An Elf by the name of Josh Rogers just came in my office....donating the Christmas Meal and a little something extra for the Breaux-Perkin's family.
Josh's generosity continues to leave me absolutely speechless. Josh is the main reason that there is a "Snarky Corner"....it was his character that was attacked....that I felt needed to be delt with! I love him and his wife...and they will always hold a special place in my heart! P.S. Please go pay Josh at OB's Bar & Grill a visit!
From the home and hearts of Jennifer Breaux and André Perkins,
Christmas time is here at last. It will the be the second Christmas for us this year, as we had a true Christmas-in-April. Two days before Easter, we were blessed with the greatest gift- custody of Andre's four children. They are wonderful kids and bring joy to us daily. Prior to living with us, they had experienced little in their lives, so nearly everything is exciting and new to them. Raised in a very isolated and restrictive environment, they had never experienced the joy of celebrating a birthday, learning to swim, or even going to school. They came to us nearly illiterate. The children had been "home-schooled" and lacked even basic phonetic skills and had never even heard the word science. The lack of development was severe- the twelve year old was unable to read words such as 'milk' or 'rice.' It was very hard to deal with on an emotional level. I took for granted how lucky I was to be literate and educated.
They were enrolled at Prien Lake Elementary and S.J. Welsh for the final six weeks of last year. Both schools have been wonderfully accommodating to their situation, and the kids are making leaps and bounds. The younger two children, Andre and Akeilah, have both become "A.R. Reading Heroes" at Prien Lake and are very proud of this accomplishment - Akeilah wears her AR dogtag constantly. When I walk in a room to see them reading leisurely, I am overwhelmed with awe and gratitude. Akyrrah, the older girl, now plays clarinet and hopes to join choir. Jeffery, the oldest, loves sports, but was unable to play due to age restrictions, though he made both the football and basketball teams during tryouts.
We are so luck to watch them grow, learn and dream. I hope to remind everyone to never take for granted the gift that is an education.
André and I have all we could have asked for this Christmas, but I can't say the same for the kids. It has been an uphill battle to keep them however. Doctor bills, tutoring, the constant need for new school uniforms (they grow so fast!) and the lawyer fees (still accruing) have put a strain on our finances. The kids understand and are not expecting much, but it would be wonderful if we could give them each something, even if it's small. They're really good, sweet-natured children.
Left to right: Akyrrah (13), Akeilah (9), Andre (11), Jeffery (15)
Jeffery (15): the athlete. loves the Saints, football, basketball, plays piano and the drums
Akyrrah (13): our girly-girl. Plays clarinet, sings, loves doing hair and accessories (boots, purses, hair clips, etc.)
Andre (11): our little soldier. Loves GI Joe, adventuring through the woods, and play swords. In Boy Scouts
Akeilah (9): the artist. Loves to paint, sculpt, just create things in general and is now an avid reader!
Hand-me-downs are great, especially school uniforms!
Boys wear L (12-14) & M (8-10) size shirts; 16 & 12 size pants.
Girls wear M (10) & S (6-7) size shirts; 12 & 8 size pants.
I hope your Christmas is as blessed as ours.
Cheers,
Jennifer Breaux & André Perkins
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