Between 3 and 4 children are abused or neglected every hour of every day in the US. Most often children are abused by the people they love and trust most – their parents or guardians. We see children like Cara every day at Pendleton Place.
Cara
Cara was just a little over a year old when she came to Pendleton Place. Neighbors had alerted authorities that Cara’s parents had been neglecting her. She wasn’t being bathed or fed properly, and was often left alone unsupervised. When law enforcement arrived at her home, they found that it was extremely dirty and full of animal feces. Cara’s tiny arms and legs were covered in bruises and bite marks.
She came to us hurting and frightened. She was withdrawn and distrustful of our staff and her DSS caseworker. In her short life, her only experience with adults had been abusive and hurtful. Our staff worked to provide Cara with the compassion and affectionate attention that she needed to begin healing and trusting adults.
After the initial shock of coming to Pendleton Place, Cara began to open up and relax with our staff. She was curious and playful, just as a child should be at her age. By the time Cara left Pendleton Place, her bruises had healed. But more importantly, her spirit had healed.