Do you remember the Baltimore Batman (Lenny Robinson) that was pulled over by cops, then went on to visit kids in the hospitals months back ? Two hospitals immediately cancelled their long-planned dates with him after a theater shooting in Colorado, according to Associated Press, however Batman Returns , again , and still managed to go visit kids . Batman (Lenny Robinson) is on a mission to make sick kids feel better — undeterred by last month’s shooting . Here is the story from France24:
Robinson took up the Batman mantle at the inspiration of his son, who, he said, was “obsessed by Batman.” Robinson inherited the obsession, and then transformed it, ultimately organizing his efforts into a charity: superheroesforkids.org.
He doesn’t get paid for his appearances, which average twice a month. Instead he spends some $60,000 (48,159 euros) a year from his own pocket on gifts for the kids. And he spent another $215,000 this year on a new Batmobile, which he donated to the foundation. “When the kids know he’s coming, there is excitement,” said John Herzenberg, head doctor at Sinai hospital’s orthopedic wing. “Anything to divert their attention from their troubles and the pain they are having is a good thing.” Robinson has earned local stardom in his hometown, and his fame only grew last spring when, dressed as the masked vigilante, his Batmobile was pulled over by police. Officers stopped him because the car — an earlier version of the Batmobile that was really a decked out Lamborghini — wasn’t displaying its license plates. In their place was the bat symbol. The police thought they were pulling over “some rich dude in a freaking Batman outfit” who thought he didn’t have to follow the rules, Robinson laughed. But his mission suffered more of a setback last month, when a gunman massacred 12 people and wounded dozens more in a Colorado movie theater, on opening night of the latest installment of the “Dark Knight” trilogy.
“The timing was unfortunate for Mr. Robinson’s visit, as it was scheduled just three days after the shooting,” a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Children’s hospital in Missouri, told AFP. “We felt our patients — and their families — needed some time and distance from those images,” she explained, adding the hospital planned to reschedule the visit. Despite the shooting, Baltimore’s Batman remains in high demand across the US — with upcoming stops scheduled for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and New York. Even European hospitals have requested a visit. Robinson, who at times adopts the voice of the children’s cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants to avoid scaring the littlest patients, says, unlike the comic book hero, his Batman has no connection to violence. “I’m the comical, funny, caring, polite, respectful side of Batman,” he insisted.
Source – france24
– Adam
