THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512120123
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS
CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Life can be cruel to those who are ground down by the forces of a changing social order. Illness and disability only make matters worse.
In formerly communist Romania, financially strapped parents are abandoning their own children if the children are imperfect, according to Kate Burlin, director of development at St. Matthew's School in Virginia Beach,
Scores of youngsters struggle daily to survive on the streets. Among the worst off are those with AIDS.
Burlin knows. Her information comes from Michael Whittcamp of Virginia Beach, who is working at St. Laurence Children's Hospice in Cernavoda, Romania. Michael's mother, Mimi, is a reading specialist at St. Matthew's. After graduating from Norfolk Catholic High School in 1990, Michael accepted a Whittle Scholarship to the University of Tennessee. It was a five-year scholarship, covering his four undergraduate years plus one year of service abroad as an intern. It is that internship that has taken him to Romania. ``He's a biology major and plans to attend medical school. He chose to work at the hospice. He's been there since October,'' Burlin said.
Michael's letters home have galvanized the kids and grown-ups at St. Matthew's, a Catholic school with an enrollment of 550 drawn about equally from Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, into action.
A mountain of relief supplies ranging from sweaters to stethoscopes to stuffed animals has been collected at St. Matthew's and is about to be shipped to the hospice. An anonymous donor has agreed to cover the entire shipping charges of $50 for each 10 pounds. The $700 collected by the students will cover customs duties.
``It basically started from one letter going home to parents and teachers talking it up,'' said principal Barbara White. ``The whole thing kind of snowballed.''
The eighth-grade religion class took materials donated to the art department and made plush stuffed bears and bunnies, and the Romanians have been added to the religion class's prayer tree. ``Those children,'' said Burlin, ``are in our children's prayers all the time.''
Michael's goal is to make a difference in the lives of the children, Burlin said. But time is short. A Children In Distress newsletter lists about a dozen names of those who have died since the previous issue, names clearly recognizable - even in Romanian - as both girls and boys. Born 1988; died 1995. Born 1989; died 1995.
Other organizations are helping, too, noted Burlin, with such items as bedding. But much more is needed, including scrubs. The efforts at St. Matthew's started as a holiday project but, given the need, White now sees it continuing for the balance of the school year.
Third-grader Paul Cofield, 8, of Virginia Beach said, ``It's wonderful because children in Romania don't have as much stuff as we do. We're giving them clothes, games, stuffed animals and money.''
J.P. Obcemane, 14, an eighth-grader from Virginia Beach, talked about the bears his class made. ``We made patterns and worked in groups or individually for four or five days to make the whole bear. I feel happy because we made those for those kids.'' Classmate Jessica Strickler, 13, of Chesapeake said, ``I thought it was great because we're helping kids in need who don't have much to hug.'' MEMO: For details or to make a donation, call Kate Burlin at 424-5194.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Eighth-graders Aaron Burkhart, Beth Harzold and Sarah Bain show
stuffed toys they helped make for Romanian kids who have AIDS.
by CNB