Program helps crime victims at Christmas

| Sunday, December 23, 2001 10:00 PM PST ∞

SPENCER SOPER
Staff Writer

When Mary of Escondido discovered that her husband was allegedly molesting their four-year-old daughter, she said she kicked him out of the house.

In turn, he cleaned out their joint savings account.

Now Mary, who requested her real name not be used, is struggling to give her daughter a Christmas on a single-parent income.

She has gotten some help through the Victims Assistance Program run by the District Attorney's office.

An anonymous sponsor has agreed to buy Mary's daughter a doll house for Christmas through the agency's Christmas Wish program, which has provided donated gifts to crime victims for the last 10 years.

For Mary, the helping hand from a stranger offers comfort after she and her daughter were devastated by her husband, she said.

"I just think it's awesome that there are people out there willing to help," Mary said. "I know that when I'm in a better position, I'll do the same thing to help someone else."

One of the Christmas Wish program's regular donors is the Encinitas Business Exchange, a networking group of about 30 business owners in North County.

Last year, the group sponsored a teen girl who was raped by a stranger who broke into her home.

She asked for new bedding.

This year, the Encinitas group will buy a crib and clothes for a 2-month-old baby and a backpack for an 8-year-old boy in San Diego. The children's parents were robbed recently by their roommate while the mother was in the hospital delivering her baby.

The roommate made off with their Christmas stash and the security deposit for their apartment, leaving the family with nothing for the holidays, Gallagher said.

The father is disabled and only works intermittently as a handyman.

"I think it makes it a better world when we help people who are less fortunate," said Bonnie Rumble, a family and marriage therapist who owns the Cardiff Counseling Center and is a member of the Encinitas Business Exchange.

This is the Christmas Wish program's biggest year, with about 100 people in 30 families receiving donated gifts, said coordinator Marianne Gallagher, a child support supervisor with the Victim's Assistance Program.

Donors can give the gifts anonymously or in person, Gallagher said.

The families are all needy, and the crimes committed against them or a family member range from theft to domestic violence to murder, Gallagher said.

"They might ask for a Barbie or a TV for the family or maybe just some clothes," Gallagher said. "It's a chance for us to spread the Christmas cheer and alleviate some of their suffering."

Contact staff writer Spencer Soper at (760)943-2313 or ssoper@nctimes.com.

12/24/01

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