There are currently over half a million children in the foster care system in the United States today.

Federally Funded Family Terrorism

by: Annette M. Hall
Posted March 29, 2006

The conspiracy behind the taking of the Gravelle children.

I have been called into question as to how I could still be in support of the Gravelle family after the reports came out in court about the supposed abuse these children endured at the hands of Michael and Sharen Gravelle. I have been in contact with family friends who have since filled in a lot of the blanks for me and I now stand even more convinced that the case against the Gravelle's is totally without merit.

"We are from the government and we are here to help."

How does our government provide help? The federal government provides "assistance" in the only way it can, through financial arrangement. County and State agencies participate in many federally funded programs, dispersing funds earmarked for various "services" provided by the state to families in need.

You may be wondering what all this has to do with the Gravelle family. These federal funds were the undoing of this this family and many other innocent families across the country. I will attempt to walk you through what I have discovered.

You see Mr. & Mrs. Gravelle have been criticized widely for adopting too many children. In fact many of the letters I have personally received have asked just how the state could allow this family to adopt so many special needs children. The fact of the matter is, it was the state who, finding that the Gravelle's had a heart for children, sought the couple out and requested that they take these children, that the state had been unable to find homes for. Michael and Sharen opened their hearts and their homes to these children - children no one wanted or cared for.

Everything came to a head when their youngest child, who had severe medical problems needed surgery and their medical bills began mounting, to the tune of $400,000. Insurance funds covered a quarter of that amount, so the Gravelle's asked Huron County for assistance in covering these exorbitant expenses. At first the county refused to help but in January of 2005, the Gravelle's were asked to submit a list of expenses, which they did. The county dragged their feet for months before providing any help in paying the medical bills, despite the fact that state funding is available for the support of special needs children through federal block grants.

Only after Michael Gravelle threatened to call the Governor of Ohio for assistance in obtaining access to the funds did things begin to happen - in a hurry. Only three short days later, the state made wild accusations and presented falsified documents to obtain warrants to have the children removed from the home.

Under Title 4, Federal funds are payable to the County and the County is responsible to disburse the funds. It is now known that county workers began searching for homes for these children in August of 2005, after a request for funding had been made, though the children were not removed until September and no complaints had been filed.

Title IV - Grants to States for aid and services to needy families with children and for child-welfare services

Requires ...

(3) Certification that the state will operate a foster care and adoption assistance program. - A certification by the chief executive officer of the State that, during the fiscal year, the State will operate a foster care and adoption assistance program under the State plan approved under part E, and that the State will take such actions as are necessary to ensure that children receiving assistance under such part are eligible for medical assistance under the State plan under title XIX.

The Federal Government has in place laws that pit state and county agencies against families and supplies them with the funding to rip a family apart. In fact, Huron County received $85,000 in federal funding to do just that to the Gravelle family. I'm certain that these are not the only funds that came into play in this case. If I had the staff to spend weeks and months combing through government documents, I'm certain I would find proof that many thousands of federal dollars have been paid to Huron County in the form of Federal Block Grants.

Below is just a tiny portion of the law, which entitled the County of Huron to take action against the Gravelle family. Visiting the link below will allow you to read for yourself how the funding was obtained.

Entitlement Funding for State Courts to Assess and Improve Handling of Proceedings Related to Foster Care and Adoption

SEC. 438. [42 U.S.C. 629h] (a) In General - The Secretary shall make grants, in accordance with this section, to the highest State courts in States participating in the program under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act, for the purpose of enabling such courts-

1. to conduct assessments, in accordance with such requirements as the Secretary shall publish, of the role, responsibilities, and effectiveness of State courts in carrying out State laws requiring proceedings (conducted by or under the supervision of the courts)-
2. that determine the advisability or appropriateness of foster care placement;
3. that determine whether to terminate parental rights; and
4. that determine whether to approve the adoption or other permanent placement of a child; [57]
2. to implement improvements the highest state courts deem necessary as a result of the assessments, including-
1. to provide for the safety, well-being, and permanence of children in foster care, as set forth in the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89); and
2. to implement a corrective action plan, as necessary, resulting from reviews of child and family service programs under section 1123A of this Act;[58]
3. to ensure that the safety, permanence, and well-being needs of children are met in a timely and complete manner; and
4. [59] to provide for the training of judges, attorneys and other legal personnel in child welfare cases.

This case is not about abused children, it is not about abusive parents. It is about money, a system out of control, one that will do anything for a buck. The Federal Government is using our tax dollars to rip apart our families and to destroy the lives of our children. It could happen to you!

Gravelle Family News

• Legal Strangers: Illegal Visit
• Family Life
• An Update from FDNO
• Gravelle Discipline
• Federally Funded Family Terrorism
• Gravelle Case
• Reader Responses
• February 26, 2006
• February 25, 2006
• February 23, 2006
• February 15, 2006
• December 10, 2005

When Joe Johnson showed up with police and a warrant to remove the Gravelle children she didn't allow the children to take anything with them. They weren't allowed to take a change of clothing, a family photo or even a stuffed animal. She wouldn't even permit the children to say goodbye to the parents that they had come to love and trust. These children were traumatized by this event.

As you can imagine this case is long and involved. The facts I've presented here are just the tip of the iceberg. I will be adding more reports over the next few days and weeks with the goal of touching your hearts and minds. The news media has been allowed to regurgitate the lies that were spread during the court proceedings. The family, due to a court order, is not allowed to discuss the case. The Gravelle's have been maligned and publicly shamed. They have not been allowed to properly defend themselves. It is my goal to help set the record straight and to prove that this is not an isolated incident. This is happening all across the country and it must stop.

The Judge has awarded permanent custody to Huron County after only six months, when it normally takes 2 years for the state to even bring a permanency hearing. The court hired the most expensive court reporter in the county, at $75.00 an hour, since the hearings dragged into several days the cost to obtain depositions and court transcripts will be unusually high. Estimates to obtain these much needed documents run over $20,000. Money is urgently needed to pay for these transcripts, in order to mount a defense. The family is urgently in need of your assistance. Any help that you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Please support the Gravelle family by sending a donation in any amount to:
Gravelle Family Defense Fund at Key Bank,
11 West Main Street,
Wakeman, Ohio 44889
Phone: (440) 839-2555

Please join me is helping the Gravelle family find justice and in helping bring these innocent children back home where they belong. If you still have doubts about whether or not the Gravelle's are innocent of all the charges which have been brought against them, please visit: the Family Defense Network of Ohio for more compelling evidence and video's that you won't want to miss.

Support the Gravelle Family

Many of you who have been reading my CPS rants for years know that ours is not a rich family. We don't have a fat bank account and a trust fund to dip into but we would like to help. We have decided to donate $20.00 to the Gravelle Family Defense Fund and we are asking you to match us with a $20.00 donation of your own. In fact, if you send me your name, I would like to create a list of donors names here on this site, to show the world that people do care about the Gravelle children and that we are standing in support of this family.

Write in so that we can add your name to the list of donors.

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