Screed #6
06/19/00

"...I was given up at birth. My biological mother had an affair and I was the result. I lived in many foster homes - but the one in particular that really affects me is when I was 4, the father in that foster home got a job transfer out of state. They notified the authorities that they would be moving and that I would need to be picked up and found a new home. Moving day came and no social worker arrived. I watched while they packed all their things on the moving van and all my things went on the front porch. I remember trying to put my things in the truck and they kept telling me no. The worst part? They left in the family vehicle and moving van and left me on the front porch with my things. I felt unwanted, unloved, undeserving and scared. I kept trying to think of what I did wrong that they would "punish me" like this. At dusk a neighbor spotted me, brought me to her house and fed me tomato soup (which I hate to this day!) and kept me until a social worker arrived the next day. I was moved on to another foster family, and another after that. I wasn't adopted until I was 7 - but spent my whole childhood worried that if I did anything wrong they would move me to another family. Maybe that is why I so badly want to hold together families and why I still fear abandonment." - Donna

Donna's story is frightening to me. I can't believe that we live on the same planet with slugs who would leave a 4 year old child on the porch with her pile of "things". It makes me angry and then I cry when I put myself in Donna's place...the confusion of why I am alone on that porch trying to figure out what's going to happen to me and as hours pass I wonder why nothing is happening...and then I am hungry and then scared as the darkness comes...we all know that this really, really sucks. We all know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. I know, from our ranch files, that Donna's worst nightmares are cartoons when compared to the unspeakable things that have happened to some of our boys at the Stevens and Pruett Ranch.

We also know that this is why we fight the fight...It's why we give our time, our money and a good chunk of our lives to defend the little ones. Why don't you join us? There are many ways to help. All you have to do is make the call or use your email. Step into the ring. By the way...we don't serve tomato soup at our ranch. It's against ranch policy. Donna would want it that way.

Jim's Corner Archives:

• Screed #5 - 05/04/00
• Screed #4 - 03/06/00
• Screed #3 - 01/05/00
• Screed #2 - 12/02/99
• Screed #1 - 11/10/99