Local Woman Seeks To Help Suffering Children Around Holidays
December 29, 2009 by Josh Morgan
Many years ago, Cheshire resident Remi Borak was visiting two young boys staying in a shelter because of their abusive parents and the experience changed her life.
She spoke with the two young children and they started to cry during her visit. She asked them what they were sad about, and both boys, almost on cue, stated they were afraid that Santa Claus would not be able to find them in the shelter since they were away from their home. That year, Borak brought the boys presents and exclaimed that Santa would find them every year, no matter where they were. That was when Borak formed the Will Santa Find Me Foundation, a group that caters to the needs and wishes of Connecticut children around Christmas. For 20 years, Borak and many other volunteers have helped Santa find less than fortunate children.
“I’ve been asking people to help me out ever since that day,” Borak explained. “We want everyone to know Santa will find them, no matter what.”
Students at Cheshire High School responded to Borak’s call and helped collect donations for a six-month-old girl, who hasn’t been able to leave Yale-New Haven Hospital since her birth. She is suffering from congestive heart failure and Christmas is one of the last things on her family’s mind, Borak explained. Students were able to collect book donations, and clothing and toys to give to the girl, her siblings, and her parents.
“We want everyone in the family to have something to open,” Borak said. “This is a challenge to the community and a chance for us to say ‘look at what the CHS students did for the community.”’
Students who participated were able to receive extra credit in a few of their teacher’s classes or service credit in volunteer groups. While the Will Santa Find Me initiative has nearly come to an end, Borak is involved in another cause that sends chills down her spine when she talks about it.
Hopes & Dreams International is a division of the Will Santa Find Me Foundation and focuses on rescuing children who are sold into slavery. The idea is to keep these childrens’ hopes and dreams alive by rescuing them and trying to salvage their childhood.
Every year, 1.2 million children are sold into sex slavery and these children are trafficked all over the world. Children as young as three years old have been saved, but only after they were beaten, drugged, and raped. The problem is not just in third world countries, as, according to the United States Department of Justice, a child in the United States goes missing every 40 seconds.
Borak was working with a family in Cambodia whose daughter had been sold into slavery and they were working on rescuing her. Perhaps by coincidence, or a stroke of fate, Borak had a dream of meeting a superman to help her in her quest to save this child. As luck would have it, she bumped into Dean Cain, an actor who portrayed Superman on television, and shared her story with him. Through his connections, Borak was introduced to Ty Ritter, a former marine who is hired to rescue these children.
“It is shocking to see how many kids are sold into slavery. It’s a huge number and we need to do something,” Borak said. “They are broken emotionally and physically, and we want to make them whole again.”
These goals need funding, which has now become a yearlong effort of many different groups within Cheshire High School. After presenting the challenge to the students on Dec. 15, Cheshire Young Democrats Secretary Adrianna DiCenzo said students were encouraged to help.
“We want to raise money and help these poor children that are sold into slavery,” DiCenzo said. “We’ll do whatever we can to help out.”
An ultimate goal for Borak is to build healing centers in the United States, where these children can regain their childhood and heal together. Money raised through collections at CHS will be used to help create these healing centers.
“We know where three children are currently, but we need money for their rescue,” Borak said. “We want to try and rescue every child who is out there. We can make a difference in this world.”
CHS History teacher Kathleen Hoag said that raising funds for Hopes & Dreams International is being considered as a yearlong project, and she is hoping the students come together with fundraising ideas that transform into “something big.”
“(Borak) is trying to make miracles happen and we’ll try to fundraise outside of our normal causes,” Hoag said. “We hope to get as many clubs invested in this. Hopefully, everyone will help out.”
For more information, visit the Web at www.hopesanddreams.org.
