BLANKETS AND BOOKS STORY

 

I finally was able to make use of some of the fine Land's End gift blankets that were so graciously donated for us to give out, along with the With Wings and a Halo Children's books.  I was sent to a child abuse complaint involving two sisters who reside with their 9 children all under the age of 13 in low income housing on the city's north side. 

 

One of their boyfriends had been using the two boys in the family as punching bags, beating the 7 year old repeatedly causing bloody noses and permanent scarring from belt blows, and throwing the two-year-old down the stairs and breaking the two-year-old's arm in three places, punching him so hard in the stomach that he perforated his liver, bruised his kidney, broke two vertebrae in his lower spine, and fractured three ribs.  His esophagus was also damaged from previous blows that had hardened into scar tissue.  His other arm showed an older broken wrist.  The two year old remains hospitalized. 

 

While I was there investigating at the family apt, I found they had no bedding for the two floor mattresses the kids were sleeping on in one bedroom. There were very few toys and no books in the home at all. 

 

I brought them 6 Lands End blankets, one for each of the older children, and two bags of the gift books.  The books fascinated the children and they couldn't get enough of the interactive stickers and things in the books that intrigued them.  The next day I found one of the mothers reading to the kids from the books, and the older kids playing independently with the books.  I found they had made up the dirty stained mattresses upstairs with the blankets, and the kids were proud to show off their nice clean made-up beds to me.

 

The boyfriend is now out of the house, the kids have blankets and books, and they are beginning to be a happier family.

Maureen Wall