In our hearts and prayers  / Christine Snyder (friend)

just recently learning more about the justice winds and whoopassforjuveniles.  came across your web for joey and wanting to offer condolences and prayers for your family.  this has given me incentive to work along with these programs!
christine

Close

Here we go again  / Joeys Mom
Hi Baby,
  It's a New Year and I thought of you as the ball dropped. We ALWAYS stayed home and celebrated together, I didn't celebrate but your brother and me stayed home. 
  You know Mommy & You started changing the Laws? Yup, now they can't restrain a child in Pa. unless they are in "eminent" danger! The facilities hate it! They are having all types of troubles keeping their kids in "control"  That goes to show their program never worked and if they think it did it was only because beautiful kids like you were scared of them. Fear was making the children, fear of restraint.
  I love you Baby, I will not stop.

                                           Mommy Close

For Joey...  / Vanita Booth (none)
To Joeys family, i have just read Joeys story and my heart breaks for you, to have your lovely son taken from you like this is a crime, do these people ever get punished for this? I live in the UK, and came across this site and it really opened my eyes to what is happening in the world today. My thoughts and prayers are with your family, i have two  sons aged 11 years and 29 years and a daughter aged 21 years, i cannot imagine your pain, God Bless you all and may he take care of Joey for you until you are reunited once again. Nita x Close

To Joey's Family  / Denise Lombardi (Someone else who cares )
I am so sorry for what happened to Joey. I'm just a stranger but I pray for you and your family. Please keep doing what you are, get the word out that institutionalized child abuse has to stop, and you will prevent another child and family having to endure such a tragedy. Joey was a beautiful boy and I'm sure he's proud of his mama. God bless.

Close

Happy Birthday Booga  / Joeys Mom (Joeys voie )
 I wanted to do this all day yesterday but I just could not bring myself to. Happy 18th Birthday Booga!! My Baby!! Alex, Daddy and me went by your grave, but you weren't there. So we left you some balloons and flowers and a present. Maybe you'll get past there to see it. We LOVE You and MISS YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Good or bad whatever I go through your in my thoughts, I just miss you all the time. But I know not as much God loves you. WOW! What a JOY it must be to be able to spend your day loving our creator. You're my Shining Star Joey always have been...I LOVE YOU, I fought for you when you were here I will continue to fight even now...Especially now! Mommy
Close

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!!!  / Isabelle Zehnder (Friend)

Today is Joey's birthday - April 3, 2007. His mom is having a very tough time. Every holiday, every birthday is very difficult for parents who lose their children. Children are dying needlessly and we are fighting back. Joey's mom, Cynthia, and I are spearheading a campaign to ban the use of face-down prone restraints - the type of restraint that killed Joey. Join us in this fight - be a voice for children who no longer have a voice!!!

Isabelle Zehnder
Founder and President
Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse (CAICA)
www.caica.org
info@caica.org

Founder and Manager
Positive Family Solutions, LLC

Close

Those Children Were Failed by the System !  / Suncana Sesic Alvarado
Those Children Were Failed by the System !
The only way to create change is to bring it to the public's attention. It is about the children! Please hear the childrens' cry ! http://suncanaa.com/

I would give our forgotten children in foster care something they need - a voice. I have been and I will continue to be their voice. I am just one voice. Please help my voice be heard so we can prevent any more needless tragedies.

Please Remember Us

http://protected-to-death-by-cps.memory-of.com/ Close

I Wish I Was One of The Lucky Ones  / Diane/ Mom To Angel Jimmy Brozzetti
Were you one of the Lucky Ones?

Did you get to meet the one that lived
every day as if it were his last?

Did you see that smiling face,
did you hear his infectious laugh?

Did you know the one that had a hug
for even the ones that fussed at him?

Did you ever go somewhere and know
when the life of the party arrived?

Did you know the one that could make
the best of the worst situation?

Did you feel like you were a special
person around him?

Did you ever feel so loved?

Were you one of the lucky ones...
THAT GOT TO MEET MY SON 




Thinking of you, as we both are approaching our son’s angel dates. My Jimmy died on February 6 and your Joey on the 4th. I will keep you & your family in my prayers. I hope we both find some peace in the days ahead.
I hope Jimmy & Joey are sitting on a big road by the water and smiling down on us.
Peace & Love
Diane (Forever Jimmy’s Mom)

Close

Keep Your Chin Up  / T. Major (Mother of Protected Child )
My condolences to your entire family. May God give you the comfort to endure.

When you are ready to fight, there are thousands of us waiting to fight with you.

TMajor
www.squidoo.com/abolishcps/ Close

Joey / Mother Of Christina Valle
I am so sorry for the loss of Joey, due to the regulations of government. As a mother I want you to know that I feel your pain. My daughter took her own life because she never had the chance to even talk to them through a third party. What has happened to this country. The answers can be found in the Bible. Oneday will come when every person will have to account for their actions. It is so sad what one will do for money. I agree that we have to have some control over some parents. But instead of doing what these people want to do with our children. They need to educate more as a team to help keep these children with their families. I am still going through the healing process of loosing my daughter. I think about her everyday and how she felt not being able to see her children. People can say all they want, but in the last year, I saw a change in her. But not enough to meet the standards of cps. One reason is they never even gave her a chance. But I have accepted the fact that Jesus knew they were not going to listen. After all she tried 4 times prior to her death and lived. But the 5th attempt he knew she was tired. I will do what I can to carry her memory on. There is just to much power and there is very little love. We never know in life what is going to happen but at least I can say with a heart that I cared and I tried. Donna Close

I hope that you and Billy are having a ball!  / Lili Nieves (cousin)
Cindy...
I know your loss and I know the pain that you feel. It's a pain that will never leave you. You have to stay strong and positive and while your here on YOUR journey try and make a difference so that this doesn't happen to other children.  Your a strong woman and you've always been a good mother.  We know that Joey is in a better place and his spirit will live forever.... as will Billy's. I hope that Billy and Joey found each other and are having a ball!  The site is absolutely beautiful, you did an awesome job!!! I love you....Lili Close

I can't believe it's been a year  / Cynthia Allen (Mommy)
Good morning baby,
 Wow, a whole year, a year of firsts filled with heart ache and despair. I don't know what has carried me this far except or God, because I know without him my purpose would not be clear. Alex misses you so much too. We are doing the best but it's just not the same without you here. You were mines & Gods from coneptionn to birth and now your only Gods. I tell people who don'y know me when they ask me if I have kids "Yes, I have two sons. One lives with me and the other live with his father in heaven. I know your happy now because you don't have to do nothing but love and praise God every day, and I shouldn't cry. I cry because I miss you. Close

I am very sorry  / Tyler Hager (NONE)

My name is tyler and i cant imagine how u feel right now.  I have been to multiple phychiatric units and have never been restrained like that or treated like that. I am compelled to do as much as I possibly can to make sure nothing like this ever happens to any child. These kids need to be helped not killed.  I am 15 with bipolar, ADHD, ODD, and multiple other disabilities. I have made huge improvements on everything. i was told i would never learn to read, write, or do math. I have all A's and B's in all of my classes. They also told me I would never be able to live in the community and I just worked my way out of Foster Care and am now home.  This is not right. I may not have known your son but i'm sure he was a very nice boy who just needed some help.  

                                   Sincerely,
                                         tyler

Close

In memory of Joey  / Isabelle Zehnder (Someone who cares )
I created a new Blog in memory of Joey called: Joey Aletriz, One Year Later. Joey was a very special person who did not deserve to die the way he did. It is my hope we will all work together to spread the word about restraint deaths and to raise awareness so that other children do not have do die this way. Here is the link to Joey's Blog.

Joey's mom chose a special song for this site and I will share the words here: 

Tomorrow by Tevin Campbell

I hope tomorrow will bring better you, better me
I know that we'll show this world we got more we could be
So you should never give up on your hopes and your dreams
You gotta get up, get out, get into it, get it on to be strong

If we try, we can fly to a whole 'nother place
All we need is belief and a smile on our face
We can go anywhere we want, any road we decide to take
And we're never, never, never too far from tomorrow today

If tomorrow is light in a place where there's none
Then know that now is the time to have faith in us all
Ya know we're all in this world and we all can belong
We gotta get up, get out, get over it, get it on to be strong

If we try, we can fly to a place in the sun
All we need is precious dreams and a friend we can trust
We can go anywhere we want, any road that we can take
And we're never too far from tomorrow today

Ev'rybody say tomorrow is just for us to share
And we're gonna send our message of love out ev'rywhere
There's a promise of love tomorrow has
Something special and it's something we know will last and last

'cause we're never far away, never
One thing i can always be sure of
Far away, no never the promise of today

(repeat *)
(repeat **)

(repeat **)

'cause we're never far away, never
One thing i can always be sure of
Far away, no never the promise of today 

For more on what happened to Joey, click here.

For more on what happened to Angie, click here. 

Their stories should remind us how important it is that change occur in order that more children will not have to die this way.

Everyone misses you, Joey. It's been nearly a year now!

Isabelle


Close

Sorry for your loss  / Donna Pavlik (mom of Angellika Arndt )
I am so sorry for the loss of your son. Unfortunatly, I have loss my 7 yr old girl to a restraint, too. I hope through letting people know what is being done to these kids that restraints can be made illegal someday. It is horrifying to me that they were ever allowed to hold anybody in these positions, let alone kids. Prisoners are treated better than that. I envy the courage you have had to speak out like you have. I hope you continue to let this be heard. So many people that I know are shocked to know how many deaths have be attributed to the things the places that are supposed to "help" our kids are allowed to do. Until it happens to someone close, it remains a silent killer. I never heard of such a thing until Angie's death. What a shame that it isn't made more public so you know what to ask these facilities that are out there doing this.  

My prayers are with you and your family as the anniversary of your sons death approaches. I know it must be a very difficult time. I pray someone is held accountable. God bless.

Donna Close

One more thing ....  / Isabelle Zehnder (Another voice for Joey )
Here is something Cynthia said that I would like to share: 

A mother’s plea: “Let us use the death of my son, Joey, to start:
a new beginning … no more restraints … no more deaths … no more injuries.” by Cynthia Allen 

And here's Joey's poem:

IN MEMORY OF JOEY
By Isabelle Zehnder 

It was a cold day in February, All I wanted was to wear my hoody 

They yelled at me, said “It’s forbidden”, They made me feel like I was in prison
 
They grabbed me hard and took it away, I had no idea this would be my last day
 
Before I knew it we were all on the ground, They sat on me so I couldn't make a sound 

I tried to tell them I could not breathe, They would not listen to my pleas
 
They pushed down on my neck so hard, And left my body full of scars
 
My body went completely numb, I knew the end had finally come 

Mama, I would like to say, I didn’t want to die that way



Close

My Blessing to all the Parents left behind  / Cynthia "Joeys' Mommy" Allen (His voice )
A MOTHER'S PRAYER TO THE GUARDIAN ANGELS OF HER CHILDREN 

I humbly salute you, O you faithful, heavenly Friends of my children! I give you heartfelt thanks for all the love and goodness you show them. At some future day I shall, with thanks more worthy than I can now give, repay your care for them, and before the whole heavenly court acknowledge their indebtedness to your guidance and protection. Continue to watch over them. Provide for all their needs of body and soul. Pray, likewise, for me, for my husband, and my whole family, that we may all one day rejoice in your blessed company. 

Thank you all for your wonderful thoughts and prayers, it really is what gets me through~ Close

Let us be his voice  / Isabelle Zehnder (A Voice for Joey )
Though I may not have met Joey I feel I know him. I will continue to do what I can to be a voice for him and to help his mom, Cynthia, in her quest to find justice for her son. 

What happened to Joey should never happen to any child. Face-down prone restraints are deadly and in my opinion should be banned. There was no reason Joey should have endured the things he endured during the last moments of his life. Because of that we will keep fighting to get the word out to others. 

I remember last Easter when Cynthia and I spent hours on the phone because she could barely make it through her first holiday without her son. He used to love Easter morning, to find his Easter basket outside his bedroom door. The holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas - were very difficult times for Cynthia and for other parents who lose their children. 

Please, let us all be a voice for these children who no longer have a voice. I have created a website to try to raise awareness about children who are abused, neglected, and who die in treatment facilities - www.caica.org. Please learn about what is happening to children so you too can be a voice. It is going to take many voices to be heard, let's all work to make this happen. Spread the word and if you know a child is in trouble do what you can to help him or her. We all need to be proactive when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of kids.

Also, I have created a page with all of the articles surrounding Joey's death. You can find it at: http://caica.org/NEWS%20DEATHS%20JOEY%20MAIN.htm. 

Please visit the memorial website that was created for all children who have died in treatment: http://children-in-treatment.memory-of.com/. 

Joey, we love you and will never stop fighting for what is right. We will be sure that your death was not in vain and we will make sure people know your story. Your mom and I have become very close friends and even though you and I never had the opportunity to meet each other, I feel I know you through your mom. I know so many of the things you loved, about the type of wonderful boy you were, and how much your mom truly loves you. Joey, she is your voice. I was so proud of her the day she had to speak at a press conference - it snowed that day and the attorney and coroner couldn't make it. But your mom made it and she did such a great job I couldn't believe it! I have the video on my website, and I have your story there too. I am so proud of her and I know she is going to have a strong impact. Her dream is to build a place in your honor where other kids will never suffer at the hands of others. 

Love, Isabelle Close