In May, an estranged Virginia dad said he did not want to further push away his daughter, Avery Sanford, but his actions surely did not show it. He backed up a trailer at his ex-wife’s and 18-year-old daughter’s house and dumped 80,000 pennies onto the lawn. The pennies added up to the father’s final child support payment for Avery and her sister.
Divorce combined with an estranged parent and child support can be extremely stressful. The Virginia family law attorneys at Randall, Page & Bruch, P.C. are here and ready to help you and your family through these types of stressful dilemmas.
Virginia teen Avery Sanford had not seen her father in years, and when he rented a landscaping trailer and dumped the coins, she was finishing her senior year classes. Her dad pulled up to her house, tilted the trailer and let the small mountain of pennies slide onto the lawn and street.
Avery’s mom, Raven Sickle, did not recognize her ex-husband at first and asked the man what he was doing. Her ex responded, “It’s your final child support payment.”
Avery, who will be a Virginia Tech freshman in the fall, told reporters she wishes her father had considered the humiliation he caused not only to his ex-wife but to her and her sister.
But Avery’s family flipped his childish deed into a very mature decision. They gathered up every cent of the $800 and donated it to the domestic abuse center, Safe Harbor.
“Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need,” says Avery, “I feel like that really turns this situation into a positive one. You can learn a lesson from it.”
Their donation and the coinciding news coverage created some major ripples, resulting in Safe Harbor receiving more than $47,000 of additional donations, coming from local, national, and international sources.
Representatives from Safe Harbor report these donations have made an immediate difference and may lead to one of their most successful donation years.
Before this incident, it had been years since Sanford had seen or heard from her father. She reported his recent actions have scarred their relationship further and provided proof she made the right decision to “stay clear,” of him.
Her father did say emotions got the best of him and the child support contributed to 18 years of frustration, but he did not intend to create a “wedge” between him and his daughter.
Avery has no intentions of renewing a relationship with him.
If you are struggling through a divorce or separation or any other family law issue, do not hesitate in reaching out to the Virginia family law attorneys at Randall, Page & Bruch, P.C. Our experienced and compassionate attorneys understand how difficult these times can be, and we are here to guide you through to the other side, handling every aspect of the complicated legalities of divorce or separation.
You can contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or by calling 757-742-6115.
