David Goldman becomes advocate for the abducted
Foundation aims to start grant program to help families in needhttp://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201230202010611:45 PM, Feb. 2, 2012
MATAWAN — David Goldman’s story isn’t over.
The Tinton Falls resident achieved international attention over the course of a five-year battle to regain custody of his son, Sean, who had been abducted by the boy’s mother and held in her native Brazil. Sean Goldman, now 11, returned home to New Jersey on Christmas Eve 2009 after the personal involvement of government officials, including President Barack Obama and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J. Now, David Goldman is dedicated to making sure children like his son keep coming back.
“I’ve been very fortunate. I feel like I’m the lucky one to be able to be reunited with my son and to be able to give back,” Goldman said Thursday during a news conference prior to his appearance at a luncheon held by the Northern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce at Sterling Gardens here. “It’s something that is a calling that I must do and I will continue to do until we get some legislation passed, until we can make a difference and help these parents and families who are victimized by these tragic cases of international — parental in most cases — child abduction.”
As a co-founder of the Bring Sean Home Foundation, Goldman has become an advocate for abducted children and parents who have been left behind while returning to a sense of normalcy at home with Sean.
“I’m home as much as I can, raising my son as best as I can, taking him to his basketball games and Little League games and doing homework and playing video games with him, so it’s working out and he’s doing really well,” Goldman said. “Just like any working family, any working parent, you do what you can to, in my case, get the mission out and also to work and just be a dad.”
According to Holmdel resident Mark DeAngelis, also a co-founder of the Bring Sean Home Foundation, fundraising will be critical to the foundation’s mission in 2012 as it looks to launch a financial grant program to help families in need.
“Really, the biggest need is finance, coming up with the money to finance, unfortunately, a legal battle in two different countries and travel expenses that go with trying to see their children,” said DeAngelis. “So I think awareness, (local businesses) letting their customers know about the fundraising events we’re having, would be most helpful to us.”
Goldman racked up several hundred thousand dollars in expenses over his five-year fight to regain custody of Sean, a figure DeAngelis says is “unfortunately the norm.”
Three members of the chamber donated a total of $750 to the foundation on Thursday afternoon, according to chamber executive director Lea Shave. Between 120 and 130 people attended the $25-per-person luncheon, where copies of Goldman’s recent memoir, “A Father’s Love: One Man’s Unrelenting Battle to Bring His Abducted Son Home” were also for sale.
The luncheon included a video presentation on Goldman and his story, as well as Goldman speaking to and fielding questions from those in attendance.
Among those who had Goldman sign their copy of “A Father’s Love” was chamber president Cliff Moore of Hazlet. “When you have the power of all these businesses and you get the right people in front of the right audience, you can make things happen,” said Moore. “David seemed to be right cause at the right time and it just made perfect sense to partner with him and help him.”
Goldman’s mission will bring take him to Washington on Wednesday, when he will appear at a news conference for the reintroduction of H.R. 1940, Smith’s legislation that would give the president authority to hold countries complicit in international child abduction accountable through methods including economic sanctions.
According to Goldman, 64 abducted American children remain in Brazil and in the last three years over 4,700 American children have been “spirited across international borders,” with around 1,000 of those children having been returned to date.
“(This issue) didn’t end with Sean coming home. There are still thousands of other children and families who need our help,” said Goldman. “It’s all about awareness and obviously we need to raise funds so we can help these parents. … Most of these parents, not only are they broken financially, mentally, emotionally, but all around they’re just devastated, so they need our help.”
