As a result, Arthur grew up bitter about his father’s abandonment of him and the fact that his mother was still catering to someone who had treated his family with such contempt. By the time he was in his teens, Arthur was hanging around with a bad group of kids and rebelling against his mother. After some incidents where he was arrested for drug possession and shoplifting, his mother told his father something needed to be done about Arthur. His father’s solution was to have Arthur put into Camp Chinquapin.
Although Arthur didn’t like being at the camp, it made him realize that his former life wasn’t any better. He realized that he didn’t have any real skills that would be useful when he was released from the camp.
When Jason asked him what he wanted to do for a career, Arthur responded that what he would really like to do was work with other kids like himself, perhaps helping them to avoid the pitfalls that he had gotten into.
Jason told him that becoming a youth counselor was a great idea. “Ultimately it will require that you complete high school and get a college degree,” Jason said. “But before you make that kind of commitment, why don’t you try working as an intern at a youth camp, and see if you like that kind of work.”
After Camp Chinquapin was taken over by Child Protective Services when it was revealed that their “anger management training” was nothing more than an abusive prison, Arthur was given the choice of returning home or going into foster care, Arthur was one of the few who chose foster care because he truly felt abandoned by his parents.
That was where Captain Garcia came into the picture. Jason asked the captain if he could help get Arthur placed at a youth camp during the summer. Captain Garcia not only did that, but volunteered to put up Arthur at his house for the several weeks until the summer camp sessions started. This way a decision about foster care placement for Arthur wouldn’t have to be made right away. Within a week after Arthur came to stay with the Garcias, he connected with both Antonio and Marisol, and they became very close. They had a great time doing all kinds of family type activities together.
When Daniel and Jason heard about that, they told Captain Garcia that he and his wife should adopt Arthur. “He has never had a real family before,” Daniel said. “That’s probably why he bonded with you so quickly. Arthur seems like a nice kid who has had it rough all of his life. I’m sure living with you will make a huge difference in his final teen years!”
The Garcias thought about it, but weren’t sure about making that kind of commitment because Marisol was now pregnant with their first child. But when Jason went undercover during the Nick Feraducci investigation, Marisol was furious with her husband for allowing Jason to be put in harm’s way. So to make things up with her, Antonio told her that they should go ahead and adopt Arthur. His way of making up to her was to take another kid out of danger.
Everything was serendipity now for Arthur Vincenzo. He had loved working at the camp during the summer, and had received positive feedback from the camp counselors, who had invited him back next summer. He would live with the Garcias for his last two years of high school and then his plan was to go onto college and get a degree in youth counseling. For the first time in his life, Arthur had a future to look forward to. And today’s party was to celebrate Arthur’s adoption and introduce him to the Garcia’s social circle.
Jason and Daniel decided to attend the party together with their girl friends Laura and Diana. Daniel picked everyone up and drove over to the Garcia’s house, which was only about a mile away from Daniel’s house. When they arrived, Jason and Daniel introduced Laura and Diana to Captain and Mrs. Garcia and then went over to say hello to Arthur.
Arthur was now quite striking in appearance. At Camp Chinquapin, his hair was kept stubble short, but now it had grown out into a full head of glistening black hair. Arthur had a muscular build, and it was clear that he had been working out while at the camp. Arthur was wearing a white polo shirt, plaid shorts, and black and white adidas sneakers. When Arthur saw Jason and Daniel, he went right up to them with a big smile on his face.
“Jason, Daniel, it is so good to see you again.” Arthur shook hands with each of them and then gave them hugs. “I can’t thank you enough for all you have done for me! It’s like a dream come true!”
“We were more than happy to help you, Arthur,” Jason replied. “Especially after all you had to go through at that camp!”
“I was so grateful just to actually have a visitor!” Arthur laughed. “Now introduce me to these lovely ladies you have brought along!”
Jason brought up Laura and said, “This is my girl friend Laura Friesen. We just decided to go steady this summer.”
“You are one lucky dude, Jason. Laura’s beautiful!” Laura blushed a little at the compliment.
“And this is Diana Miglione, my steady girl friend,” Daniel said introducing Diana.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Arthur replied.
“Daniel tells me that you have been working at a summer camp for troubled kids this summer,” Diana said. “What was that experience like?”
“I loved it! I think I really found something that I am good at, and like to do. Probably because I was that same kid just a few months ago!”
“You look really good, Arthur,” Jason said. “I am so happy that things are working out for you!”
“Ever since the camp breakup and all of the scandal associated with that, and then I was given the choice not to go back to my dead end life in that border town, things have been a whirlwind of change for me,” Arthur replied. “And thanks for introducing me to the Garcias. I feel like we are long lost family!”
“Well now you are family!” Daniel said. “I think that it is a great fit. Captain Garcia has proven to be a very honorable and reliable friend to us, Arthur! And now that you are living here, you will be coming to Merriam High School in the fall with us.”
“That will be quite an experience for me,” Arthur said. “The high school where I went before Camp Chinquapin wasn’t much to brag about. I’m sure I will have a lot of catching up to do.”
“You’ll do fine,” Jason said. “After surviving Camp Chinquapin, I think that you will find Merriam High School a lot easier to deal with! And we will all be around to help you out when you need it.”
Mrs. Garcia came over a few minutes later and said, “Please help yourselves to drinks and snacks. There are drinks in those coolers over by the patio doors and snacks out on the tables.”
As the afternoon progressed, more people began to arrive. There were officers from the Silicon Valley Police with their families, friends and relatives of the Garcias, and even a couple of the counselors from the camp where Arthur had served as an intern.
Jason spent some time talking with Sgt. Malone who was there with his wife and eight-year-old daughter. “It’s good to see you at a social occasion,” Jason commented with a smile. “Usually I see you when some lowlife has been attacking a kid!”
“You can say that again,” Sgt. Malone replied. “It’s nice to see you relaxed with your friends and not stressing over the actions of some predator!”
About three o’clock, Antonio Garcia was done with the barbeque. He had prepared large platters of chicken pieces, hot dogs, and hot links. The rest of the spread included chips with salsa and guacamole, plates of mini-tacos, a large green salad, and nachos.
After the food was served, and Laura, Daniel, Diana and Arthur were visiting with each other, Jason slipped away to talk to Captain Garcia.
“It’s great to see this day finally arrive,” Jason said with a smile.
“Yes, I think we were manipulated a little by Hunter & Holmes on this deal!” Captain Garcia replied with a laugh. “When Arthur saw that autographed picture Daniel and you gave me on the wall of my office, the smile on his face was so huge, I knew it was a done deal even then!”
“Arthur said that he had never had such a good time as he did in those weeks prior to the summer camp. I guess you really connected with each other!” J
ason exclaimed.
“Somehow Arthur reminded me of what could have happened to me as a kid,” Captain Garcia explained. “And even though we were just doing simple family kinds of things, I guess they were things that he never had a chance to do growing up. And that was truly sad on the one hand, but happy on the other because we had such fun doing those things together!
“Even more heart-warming was the way that Arthur and Marisol built up an instant rapport. He was so excited to hear about our new baby on the way, and was truly interested in everything about it. He told her how cool it would be to watch a new young person come into the world, and to see all of the different stages of the baby’s early growth. Even more surprising was how he volunteered to help watch the new baby when he could, so that Marisol could have some breaks. The 24/7 responsibility for a newborn is often very trying on a young mother.”
“It’s nice to see a happy ending once in a while,” Jason said. “Not having a caring family is very tough on a young kid! At last Arthur has that in his life. You can be sure that he is very grateful and wants to do what he can to support your family needs.”
“Arthur is going to have a lot to adjust to now that he will be living here in the Silicon Valley,” Captain Garcia said. “I expect you and Daniel to help him out, especially when he starts going to Merriam High School.”
“We will do our best for Arthur, you can count on us, Captain,” Jason continued. “But take a look at him. He looks great! I don’t think he will have any trouble making new friends, both male and female!”
“I sure hope so, Jason. You know that my job can be very demanding at times, so I can’t always be there for Arthur. And he is at the age where he isn’t going to want a clinging parent hanging around him all the time!”
“That’s true, Captain,” Jason replied, “but there are times when it is important for you to be around, like to attend soccer games or other activities he might participate in. Don’t miss those opportunities; they are so important for his self-esteem. The poor kid never has had a real father before in his life. You have a lot to make up for.”
“It is really important that Arthur gets introduced to the good crowd at your school,” Captain Garcia went on. “One of his downfalls before was that he ended up hanging around with a bad crowd where he was living before. And as a new Hispanic boy in town, he could be targeted by gang members as a possible recruit. Obviously I could not allow something like that to happen to Arthur!”
“We will keep on the lookout for anything at all that seems suspicious,” Jason said. “But as you know there is very little gang activity at Merriam High School. So I think that his chances of becoming a gang member would have to be pretty low.”
“If you see any inkling of anything along those lines, please notify me right away. I have every intention of nipping it in the bud!”
“On another subject, Captain, I wanted to thank you again for coming by Laura’s house on my birthday. That was such an honor for me! How many sixteen- year-old kids get a police salute as a birthday present?”
“I must admit I enjoyed that perplexed look on your face when you walked out of the front door and saw all of us!” Captain Garcia responded with a smile on his face.
“I didn’t know what to think at first when that policeman was at the door. I couldn’t think of any recent wrongdoing on my part!” Jason said with some irony in his voice.
“As I told you at the time, Jason, your personal efforts and individual bravery have led to the solutions of a number of significant crimes in this area. Your actions are unprecedented to my knowledge! Who would have thought that that young fourteen-year-old boy I saw for the first time at City Park would turn into a detective with a briefcase full of solved major cases in just fourteen months?”
“I guess both luck and determination were on my side, Captain,” Jason answered. “Receiving that windfall fortune didn’t hurt either. Now I have the resources to fight against any predator I find out about. Each time another case comes up, I learn a little more about the evil that these predators are capable of doing, and even though it is dangerous, I feel I have to continue the fight!”
Antonio Garcia looked directly at Jason. “I keep warning you about the dangers of what you are doing, Jason, but I guess you are beyond that now. And I let you go undercover on that last operation. Talk about taking a chance! If something had happened to you, it probably would have been the end of my police career. Or I would be sitting at a desk or on parking patrol!”
“Thank goodness none of those things happened, Captain!” Jason said. “I think that we make a pretty good team! And yes we took a foolhardy chance! But deep inside, I still believe it was the right thing to do! Yes, when there are wars there are casualties. And I am fighting a war against predators as you are. But by taking that foolhardy chance, I was able to save two really nice kids who didn’t deserve to be carved up like a piece of meat by Angelo Ciurro!”
“And that’s why I and the other officers were there at your birthday party, Jason,” Garcia concluded. “We honor and respect your bravery and your willingness to sacrifice yourself to save another life! That is an important part of our job, although often a sad and tragic part. And despite our efforts to keep you from harm’s way, there you are, involved in these amazing cases. Yes, luck has been your ally so far. You know what I’m going to say, Jason. But I guess you are just as stubborn as I am!”
“Every time I do go on a case, I try to add additional layers of protection and backup. The Whatever Foundation money allows me to do that. Each new case teaches me something more about how to do that. And you are right, Captain. Luck has been on my side. But don’t you think sometimes that people make their own luck? More important to me than luck being on my side is the fact that in the battle of good versus evil, good is on my side! As long as I can say that, I’ll take my chances any day!”
“You are one amazing kid, Jason!” Captain Garcia replied with feeling in his voice as he looked Jason in the eyes. “Just don’t push your luck too often! Please call me when there are bad guys to apprehend!”
“You know I will, Captain, just as you know I won’t sit there waiting for the authorities to arrive if someone is drowning!”
“Fair enough, my friend,” Captain Garcia said getting up. “Now let’s see how the others are doing.”
The party turned out to be a big success. Everyone enjoyed meeting Arthur, socializing with each other, and eating the great spread of food.
As Daniel, Laura, Diana and Jason were leaving, Jason thanked Captain and Mrs. Garcia for their hospitality, and for adopting Arthur. “That was such a great thing you did. I am so happy for you!”
Jason then said to Arthur, “Don’t be a stranger now! Keep in touch and let’s get together again soon.”
“Thank you, Jason and Daniel,” Arthur replied, “for believing in me and giving me a chance when no one else would!”
“Look at the results!” Jason exclaimed. “I’d say my trust and belief in you was well founded!”
Chapter 13
Interview with Jason Hunter, Part 2
(Television Feature)
Jason Hunter and Jaime Orlando were on location at the offices of the Whatever Foundation. This was the second part of a three part series of interviews Jaime had been doing with Jason about the incredible things that had been happening in his life lately and his efforts to fight back against predators and others who would prey on teenagers. The interview began with a brief tour of the Foundation facilities, and then Jason and Jaime sat down in Jason’s office to talk about the foundation.
JO: Good evening, and welcome to In Depth, an interview show about people making the news in the Silicon Valley. Again my special guest this evening is Jason Hunter. Tonight we are discussing Jason’s efforts to assist teenaged victims of crime, one of the major focuses of his foundation. Perhaps we could begin our discussion by reviewing how the Whatever Foundation came to be formed, and why you chose this particular focus for its philanth
ropic work.
JH: The Whatever Foundation was formed in the turbulent aftermath of the experience that changed my life forever. I was recovering from the shock of being a kidnap victim. At first I was floundering in a sea of self-doubt and flashbacks of the horrible things that were done to me. Then my best friend, Daniel, convinced me to go after the criminals who had abducted me. That began to turn my life around again, and eventually we discovered who the criminals were and that my kidnapping was nothing more than a ruse to go after a fortune in diamonds. Except that this fortune in diamonds didn’t exist! That’s what the criminals and we found out when they gained access to my father’s safe deposit box.
Ironically, the diamonds did exist! My great-grandfather Winfield Hunter had hidden them away where no one would think to look for them for sixty years! He had then decided over thirty years ago that I, as his first-born great grandson would receive them, and be given the task of doing something good for society with them. That’s when I decided to create the Whatever Foundation.
JO: That is an incredible story, Jason. But why did you set up a foundation? Couldn’t you just keep the diamonds for yourself?
JH: Actually, I could have done that, but I had just returned to a normal life. I didn’t want to become a target again, and I didn’t want the diamonds for myself because I found out that they were somewhat tainted. My great-grandfather hid them away to prevent them being used by the remnants of the Nazi party or supporters of apartheid — those were the two groups claiming that those gems belonged to them. Having experienced the horrors of being a crime victim, I wanted to help other teens who were similarly victimized. Trust me, there is no worse experience than being a crime victim! I especially wanted to use the money to help other teens recover their lives again. The foundation does this in many ways. We provide “care packages” of clothing and other essentials for teens who have been the victims of abuse, fund arts activities, sponsor all kinds of educational training, award college scholarships, and pay medical bills. Sometimes foundation money is used to pursue predators or others who are harming kids. The name “Whatever” comes from this idea that we do whatever is needed to help deserving recipients.
Eyewitness News Page 10
