In Montreal, Canada, many girls in Bais Yaakov D’Rav Hirschprung walk to school each day. On Sunday mornings, the crossing guard provided by the government isn’t there. Enter Mr. Reuven Stein, who volunteers his services every single Sunday — rain, shine, or Canadian snow.
MJ: Hi Mr. Stein. How did you get started in the crossing guard business?
RS: I started 15 years ago when my oldest daughter who’s now 20 was five. I used to walk her to school each day and just for fun I made a flimsy red stop sign that accompanied us each week. If other girls reached the corner when we did I’d cross them too. On my way home I still had the stop sign in my hand so I’d cross more girls who were just arriving.
After a few months of this I noticed that many young girls were crossing the streets by themselves and I felt it wasn’t safe. I decided to go early before my daughter left for school and stay until all the girls had crossed. This lasted for about a year. The parents were very grateful.
The following year one of the administrators asked if I would do it for real — she’d get me a real stop sign and an official neon suit. I said “Sure why not?” I’ve been doing it ever since.
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