Help For Abandoned Children

One day my 13 year old boy stumbled upon a boy that lived in the back ground. You know those people that you see and your mind registers how sad it is but then is quickly redirected on to another subject. He actually started talking to him and trying to become friends because that's what Dylan Hill does.

As he came to know more about his life he found that he was mentally ill. He felt bad that other children were shunning him and making fun of him and since Dylan is 13 and the boy was 17 Dylan thought....This is a job for SUPERMAN aka Myles (Dylan's 16 year old brother). Dylan introduced Don to Myles and from that day forward a light switch was turned on in Don's life that uncovered the horrors that had before been only Don's to bare.

Myles got the story in small pieces but they came quickly. He solicited the help of some of his friends. Then the flood gates opened and our community was frozen in shock while these boys went to work to share love, life, substance, friendship and God.

This is how it unfolded to me.

Dylan came home and mentioned to me (in his answer to, "hey sweetie how did your day go?" question from me).....
Great mom! I met a new friend. He's a little slow but he's cool. The other kids were making fun of him and I was a little put off by his actions but after I got to know him better he told me that some kids told him he would be cool if he said that he liked to party and get high. They told him that the girls would like him if he said sexually explicit things to them.
Dylan explained to him that those kids were wrong and he should just be himself and not say those things.

The next time I was exposed to Don was in Myles's room. I heard a familiar voice. We had moved away for a couple of months (that's another lens) and I had not seen Myles's best friend Dillon M. since we returned so I ran into the room to hug him. They were busily going through Myles's clothes redressing another boy that I had not met but assumed was Don. He had on a thin skin tight jacket 4 sizes to small and a pair of short shorts. His hair was carrot red and he spoke in bits and bites unable to make eye contact. The boys introduced me and he changed into the more appropriate clothing. Wow! What a difference!

Much to my surprise these Varsity football playin cool guys were dressing this kid up to take him WITH THEM to the JV game.

My conversation with Don confirmed what the other boys had told me about Don's behavior. He rattled through how he was a party animal and liked to stay messed up and wondered if he would get gang raped because he looked so good in his new outfit. He made inappropriate hand motions sexual in nature and the whole time I interjected with Noooo, you don't want to do that! That's bad. You want to be good. Noooo if you did that it could lead to your doing something that you would be sorry for the next day but couldn't take back. You don't want to do that! It makes you sick the next day and regretting things you said and did. That's no good. That's not for you. You want to be good. The Dillon M. would interject, naaaa you need God not drugs or parties or girls.

Every time he made an off colored remark or gesture he would catch himself and turn red and start to stammer and stutter. I could see him turn into himself fighting for the words and the power to conduct himself in a decent way. I caught his attention and said, "I know what you need!" "You need a big hug!" I grabbed him and hugged him until I felt the tension of his inner struggle release. I held him until I knew that he knew he was not being judged and he need not explain or apologize. Dillon M. told Don. You don't have to worry. Myles's mom is cool. You can talk to her about anything. She will be there for you.

Don and Myles scampered down the steps as Dillon M. stayed behind to tell me the story I had already heard from Dylan H. We are trying to teach him how to behave differently, he said. He's never done all those things that he's talking about. Some bad kids told him that it would be cool if he acted that way (so they could laugh at him) and he believed them and no one has ever taught him differently. We are going to take him to the football game so that people can see him with us and know that it's not 'un-cool' to help people like him and maybe we can get him some friends.

They walked out and all I could do was look at them in complete awe as they drove away.

I really thought that would be the end of it but over the next several days I found out that Don was living in a trailer alone with no electricity and no running water. In fact he had not taken a shower in over a month. The trailer I heard was completely empty and he slept on the floor.

A couple of days later the boys called and asked if they could raid my garage. Of course I said go for it and they came with trucks to get a couch, chairs,
silverware, and whatever else they could find. We had gone through our closets and handed over bags of clothes and bedding. (My BFF) Jill told me to send them to her house so after they dropped off a load they went to her house to pick up a mattress and linens. Over the next couple of days they went in and cleaned as good as they could.

They solicited help from others that contributed as well as all the really cool clothes and beloved Carhartt jacket that Dillon M. gave him. They went to the church and asked for help. The church said they would make sure the water and electricity was turned on the following Monday.

But they didn't stop there. The greatest thing of all came on Sunday when they all decided to meet at church and introduce Don to God.

Not only Don but another boy that had joined in to help Don got saved that Sunday. After church a man came up and gave Don $40.00 so the boys took him to Kohls and bought him a pair of shoes.

The clouds had parted and for the first time in his life Don knew what it was like to be loved by God because he was shown love by so many. It truly renewed my faith in mankind that a band of teenage boys could show more love in just a matter of days than Don had felt in a life time.

It also proved to me that people will still do good if they are presented with an opportunity to do so. Those boys brought that opportunity to them and they stepped up.

Now it's your turn!

Don suffers from Aspergers Syndrome and will probably never be able to really care for himself. He is approaching 18 so he will be needing help for a long time. There are many other horrors that he has suffered that should not be mentioned here but needless to say he needs plenty of help in many different areas. If he or the work of this band of boys has moved you please donate or vote or send me suggestions but please help in some way.

Side note....

The amazing thing to me is through all of this the boys have expressed much gratitude to Don. They wonder who they are that this person would come into their lives. Their lives. Of all the lives he could have touched. They wonder how they could be so lucky that he came into their lives and touched them by showing just how fortunate they really are.

Would you like to be a part of this?

It will make you feel great about yourself as well!

Contact me at khill247@gmail.com
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