Hi,
My name is Dani and Im organizing this fundraiser on behalf of the McKale family. For those of you from Maple Shade, you know that the McKale family is a staple in this town and many of us have spent time at a baseball field, field hockey field, hockey court, football field, sitting next to them cheering on our children. What many of you may not be aware of is the private fight and monumental loss that this family has been dealing with for years. The McKale’s had four children and two beautiful grandchildren (Carter and Emanuel) who have been dealt a hand in life most of us wouldn’t even know how to process had we been in their shoes.
In October of 2017, both of their grandchildren were placed with an out of state DHS program. (The family has since been able to regain custody of Emanuel but are still fighting for Carter, who is severly handicapped and will never be able to walk.) At the time, the grandkids lived with their mom Brittney (oldest of the McKale children) in Philadelphia, PA. Unfortunately, Brittney was battling a personal war against drugs and addiction, a battle that would sadly claim her life not long after it claimed her children. In the hospital, right before she passed, Brittney was able to make amends with her family and tried to make things right as best as she could. Understanding the gravity of her situation and the lifelong effect it would have on her children, her final act as a mother was trying to protect her children. She wrote a notarized letter for the courts so they would know that her dying wish was for her children to be removed from the DHS system and placed in the care of their grandparents. A wish that as of today, the McKales are still trying to make happen.
For anyone who has been touched by addiction, you know that Brittney didn’t want this life for her or her children nor did her children ask to be born under these circumstances. They say that for every one person battling addiction, it affects the lives of AT LEAST four other people. This statement couldn't ring more true for the McKale family. As parents and grandparents, October 2017 would transform Jeff and Virginia’s lives into their worst nightmare, one they are still trying to escape. They had a daughter whom they could not help and two sweet grandchildren who were thrown into a plagued run-down inner city system fundamentally built to hurt the children they were meant to protect. For five years now, the McKale’s have continued the uphill battle to get Carter out of the Philadelphia DHS system and into their loving home but their fight has been plagued with bad situations followed by worse ones. Not only were they devastated with the loss of their oldest daughter, they were also left to be victims of Judge Lyris F. Younge and wrongfully denied the right to gain custody of their grandchildren. Judge Younge would later plead guilty to ethics violations, be suspended from the bench and refused the ability to sit on the family court bench ever again (hyperlinks to multiple news stories pasted at the bottom). Their family has now suffered years of emotional and physical abuse while in the care of the Philadelphia DHS system.
Thousands of dollars and two appeals later, NJ DHS (ICPC) would finally pave the path for Jeff and Virginia to be considered as potential guardians for Carter. Not to come without an all too familiar punch to the gut, they would also be told that before the case could move forward, they must spend thousands of more dollars on changes to their home and to purchase a handicap accessible vehicle. All of this to be completed with zero guarantee that they will actually be given custody of Carter.
Feeling more than a financial pinch and faced with potentially draining their retirement fund with no guaranteed outcome, the McKales are in yet another awful situation. With that being said, this fundraiser is being created to try to alleviate some of the new financial burden the NJ DHS (ICPC) stipulations have created. All of the money raised will go to the family to assist with the following items: a handicap accessible vehicle, another wheelchair, a hospital bed, bathroom remodel to install a walk in shower, reclining shower chair, back attorney's fees, and future attorneys fees. Any remaining funds will be used to cover any costs related to providing the lifelong care that Carter will require.
Anything you can give is much appreciated, even if it's just prayers and words of encouragement. Updates will be provided as Carter's case continues to play out.
Thank You
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Organizer and beneficiary
Virginia McKale
Beneficiary