Last week, a member of my extended family received last rites. He is old, frail and still with us. But knowing that the Catholic Church has given him this blessing set my family and me to thinking about how to honor him.
He and his late wife were good at many things, from business to faith to community. But they were best at family.
They shared their love, discipline and energy with their birth children and their chosen children, the ones who came into their home as foster and adopted members of the family.
Some came damaged by neglect and abuse, but he and his family stood by them when they fell, even failed. That strength and patience has been the rope they grabbed as they struggled to a place of peace and stability.
Flowers, though lovely, are not the right match for this man. A donation to his church would be a good choice.
But I think direct aid is more his style. We are going with Charlie’s Dinosaur. We are packing a big duffel bag with necessities, and a few niceties, for a teen boy.
We are writing a note to go with it, sending our hope that this child finds the love and support to guide him, by example, to a safe and healthy future.
About the drive
Child abuse and neglect cases are some of the hardest on Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies. Though they are all awful, the deaths of Charlie and Braden Powell at their father’s hand was one of the worst. Who could make sense of a parent murdering his own boys?
After they found a picture Charlie made of a happy dinosaur, five detectives saw it as the mascot of an effort to help the kids they still can. They founded Charlie’s Dinosaur as a non-profit to help children moving out of abuse and into foster care.
There is an awkward time in that process, said Detective Sgt. Theresa Berg. The children rarely have clean clothes, toiletries or anything to pass the time in the few days when they are in meetings, hearings and temporary care. Charlie’s Dinosaur fills in that blank with a backpack or rolling suitcase filled with new necessities.
The detectives are allowing us to help fill those bags during Tacoma Weekly’s Charlie’s Dinosaur Drive for Foster Kids. The list of things the children need, and the places to bring them, are next to this story.
Dino Donation Sites
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department in the County/City Building
All Pierce County Sheriff’s substations
All Tacoma Police Department substations
Tacoma Weekly, 2588 Pacific Highway, Fife.
* Backpacks
* Rolling luggage
* Pajamas (no nightgowns or shorties)
* Hair dryers
* Jeans and tops
* Zip-front hoodies
* Coats
* Toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and body wash
* Combs and brushes
* Art supplies and books