Texas Teen Sells Artwork, Does Side Jobs to Fund Rescue of Two Boys in Shelter

Austin Cook is a big-hearted 14-year-old that lives in Cleburne, Texas with his parents and 6 of his 7 siblings. In 2013 he unfortunately lost his beloved baby brother who was only 4 years old at the time.  Austin says:

Austin’s paintings

“My brother was an abuse victim and he went through a lot before my parents adopted him and my little sister, but more importantly my brother was my best friend. When he died I was put into foster care with my brothers and sisters until police and CPS could make sure that my parents did nothing wrong since no one knew why he died. While in foster care I was abused many times by another kid in the home.

When I reported it, no one did anything to stop it. They told me it was ok and to forget about it. It was really hard hearing that and even harder after that same kid started touching my little brother. After 9 months I was allowed to go back to a family friend of my parents and then back into my own home after my parents proved they did nothing wrong. Life was really hard and I hated almost everybody because of what was allowed to happen to me.
But I decided that I wouldn’t let what happened change who God made me to be, instead I decided that I wanted to help other foster kids. Since being home my mom has helped many families and she now has a new one that she is working really hard on.

Austin’s Paintings

She is my hero and today I want to help her help others. I know when she sees this she will tell me no, that I can’t sell them because she knows how much they mean to me but I really want to do my part in helping kids who just like me want to come home. I know your probably laughing right now because these aren’t worth much, but they are worth everything to me because I can use them to help save Zachariah and DJ before they become victims like me. I don’t know how else to help. I have been mowing yards to earn money in my neighborhood and I have tried tutoring others because I’m really advanced in math and I have even donated my report card money.

So now I want to try and sell my pictures and I’m looking for other ways to make money so if you have any ideas please tell me. I don’t have a set amount on my pictures so I will take what I can get since every dollar counts and we’re running out of time because the homestudy is on the 28th. I won’t make any profit because it will be 100% donated to pay the attorneys fee to save Zachariah and DJ. Please pray with me because they are in need of a miracle. Thank you for reading my post, I’m off to bed so I can rest before school tomorrow.” 

The story about the Boys from the donation page is below:

“Meet Zachariah and DJ from Burleson Texas…….

Zachariah is 8 and he loves to clean and play games on his Grandma and Papa’s phones. Dj is 9 and loves to play with his Papa’s racecars…..They both are very sweet and loving little boys.

Zach and DJ

Last year Zachariah and DJ faced one of the hardest trials of their lives after being placed into Tx fostercare by a Cleburne judge….. their biological mother tried her best to regain custody by passing all of her drug tests and by completing every service child protective services offered, meanwhile Zachariah and DJ’s grandparents Dennis and Linda Carter hired and attorney out of their own pockets and fought to gain custody of the boys in order for them to be in a safe and loving home with the people who had loved them their entire lives…… sadly social services and the county attorney Mr. David Barkley fought against that placement tooth and nail although both Dennis and Linda were previously found to be a safe and loving home not only by the courts but by child protective services themselves.

Dennis and Linda Carter have been married 30 years. They both attend Boulevard Baptist church here in Burleson Tx. Linda has worked at the Christian school for 19 years and Dennis has been driving a trash truck for 30 years. They both have been very active in Zachariah and DJ’s lives since birth and have help raise their other grandchildren whom they have custody of……… both Linda and Dennis were left devastated after discovering that the state thought fostercare was a safer placement than being with their own family…..but they never stopped fighting.

Sadly Zachariah and DJ’s mother had to make a difficult choice last October to terminate her parental rights after her attorney advised her that she would not win in court although she completely turned her life around. This news made Dennis and Linda aware that the only way to save their grandsons was to now fight for custody…but sadly CPS and the county attorney argued that the foster family had already bonded with the boys and it would be emotional abuse to separate that bond and the foster placement stated she loved the boys as her own and wanted to adopt….so the state moved to place the boys up for adoption with both Linda and Dennis being Conservators……

During the past several months Linda and Dennis have been given court ordered monthly visits with the both boys while the foster adoptive placement supervised……..and although it was not custody, they both still enoyed being in the boys lives……..sadly not every one has been happy with those visits… Recently the foster adoptive placement that previously claimed she loved these boys as her own and wanted to adopt started making statements that it wasnt fair that the grandparents were still in Zachariah and DJ’s life. This past month she contacted cps and told them she no longer wanted the boys and wanted them immediately out of her home without waiting on a new foster home to even be set up….. She threw them out like a piece of garbage….who does that????
Cps caseworkers ended up having to place both Zachariah and DJ into a shelter……..

Zach and DJ

Dennis and Linda immediately reacted and rehired an attorney to fight for placement….this past Wednesday a Cleburne Judge ruled that if Linda and Dennis paid for and passed another home study he would consider removing the boys from fostercare and placing Zachariah and DJ in their home…CPS and the County Attorney agreed………. but there is a catch……. the grandparents must now pay for that homestudy out of pocket even though the state has funding set up to cover that expense.

Dennis and Linda have already spent over $4000.00 fighting for their grandsons whom they love more than life itself and they want to give them the 2nd chance that they so richly deserve but they can’t do it alone……they are needing help to bring these boys safely home from the foster agency that was just found unsafe by a supreme court judge here in Tx……………. if Dennis and Linda can’t come up with the funds to cover the $600.00 homestudy due by April 28th plus the $1500.00 fee for their attorney both Zachariah and DJ will linger in the foster-care agency wondering where they belong and if anyone truly loves them……………..Today I organized this fundraiser in the hope that many of you will HELP GIVE THESE BOYS A SECOND CHANCE……..I’m just a mother of 8 and who thinks children’s lives matter and today I’m choosing to donate $20.00 to start this campaign to SAVE ZACHARIAH AND DJ …..WILL YOU HELP?”  

The Grandparents, Dennis and Linda Carter are opening their doors for these two boys, but they have an uphill battle to perform this rescue mission. They are having to plead to the state and raise enough money ($2075) to pay for home studies and lawyer fees. The loving Carter’s are voluntarily offering permanent room and board. The father abandoned these two boys a few  years ago, then the mother was in a domestic incident with her boyfriend and reached out for help to family and friends, instead CPS stepped in and removed the boys.

They claimed she was on drugs but she voluntarily passed every drug test that she was given, including surrendering some of her hair follicles. She also jumped through all of the hoops and completed the grueling series of state required prerequisites that were placed upon her, but CPS still decided not to return the children to their mother. Then CPS tricked and coerced her to believe that if she signed away her rights she could keep all of her future children and that her parents could still be in the boys lives. So on the advice of her lawyer she signed her rights away, then the Carter’s immediately filed for custody but were denied because a foster family wanted to adopt (So the CPS could Profit). Sadly just over a month ago the foster family discarded them like garbage.

Austin Cook

Now the 2 boys are in an emergency shelter located in Lometa, Texas, the Carter’s have been fighting for custody for 2 yrs now while already in possession of two other grandchildren. CPS has denied custody to the Carter’s because of an ongoing investigation with the case worker involved in other wrongdoings.  So far Austin has raised $240 from his art, $695 in donations, and $220 from his tutoring and report card rewards.  This goes to show that voluntary help among people can get things done, without government intervention and it’s smoother and more heartfelt. The other thing is that if the grandparents want to take-in these boys then there should be no question and certainly no fees. CPS is a business and not a protective service like they claim to be, breaking up families as a solution is a lazy, emotionless, and unjust action.

Visit the generous and noble Austin Cook’s  Facebook Page to send him well-wishes and information on his artwork.

The donation page that he started to help the Boys:
https://www.gofundme.com/xcy5h83b