Rozetta Mowery's Page

In April 2009, after speaking to a large group of people of all ages at the Fisher Public Library in Athens, TN, I was approached by a young woman and her 8 year old daughter. They had listened attentively as I spoke about my life and my family and how my family was destroyed by domestic violence. I also spoke about CASA and the domestic violence shelters where women take their children to get away from their abusers. I asked everyone in attendance to go through their closets, drawers and garages to look for items they no longer need and donate those items to the families that had fled to safety, because most of the time they leave with only the clothes they are wearing and sometimes the children don’t even have shoes on their little feet when they are fleeing. There’s never enough time to grab the special little things that the children love; their teddy bears and baby dolls or their special little dump truck or tricycle. I asked the people to check their children’s closets and toy boxes and if they had outgrown some of their clothes and had toys they did not want, to please donate those items also. As the mother and her daughter approached me, the little girl began to speak first. She was very excited to meet me and told me she wanted to donate all her toys and clothes that she did not need anymore. She said she wanted to give them to some other child who could use them! I was ecstatic and gave the little girl a big hug and thanked her. Her mother asked me the name and location of the local domestic violence shelter and CASA office and I gladly gave her the information she requested. They called me the next day to tell me they had dropped off all the items at the HOPE Center in Athens, TN! Those unused items brought a lot of joy to another child! I hope she will always remember that day, because I certainly will. I was touched in more ways than she could possibly imagine. The kindness and thoughtfulness in the actions of a child is a reminder to all of us that it is always better to give than to receive. Please check in your communities for local thrift stores that are run by volunteers of CASA and domestic violence shelters or just call the telephone numbers listed in your phone book. If you have large items of furniture, they can pick those up. Please donate all the things you no longer need to help these families begin their new life. You can also mention this to your civic groups, churches and clubs. These families desperately need your help!