ISSUE 98 | DECEMBER 2019
WITH COLDWELL BANKER TOMLINSON
HUTTON PROVIDES HOME WITH HEART
Article by Cindy Hval, Reprinted with Permission from the Spokesman-Review
There’s no place like home for the holidays and for 32 children, Hutton Settlement is the place they call home. Earlier this year, I got to know four of those children.
Anthony said, “So, I kind of had a bad home when I was a baby ’cause of my mom’s friends, and she didn’t treat me right. I moved here when I was 6.”
On Oct. 31, Northwest Profiles devoted a half-hour program to the history of Hutton. The program, which aired on KSPS-TV and kicked off the show’s 33rd season, featured the four children I interviewed with McArthur.
Trinity had a similar story.
Gavin McArthur, 16, Roxy Fredericksen, 14, Anthony Buck, 8, and Trinity Kinville, 11, shared their stories of how they came to live at Hutton, and what the settlement means to them.
The abuse continued when her younger siblings arrived. “When I was 8, my mother died from an overdose. I lived with my grandma and grandpa for a year,” she said. “One day our uncle came and said, ‘I just found this great place online, and I have friends who used to work there. It’s called Hutton Settlement.’ That summer we started visiting, and we ended up moving to Cottage Two, and I’ve lived there since.”
Gavin said he and his brother were being raised by their dad. One morning when he was about 4 years old, he heard a knock at the door. “My dad opened it up and a bunch of police officers stormed in. My brother and I were scared. We ran and hid under a bunk bed. It turns out that he (Dad) was arrested for using drugs at the time. I found out later that he suffered from schizophrenia and mental illness.”
“When I was just little, our father abused me and my mother,” she said.
When asked what they’d like to say to Levi Hutton, founder of the Settlement, Roxy said, “Thank you for making this place where I can be myself and have a loving caring family. I didn’t have that before.”
After going through several foster homes, the brothers ended up at Hutton.
Trinity reflected on what she’s learned since coming to the settlement.
“I could tell right away these people are here for me — they’re trying to help me, nurture me and take care of me,” he said.
“God loves everyone,” she said. “Even when times are tough it can get better. It will get better. And even if you don’t feel like it, someone’s always there by your side.”
Roxy said her mother and father argued frequently. “It was really bad. And then one day my mom, she’s like, ‘Oh you’re not gonna be living with me anymore,’ ” Roxy said. When she was 7, she moved to Hutton and her two younger sisters soon followed.
In this season of the year when hearts yearn for home and family, the kids at Hutton Settlement are profoundly grateful for the acceptance and love they’ve found. “Hutton Settlement to me is a place to call home — a place to call family,” Gavin said.