Coalition To Help Kids In Danger
A new volunteer group hopes to create emergency homes and a charitable network for Spokane’s needy and imperiled children.
“Winners” was sparked by a gruesome 1993 slaying witnessed by two toddlers. The Rachel Carver murder last June broadened its resolve.
Winners is now a growing coalition of social workers, citizens, church leaders and police. Its goals include a computer-coordinated charity system which matches donations with needy kids.
The organization also is plotting ways to raise money to buy homes that will house runaways and other children in danger.
The first purchase will be a six-bedroom house in the Lidgerwood neighborhood in north Spokane that will cost Winners about $84,500. The future Madelyn House will be named after its last owner, Madelyn Borgardts.
Borgardts died last year, still haunted by her son’s violent crime.
On May 11, 1993, Michael Borgardts drove to his former girlfriend’s home at 4814 N. Belt, and stabbed her 27 times while her two children, 3 and 4, watched.
“I really feel she gave her life during this time,” said Debbie Wagner, a Winners founder and Madelyn Borgardts’ neighbor. “It sucked everything out of her.”
Wagner said Borgardts was a friend to troubled children. She, like Wagner, also had the habit of housing stray kids.
Winners is negotiating with Borgardts’ relatives who are willing to sell the home cheap for the cause.
The Rachel Carver House for Children is the second home Winners hopes to open. The home will be bought in the same Shadle neighborhood where 9-year-old Rachel lived before police say her uncle killed her last June.
“The system didn’t know that Rachel was here. The system didn’t know Rachel was in trouble,” said Cheryl Steele, director of Spokane COPS, a network of citizen-run police substations.
Steele said she hopes Winners improves the community’s sense of responsibility for its children. She also said school counselors and others can help Winners determine kids’ specific needs.
For example, if someone wants to buy a child some shoes or offer free dental work, a computer program run by COPS could help find the child who most needs that help.
Winners meets at 10 a.m. today at the state Department of Social and Health Services office at 1425 N. Washington.
, DataTimes