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VINCENT'S The mission of St. Vincent's is to help children who have been abandoned, abused and/or neglected. - They are committed to providing residential programs for young children in need; promoting meaningful educational experiences; developing an awareness of social conditions in neighboring communities. - They provide a comprehensive range of services including health, educational, social recreational, psychological and spiritual. - They create positive feelings of personal security, self-worth and shared values. - They promote mutual respect among people of varying races, cultures and creeds. To help you understand the children's needs and St. Vincent's work, we'll tell you the story of Donald, Darlene and Gail. The story is real, but the names and ages have been changed to protect the children. These young children have been living in the St. Vincent's shelter for two months during 1998. Their story is similar to many of the children living at St. Vincent's each year. The vacant lot next door to their house was filled with different kinds of trash. Two old cars and piles of demolition refuse covered most of the lot. Every few days new trash would appear. Donald and his sisters stayed indoors as often as possible since there was a drug dealer living three doors down and one across the street. Their mother had warned the children only to go out when she could watch them. Their mother had been treated for mental illness and depression since Donald was 4 years old. When mom's health insurance changed, she stopped attending counseling and stopped taking her medication. Donald's teacher reported that his school attendance became sporadic and then stopped. The children were placed at St. Vincent's after they were found begging in their neighborhood. Donald is twelve now, and attends a local public school where he does reasonably well considering all that he has been through in his young life. Darlene is four and attends St. Vincent's on-site kindergarten readiness program and Gail is three and attends the on-site New Beginnings Head Start Program. The kids worry about their mother and are always looking out for each other. Although these three siblings have adjusted well to St. Vincent's and had a lot of fun this summer, they never stopped asking about going home to mom. We are hopeful that they will be reunited with their mother in the near future. Through a mental health program and medication, she has done very well putting her life back together and is currently attending parenting classes. As Donald, Darlene and Gail leave St. Vincent's to be reunited with their mother, three more children will quickly fill their beds. If St. Vincent's did not exist, almost 500 children each year would continue to live in unsafe, chaotic, abusive or neglectful environments. On behalf of the children at St. Vincent's, thank you again for your generous gift donations to their Christmas Party and best of health and happiness to you and yours in the coming years.
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