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everettboy
Member
14 Posts |
 Posted - 12/24/2007 : 12:31:33 PM
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‘Insane’ red tape reins in lil’ Santa’s gift sleigh for Everett victims
By Laurel J. Sweet
Award-winning court and crime reporter Laurel J. Sweet has been featured in the ABC miniseries "Boston 24/7" and the 9-11 documentary motion picture "Looking For My Brother."
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Political red tape, and not a blown bulb in Rudolph’s red nose, has grounded a pint-sized Santa Claus’ miracle mission to deliver toys and clothing to the victims of this month’s tanker-truck catastrophe in Everett.
Mayor John F. Hanlon told the Herald that because of the massive recalls of misfit toys manufactured in China with lead paint, novelties dropped off to make the Christmases of nine displaced children a little merrier are instead quarantined at the Everett Armory.
And that’s just where the brand-new electronic and board games, trucks, blocks and crayons 10-year-old Peter-Anthony Hereu of Wellesley has collected will be dumped at the insistence of the city’s attorneys, Hanlon regrettably confirmed.
“It’s the liability,” Hanlon explained. “If you trip on ice, trip on a stair, trip on a present, we’re going to get sued. I don’t know what to do with the toys. We’re holding on to them until next year. A little kid 10 years old, I don’t want him to be disappointed.”
Neither do the fifth-grader’s parents, Peter and Judy Hereu, who yesterday threatened to load up a fleet of vehicles with toys and go looking for the needy tots themselves.
“He still believes in Santa,” his mom said. “I’m riding that until the wheels fall off.”
She called Everett’s fear of litigation “insane” considering 47 residents, burned out of their homes Dec. 5 by a rig that rolled over on Sweetser Circle and unleashed a flood of gasoline-fueled fire on a neighborhood, are hurting for the holidays.
“I can’t believe the world is like this,” she said. “This is why people are hesitant to give of their time and money. That’s what Christmas is all about: giving.”
The Hereus have not told their eldest child, whose generosity of spirit and selflessness was honored by the Boston Celtics [team stats] at their game last night, that Everett plans to divert his sleigh to a warehouse.
In 2003, when the family was living in Miami, Peter-Anthony was among a group of 6-year-olds reportedly gagged and bound with tape by a Coral Gables Elementary School teacher and her aide for misbehaving.
Judy saw Peter-Anthony’s interest in helping the Everett victims as “great to give him some sense of empowerment again because for a long time he was scared of any adult. He’s really flourished.”
Even after the family scoured the donations for any hint of “Made in China,” Hanlon’s office told the Hereus thanks, but no thanks, to both toys and clothes.
When reached by the Herald yesterday, Hanlon agreed to accept new clothing. He’ll also take the toys off their hands, but reiterated they’ll meet an unknown fate at the armory. The Hereus want the toys to go straight to the families.
Peter-Anthony’s father said he has only told his son they are waiting on an address to make the delivery.
“I want him to take away from this that one person can make a difference,” the proud papa said. “And he did make a difference.”
lsweet@bostonherald.com
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everettboy
Member
14 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2007 : 12:33:23 PM
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| It took me about 5 seconds to find a list of recalled toys. You would think Hanlon and his cronies would get off of their butts and just go check the toys so these kids can have a Christmas. His incompetence is unbelievable, and I can only hope DeMaria doesn't keep him on in some capacity like I have heard rumored around the city. |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2007 : 12:46:02 PM
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Keep in mind, this is the same brain trust that searched for every legal loophole they could to get their illegal budget through the city council, only to have it rejected by the State. I agree, Everettboy, it's a shame they couldn't have put as much effort into finding a way to get these toys distributed as they did to getting their bogus budget passed or their bogus audit published.
But . . . let's also take a minute to recognize the efforts of this little boy to look beyond himself to reach out to help others. He should be congratulated for his selfless act, and I hope that yet another misguided decision by adults doesn't dampen his altruistic spirit. Well done Peter-Anthony!
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EverettsPride
Advanced Member
1140 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2007 : 3:49:09 PM
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Thank god he is gone next month!!! I hope someone steps forward to test the toys and fast!
Sally |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 12/24/2007 : 6:05:53 PM
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| Didn't see the whole piece but Channel 7 just ran a story where the Salvation Army's Malden Office stepped in to inspect and distribute the toys. I'm glad that a happy resolution to the problem was found. Merry Christmas to all. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 12/25/2007 : 9:38:25 PM
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Quote:
“It’s the liability,” Hanlon explained. “If you trip on ice, trip on a stair, trip on a present, we’re going to get sued.
None of this makes sense to me. Are they saying that every single toy that was donated said “Made in China” I find that hard to believe and if a child gets hurt playing with a toy they are going to sue the City? They should have requested monetary donations only right from the beginning and let the family pick out the toys for the kids. Now who suffers yet again, the kids.
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2007 : 3:25:36 PM
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A nice story for a sad issue:
A gift for compassion
By Kevin Cullen
Globe Columnist / December 24, 2007
It's a long drive up from the Cape, but Mary Quin does it without complaint. Eddie is her oldest, her baby, and she loves him the way only a mother can love her firstborn.
More stories like this"Hi, Ma," Eddie said, climbing into the car.
Eddie is 50 years old, mentally retarded, and smarter than a lot of people. He lives in a group home in Wakefield and works as a janitor at a workshop in Woburn.
Mother and son have a little tradition this time of year. She picks him up, they have lunch, and she takes him to the stores, so he can buy Christmas presents for his brother and sisters.
They were sitting in the China Moon, in Stoneham, waiting for their lunch, when Mary noticed Eddie wasn't himself.
"What's the matter, Eddie?"
"I seen it on TV, Ma," he said. "There was a fire, in Everett, and everybody's house got burned up. There was an oil truck and it crashed and it burned."
Eddie couldn't stop thinking about the people in Everett since he saw it on the news.
"I've got a lot of clothes, Ma," Eddie said. "I've got clothes at my house, and I've got clothes at your house down the Cape. I want to give some of my clothes to those people."
Mary Quin told Eddie that it wasn't clothes that the people in Everett needed. She had heard they needed other things, like money and gift cards.
Eddie thought for a moment. Then he pulled a dog-eared bank book from his back pocket.
"Ma," he said. "Can you take me to the bank?"
At the bank in Wakefield, Eddie told the teller he wanted a check for $25. The teller said she could give him an American Express check, but that it would cost a few dollars extra for the check.
"What do you want the check for?" the teller asked.
And so Eddie told her and then the teller walked over to the bank manager. When the teller came back to the window she told Eddie she wouldn't charge him for the check.
Mary Quin called a telephone number that had been set up to help the people who got burned out in Everett. After she explained what her son had done and that they didn't know where to bring the check, the guy on the other end of the line didn't say anything for a while. Then he asked Mary to wait for a week and to bring Eddie to the Everett Recreation Center at a certain time. Mary asked why they had to wait a week and the guy said he needed to talk to some people first.
So a week went by and Mary drove back up from the Cape, to Wakefield, to get Eddie and they headed to Everett. Mary took Eddie to Sweetser Circle. They got out of the car and stood in front of some rubble that used to be the homes of 13 families.
Eddie turned his head from side to side. He didn't say anything for the longest time. It was freezing.
"Ma," he finally said, "how many people died?"
"Eddie," Mary Quin said, turning to him, grabbing his arm. "Don't you remember? Nobody died. Nobody at all died. It was a miracle."
Eddie brightened.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "A miracle."
When they got to the rec center, there were a lot of people standing around, waiting. They had come to see this man, this wise man, bearing a gift. They had come to see Eddie.
Eddie handed the check to Carlo DeMaria, the mayor-elect, and DeMaria shook his hand, and then Eddie looked up and realized everybody was looking right at him. He knew he had to say something, and so he said the only thing that felt right.
"Merry Christmas, everybody," Eddie Quin said.
Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at cullen@globe.com.
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2007 : 3:40:26 PM
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What a sweet story. Isn't it amazing how sometimes the most innocent among us are also the wisest?
Thank you, Eddie.
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massdee
Moderator
5299 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2007 : 3:53:46 PM
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| What a touching story. We could all learn something from Eddie. |
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Court4Fred
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1201 Posts |
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Boston Herald
