Donations of money, a new bed and even a weekend resort vacation have poured in to help a brutally abused 11-year-old boy found hiding in a closet this month.
As of Tuesday, the donations to Portage Cares, a fundraising effort spearheaded by the Portage Daily Register, totaled more than $10,500.
The boy’s mother was found buried in the rented home’s yard, and four people are now charged with being party to her murder and to the abuse inflicted on the boy, which included burns over his body from boiling water and injuries from serial beatings.
The fund also is to benefit the three younger children who lived at the home and now are in foster care. The 11-year-old boy remains under hospital care.
A law firm is offering the boy a weekend stay at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells once he’s able to go. A mattress company plans to donate a bed. The Portage High School girls basketball team scheduled a car wash and fundraiser to benefit the children.
“I actually had nightmares and all I could do was picture my son’s face on this little boy, experiencing what he did,” said Lisa Mcleod, of Brockton, Mass., one of those hoping to help. “I don’t even know this boy, but ‘broken heart’ doesn’t cover it.”
