of Tennyson Center, says the program gives children like Danny great opportunity.
Rod Whitt: Uhh... Do they bring some challenges? Absolutely, they do. But, uh... you know, they've got the opportunity to, number one, be safe. Number two, uh, receive some attention... that they've- in some cases, never received. And, number three, to get help, and to be themselves, and to really let their own personalities come forth.
Daniel: Woo-hoo!
Anchorwoman: But looking at Danny now, you will see a smiling, laughing young boy with the world ahead of him.
Daniel: This is wonderful today!
Anchorwoman: Danny and his grandmother have both seen huge improvements.
Daniel: I learned to... [stutter] When I'm in school, to do school, and... n-never quit, cause if you quit, you won't know what to do. And... um... [Smacks lips] if- if someone's trying to get you upset, don't let them make you feel bad about yourself. Heh… [Inaudible] Just be good, and um... make yourself, uh... feel happy.
Daniel: [In playground] I am Captain Hook!
Nancy: He likes himself now. He feels good about himself. I'm not saying he's a finished job. He's got more work to do, but he's a much different child than he was when he first came here.
Anchorwoman: Danny now has big dreams and is looking forward to the future.
Daniel: [Hollers, goes down slide]
Daniel: I like theater, I love to act. I want to sort of chase when I get older. Hopefully I'll be on the news one day.
Anchorwoman: As Danny says goodbye, he has this to say to the people at the Tennyson Center.
Daniel: Thank you for having me, it was a pleasure being here. And, uhh.. it did a lot to help me, I made lots of friends, I learned how to do stuff I never knew how to do before, and... it's much better now. Thank you.
See also
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