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Show Sunday, February THE HERALD, Provo, Utah, 18. 1990 - Page Haitian children a Christian missionaries raising orphaned, abandoned brood - IP aw?" : Ka-th- y tic." Mrs. Blackburn, 42, and her husband, Dan, 45, came home to Indiana at the end of December. The two Christian missionaries and their wards, all orphaned or abandoned Haitian children ranging in age from 3 to 14, are temporarily living in a drafty church camp about 50 miles southeast of Indianapolis. The Blackburns, who have two grown children of their own, began taking in homeless children shortly after becoming missionaries in 1969 and at one time thought about opening an orphanage. Now they plan to adopt all the children, four of whom are mentally retarded. In 1987, violence in Haiti forced the Blackburns to flee to the Dominican Republic. Last December, they finally received permission from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to bring the children to the United States. The children are Rosie and Mary, both 14; Becky, Yvonne and Jim, 12; Tom, Sam, Bobby, Cheryl and Jo Anna, 11; Steve, Marva and Liz, 10; Jemima, Abigail, Aaron, Jeremiah, Benji, Noah and Gideon, 9; Matthew and Jake, 8; Rachael, 7; Thaddeus, 6; Mike and Caleb, 4, and Andy and Mark, 3. In Haiti, the family had a house; in Indiana, they sleep in a dormitory heated by a wood stove and use an outdoor privy. Down the lane is the "chow house," the hub of the family's social life. A hand-mad- e sign posted on the refrigerator says: "A late meal is a hardship with 28 kids. Please have consideration for the cook. Thanks." Blackburn does the cooking and supervises the older boys, who wash dishes and sweep floors. The girls do the laundry and care for the younger children, giving baths and changing clothes. Mrs. Blackburn says the secret to managing 28 children and a household is not to fear mistakes. Parenthood is "something you can't cram for at the last minute," she says. "We do it by making mistakes, by trial and error. ... It's just something you keep working at." . , v GREENSBURG, Ind. AP) Blackburn perches on a stool in front of 28 bowed heads, bullhorn in hand, repeating the Lord's Prayer. A burst of giggles erupts, but the mother of this brood 17 boys and 11 girls is a picture of tolerance. "I hear kids from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep," she says. Then she adds, "There are times I've been franf ' c , same dreams other parents have. "I'd like them to have music lessons, learn to ride a bike, know history and know it well, and be within their own bounds," Mrs. Blackburn says. r n ni th or Parenthood is "something you can't cram for at the last "s t - : i- " - J4 minute. We do it by making mistakes, by trial and error. ... It's ! t . fa high-quali- ty y, boost in rates." customer service guidelines were adopted by the board of directors on NCTA Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla. John Goddard, president of Viacom Cable and chairman of the The voluntary association's customer relations committee, said it would cost his company about $1 million, not including additional personnel. Viacom had about 1.1 million subscribers at the beginning of 1989. An official at the nation's largest cable company, Inc., said in a telephone interview from Denver that the company will implement the guidelines and expects to absorb any implementing costs ' There are some costs associated with it but we expect them to be offset bv an increased customer base." said Anne Draper, TCT's director of community affairs. The guidelines do not address the issue of monthly rates, which have risen sharply in some cases since cable TV essentially was deregulated in U87. Mooncv said prices stabilized last of inflation year at 'about the rate or below, Nonetheless, nearly a bills score of cable have been introduced in Congress bv members who have been bv constituents complaining of poor cable service and high rates. In all candor, we can say that a significant number of our companies haven't gotten to the point is adewhere cummer sen-icquate." Mouney said. He rejected assertions that cable be able to pro companies should r . m a..,,,-.- ,., m .$ t ;l AMV ; just something you keep working at." III Kathy Blackburn -- I, 5 O -- S .p I Tl. h lip - - The children are taught by the Blackburns and volunteer teachers, who come to the camp to give lessons in math, science, reading, writing and sign language, the last a device to keep the noise level JFkL down. "These kids aren't overstimulat-ed,- " Mrs. Blackburn says. "They enjoy stuff more. A jet going overhead and a beautiful sunset is a really big deal. They not only appreciate, but they comment on it." Rosie recently went with Blackburn to a department store, where she took her first elevator ride. "It's continual questions. Even getting into a car is a big deal for them," Blackburn says. group of Haitian children, above, takes a break from playing basketball to watch as a school bus passes by the church camp where they live new Greeusburg, Ind. A As part of their arrangement with immigration authorities, the Blackburns may not accept government support. Instead, they rely on regu- lar donations from about 20 churches and whatever else comes in. Local businesses have donated secondhand clothes and leftover baked goods. The family has received clothes, food, toys and money from strangers who have heard about them in news reports. "We're not taking a vow of poverty, but one of the things I want to discourage is excess, the mindset that you don't need one thing, you need 10," Mrs. Blackburn says. rife- - AX vide a high level of customer service without adopting programs that could drive rates higher. "These problems are characteristic of any industry that has developed as rapidly as this one has," Mooney said. Cable officials hope the standards can be adopted nationwide by July 1901. The standards say: More customer service representatives will be hired so telephone calls can be answered within 30 seconds, including waiting time and transfers, and automated answering systems will limit the number of rings to four. This standard should be achieved 90 percent of the time. Under normal circumstances, a customer will receive a busy signal less than 3 percent of the time a cable company office is open. Standard installations will be performed within seven business days. The cable operator will respond to service interruptions promptly, certainly within 24 hours, in situations not beyond the cable company's control. Other service problems will be responded to within 3G hours during the normal work 1 5Jl A.m J! children - " ......ASUS AP Lascrphotos im s-m- l t-l- !, ; y , : ... -- , d?A Uj.; '1 H mm lipi 4 wWM' SIX-MONT- H KI T INVESTMENT CERTIFIGVTE Mi"i.n:.ii);i,()sn'Si.(X)o if--"" f t". :;i;: Annual Yield itrcentatie Rate ii Ills y ems Rale op Hieiier .u- - r'.Wv all-da- y i a : .:; .iin ;iiiai k lal w du. i' s luio i 'niu nr.vnn'n! ) ll a Kev Iiv,vM".k-;- v, f.v.ii raie. .; u u 1 i;;cduna si K i n' liniii!) i; irt ill Key l'i.:nk. xurc t 'iiYc str.ic liuii rale ! i.it. t " Pin- - ( '!!kvm"qI! n:v .fa:':;n . .ai iidi iiiKioUtdivwiiii KcvBaiikc! I ;.:ii !ir ! hr.'i-u- R-- 4 T BANK Provo 3 (am 2Jr 'M i l1.' i.iniiiiiiiMiimiijiMini f are schooled at the camp, but like to watch the bus go by twice a day. Caleb, 4, in photo at left, is vacuumed by Jo Anna, 11, as she takes a break from cleaning up the camp dormitory. V" It- - week. Morning, afternoon and appointment estimates should be established. If an installer or technician is running late, an attempt will be made to contact the customer to set up a new appointment. Customers should be pi von 30 days' notice of rate increases. Bills should state clearly what sen-icea customer is receiving and how much they cost. NCTA will not try to enforce the guidelines out of antitrust concerns, but Mooney said they likely would be written into franchising agreements between cable companies and local governments. J , Rep. Matthew J. Rinaldo, of the member ranking minority House Energy and Commerce telecommunications and finance subcommittee, applauded the guidelines. saing cable executives "at last recognize that either they serve the public better or they face the prospect of dealing with all the costs, headaches and delays of a federal bureaucracy telling them what to d." The m 7 The Blackburns' most pressing need is permanent shelter. The church camp opens May 1, and they must be out. The Rev. Lee Creech, who has supported the Blackburns' missionary work for 20 years, heads a committee seeking a home for them. better service but it may mean higher rates - . .., well-educat- Cable group promises Cable WASHINGTON (AP) television customers may soon find thev're getting better service faster installation, service calls and but the industry says it refunds could cost them higher rates. The National Cable Television Association, in announcing the new public relations campaign Thursday, said cable companies may have to add personnel and costly new equipment and facilities. -If customers want programming and ... state of the sure it's going to cost art plants them something." said James Moo-neNCTA president. "But I think it will not he a significant upward WiWw if'i,,V The Blackburns have many of the I !i !Xmii E3 |
