ROBERT BROWN IS PICTURED IN THE SHOP AT THE MT. BULLION CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS (CDC) CAMP. PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT AREBALO/CDC Forty- nine-year-old Robert Brown is a generous man. He admits to giving away at least $200,000 to charitable causes—especially ones that benefit abused and neglected children. He wasn’t born wealthy, and doesn’t live in a glamorous house, in fact most of his giving has been conducted through his bank while he waits out a seven-year sentence at the Mt. Bullion California Department of Corrections (CDC) camp.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Mariposa County is a big benefactor of Brown’s benevolence--a direct result of his own harsh childhood and ultimate placement in a foster home. While most foster parents seek to give these needy children love and stability, Brown’s story holds a tragic twist. As a sixteen-year-old runaway, he was placed in the care of a priest who proved to be a pedophile. Ironically, it is a result of this relationship that Brown came into his money. Another young man who suffered from sexual abuse by the same priest grew up to be a judge and in 2003 brought a lawsuit against the Catholic Church on behalf of 120 former victims. Brown came away with a large settlement.

“I didn’t really want the money,” he said. “All I wanted was an apology.” He got that too, from a kind priest--not the perpetrator-- in the form of a Jesuit cross that he always wears on a chain around his neck. He says he has no bad feelings toward the church and is able to separate his faith from the sins of one man. When it came to light that Brown’s caretaker priest was a pedophile, another priest, of whom he has fond memories, took over the care of Brown until he turned 18.

Brown was introduced to CASA when a corrections officer at the CDC camp arranged a fund raiser for the agency in Mariposa. When Brown was told CASA’s purpose was to help foster kids, it triggered his interest in donating money to the cause. “If those kids need anything that is within my power to get let me know and it will be done. I know what it is like to not be wanted, loved or needed,” he wrote in a letter to Mariposa County CASA’s Executive Director Janet Kottman. He corresponds with her frequently, asking where there might be specific wants, and arranging for money to be sent.

Through his letters and Kottman’s personal visits to the prison camp, Brown further revealed his motivation for helping foster children. “I was raised in rural Arkansas and Mississippi,” Brown said. “My dad worked in a coal mine and got the idea I would work there, too, but I wanted to go to school.” His mom and dad fought a lot and Brown received his own share of battering from his “old man,” an alcoholic. To add to his torment, his mother died when he was only seven and an older brother he idolized was killed in the Vietnam War.

Brown’s abuse from his father continued, and one day he’d had enough and left home on his brother’s motorcycle to live with his grandmother. When he learned his father was coming after him, he headed for a sister who lived in a small northern California community. She turned him in to the authorities and, because there were no foster homes in the area, he was put in the care of the abusive priest.

Due to his past, Brown said he really relates to foster kids. “I feel great affection for them. They’ve done nothing wrong.” His caring has led to a multitude of gifts for children in the CASA program, including school supplies, shoes, winter clothes, Ipods and backpacks. Brown especially likes his money to go for parties for the kids. He has financed Christmas parties specifying that each child get $100 worth of gifts. Memories of holidays during his childhood bring mixed emotions.

“Please forget the naughty or nice stuff. That always got me when I was a kid,” Brown said, then quoted his father, ‘Ho Ho Ho, nothing for you this year. You have been naughty.’”

On the plus side, he recalls receiving a huge chocolate Easter bunny when he was in foster care. “I really liked that stupid thing. It meant a lot to know somebody loved me, even when I was really unlovable,” he said, and admitted to keeping the bunny for eight years. As a consequence, last year he sent $800 for an Easter party for the Mariposa CASA foster children. “Be sure the older kids get something, too,” he told Kottman. “Make sure that each kid, no matter their age gets a chocolate Easter bunny.”

Most of the recipients of Brown’s gifts remain anonymous to him; however he is aware of a few by name. He was particularly taken by one young man, who in spite of a troubled family life, excelled in sports and academics. For this special student, he anted up enough for a lap-top computer and a $500 bonus for making the honor roll. The young man learned of his benefactor and sent Brown a sincere thank you letter—a gesture that greatly moved the inmate.

Stephanie Arsenault, the biological mother of four children who has received funds from Brown, speaks of his generosity in glowing terms. “He helped us out at Christmas time,” she said. “I bought gifts for the kids with the money he provided. We would never have had any kind of Christmas without him.” Arsenault calls Brown amazing because he gives and doesn’t expect anything in return. She said her kids have drawn pictures for him and sent him letters and thank yous. “And he writes back,” she said, “He’s a sweetheart.”

One CASA volunteer, Michelle Sousa, also speaks of Brown with heartfelt gratitude. “He was kind enough to pay my way to South Carolina to attend the boot camp graduation for my CASA kid,” she said. “No one from Josh’s family was going to be there, and when Mr. Brown heard Josh had grown to be an intelligent, caring young man, he sent enough money to pay for my flight, car rental and hotel. It was a huge act of kindness.”

Sousa told how when the ceremonies were over, the graduates stood in the field until their families found them. Some had no one to greet them, and she was so glad she could be there for Josh—a proud moment for him. He once told her that boot camp was nothing compared to some of the group homes he had been in. “We still keep in touch,” she said, “and being at the ceremony really cemented our relationship.”

In letters Brown has written to the Mariposa County CASA staff, one theme repeats itself— his concern for 18-year-old foster kids who transition out of the system. “When I ‘aged-out’ I was given nothing to assist me—no money, no social security number, nothing. I was on my own,” he said. “To show trust is great, but I am a living example of what happens when you don’t keep very close tabs on the people you are helping.” He suggested providing aids such as budgeting class and assistance in preparing resumes. He said he is willing to help pay for rooms or a house where they can stay while they make this change in their lives.

Fortunately, according to Kottman, these days older youth in California are provided with assistance through Independent Living Programs, thus their entry into adulthood isn’t so abrupt or lacking in the skills necessary for everyday living. Many counties also provide transitional housing so the youth don’t find themselves on the street the day they turn 18 or graduate from high school.

Brown admits his difficult childhood, with little direction, generated low self-esteem, and as a consequence he’s been in and out of trouble--worsened by drugs and alcohol. As a consequence he made some bad decisions and has served time more than once. In spite of the discord in his family and an alcoholic father, he said he believes that most of his problems relate back to the abuse by the priest. Now he waits for his release from the prison camp sometime this month, biding his time working on small engine repair, a craft he hopes will help him get a job once he’s out. He’s also writing a book about his life challenges, titled “Shadows From The Past.”

In reflecting on Brown’s generosity toward foster children, Kottman said, “As a society we either pay a small amount to help these kids or we pay a much bigger price later should foster kids end up unemployed, homeless, or incarcerated as adults. Robert understands this, and that’s why he has given so much to help children and youth. His actions have increased kids’ sense of self-worth, knowing that a total stranger wants them to have a better fate than his own.”

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