Update on radio time

I will be calling in during a segment called "Listeners On The Loose." This segment is dedicated to allowing listeners to call in and discuss any topic they choose. I have been told that they will be calling me at around 8:30am. I may be on hold for a little while but it will be worth it.

Brandon on the radio......

Awesome news.

I sent out emails to every morning radio talk show in the Seattle area, and one has responded!

On Friday, August 8th, I will be phoning in to The BJ Shea Morning Experience on 99.9 KISW. BJ Shea is the top rated morning show in the Seattle area and has a huge listener base. We have not figured out a time yet but I will post an update as soon as we have one. Being a rock music fan I have caught bits and pieces of his show over the years. I am sure there are some that would consider BJ a shock jock, but trust me, he is a very educated, well spoken person who is passionate on issues in regards to parental rights/welfare/CPS. I have heard topics on his show where he takes the system to task regarding children and parents rights, and he covers these topics in a very professional manner. I have found that I am in agreement with his opinions regarding these issues. This will be amazing exposure for the Spencer Foundation and I can't thank BJ enough for allowing me to phone into the show.

Searching the Unknown

I went into DSHS today and filed for all the documents pertaining to Spencer. This is completed by filing a form with the Children Administration office, at which time they mail it to the Seattle office who is in charge of this region. I was told that the release of documents can take 30 days or more. So there is no misunderstanding, I am doing this because I am uninformed of anything that has happened over the past 6 years. I don't have any idea what is in those files other than what I have been told. I believe that I have to have a professional look at these files and determine if any course of action legally should be pursued. I cannot make that decision as I am not versed in the legal manners of this type much less any others. I do feel it is necessary to do in light of the circumstances surrounding his death.

Part Two

Jaime Adame informed me this morning that part two will be posted tomorrow. He is going to give the foundation a plug in the article.

Many people have asked me why I have not posted any replies to the people who have been posting on the newspaper article. My answer is, whats the point?

My friend (R McGowan on the board) said it best when he said that people are never tougher than when they sit behind a keyboard. When you sit back and read what is written, you realize that these people are just begging for a reply, and look what happens when they get one. The next thing you know we have family members ripping at each other on a public forum when they should just pick up a phone and reach out to each other. This family needs to heal and the best way to do that is by coming together, not blasting each other. We need to realize that the reason why this happened will never be known. None of us can truly say what was going on in Taunya's head in the moments before she pulled the trigger. Even if we did know why, would it provide us any comfort? Doubtful. Its o.k. to be sad, angry, confused, hurt, or whatever it is you are feeling. In the wake of these feelings, our family has a chance to do something extraordinary. Lets try to make some change.

I would encourage all of you to stay off the public forum. If you want to comment or share a story or condolences, feel free to do it here where we can weed out the neighborhood gossip.

Mission Statement

Children's Administration Mission (directly from website)
The mission of the Children's Administration is first to protect abused and neglected children, to support the efforts of families to care for and parent their own children safely, and to provide quality care and permanent families for children in partnership with parents and kin, Tribes, foster parents and communities.

I just don't get it, the only way they supported my efforts to parent was take the stance that I couldn't and they never backed that up with anything substantial. Every course of action I took showed my ability to parent Spencer. They absolutely did not support my efforts to care for and parent my child. How come they didn't ask why Spencer wasn't receiving visits with his dad, that question alone would have revealed the nature of this case. It seems obvious they protected a mother's right to maintain custody, not protect the child.

Interesting points

Here are some things from the article that frighten me....

Another welfare official said CPS does not automatically remove a child if there is a parental suicide attempt, but welfare workers rely on mental health professionals to decide what to do. A suicidal parent is offered services such as counseling, said Sharon Gilbert, deputy director for field operations in the state Children's Administration, a division of the state Department of Social and Health Services.

Yes, I'm sure that is the best approach. Lets rely on someone who meets with the parent once or twice to "evaluate" them and not on the friends and family members who are living it on a daily basis.

Lambert-Eckel declined to give details about CPS' involvement with Hilliard and her son, citing the ongoing police investigation. She did confirm that CPS had involvement with the family in two places in the state, including the Wenatchee area.

Anyone else notice a pattern? So he is removed from her home in a different county, she moves, attempts suicide, their office is flooded with reports, and still nothing?

Gilbert said welfare authorities were not required to investigate because they had not provided services to the family within the previous year, but a formal investigation was expected to take place anyway to review how welfare authorities handled complaints and delivered services to the family.

Interesting. A child dies on our watch (or lack of watch) and since we haven't bothered to lift a finger in the past and things have been quite, we don't need to investigate....... but we will anyway. Interesting they say how they "delivered services to the family." I am aware of no services being delivered. What about how they handled complaints? We never even got a call back on one single complaint that we made.

These statements are extremely frustrating. I have left a message with Sharon Gilbert and will continue to do so everyday until she returns my call.

As far as my last quote about not blaming CPS, I change my mind.

Article is posted

The Wenatchee World has posted the first part of its two part follow up to the story. It can be read by clicking here.

Again, I want to express my thanks to Jaime. The article is well written and will be a useful tool in getting the ball rolling. I was hoping for a plug to this site and the foundation but that may still come in part two.

Wenatchee World

I just spoke to Jaime Adame (pronounce hi-me) from the Wenatchee World. He had a few follow up questions and things to clarify. He hopes the story will be out today.

Part one will be mainly facts regarding the issue with the state as well as things that were going on in Taunya's life. I also revealed to Jaime that before drugs, Taunya was a good and caring mom who took care of her children. He will be reporting that in the article as well. I know some of the details may be hard to read. The truth is sometimes hard, but I believe its the best way to get the story out there. In part two of the article Jaime has interviewed some experts on cases like this to give their opinions.

Even though I have not read the story, I want to take a quick moment to thank Jaime for being respectful and courteous with his questions during this difficult time. I know the media is often looked at in a negative light, but Jaime has been professional at all times during the writing of this article.

Media Coverage

It has been reported to me that there will be a 2-part follow up on this story published in the Wenatchee World beginning Tuesday, July 22, 2008. I am anxiously waiting.

CPS in a nutshell

Something came to memory today. It was a phone call I received while sitting in Spencer's room at the hospital. This may not be exact, but I will not exagerrate on what was said. It went something like this.

CPS Worker: Hi Mr Jones, this is (cant remember name) from CPS. Can we please have your phone number and address.
Me: Well you called me so you have my number, why do you want my address?
CPS: Dont worry sir, you arent under investigation.
Me: Thanks.
CPS: We feel like you may be a valuable resource as we piece our facts together about what happened.
Me: Really? Wow I bet I could help.
CPS: Thanks Mr. Jones, we know you can help us paint a clear picture of what has been going on with Spencer.
Me: I would love to sit down with anyone from the state at any time.
CPS: Thanks, we will be in touch.

I cant possibly begin to express how angry that call made me. Why dont they try opening a file? We have been making reports for years. Certainly one quick look at his file would paint a very clear picture of what was going on.

The biggest surprise of all? You guessed it, I havent heard from CPS yet. Apparently their investigation process isnt any better after a child is murdered as it is beforehand.

Clarification

A lot of people have asked me about Taunya and what she was thinking or going through when this tragedy occured. The short answer is, I have no clue. I have been kicking the longer answer around in my head for two weeks without being able to come up with anything that I can wrap my arms around as a reason to do this. But just to clear up any questions, our efforts in going after the State is not an attempt to smear my sister's name in the mud. Clearly, my sister had her demons and they were far too strong for her to overcome. Our effort is going to be focused on awareness and reform while helping people through traumatic situations.

That said, please dont be afraid to ask questions. We want to bring out all the facts as clearly as we can. Spencer was not the first kid this happened to, and sadly he will not be the last. Lets just hope we can make a difference somehow.

Round 1

The first media coverage of our fight with CPS will be tomorrow. The Wenatchee World interviewed me for about 45 minutes regarding our dealings with the state.

I have also been in contact with two local morning radio shows regarding Spencer. Hopefully at least one of them will turn into an interview.

Spencer Wayne Hepko

Welcome to the website for the Spencer Foundation.

For those that are not aware of all the details surrounding Spencer, you can read the article from the Wenatchee World by clicking here.

To give further details, the woman in the story, Taunya Hilliard is my sister and Spencer Hepko is my nephew. April and I were blessed to have Spencer live with us for a year when he was 2 years old. We didn't have kids then, and always considered Spencer to be our own.

We spent two days at Spencer's bedside at Harborview Medical Center before he passed away. During that time we were surrounded by love and support from our family and friends. After Spencer died, we began to think about the numerous amounts of families that are in similar situations that do not have the support that we did. Therefore, we decided to start The Spencer Foundation.

The goal of the foundation will be to raise funds to assist families in similar situations such as ours. In times of tragedy we hope to provide meals, bibles, financial relief with bills or lost time off of work, funeral expenses, counseling services, or any other support that a grieving family may need. We also hope to have an impact on the way that the State of Washington and Child Protective Services investigates and responds to claims of child neglect.

Please feel free to leave a comment or email me at The Spencer Foundation if you have any questions.