COUNTYWIDE : Victim’s Assistance Group Is Organized

Decrying a lack of assistance by the state for victims of violent crimes, Kay Brenneman, a mother whose 12-year-old son was murdered nine years ago, said Friday that she will establish a foundation to help victims and their families.

Speaking on what would have been her son’s 21st birthday, Brenneman stressed that the Ben Foundation would offer victims a variety of services to accelerate the healing process.

“I don’t think the average person has any idea what you go through when something like this happens to you,” said Brenneman, who lives in Anaheim. “It’s like being a veteran of war. Anything can trigger a flashback no matter how long it’s been and that is something that has to be dealt with because it doesn’t go away.”

Benjamin Brenneman disappeared in 1981 while selling subscriptions for his paper route in Anaheim and was found dead the next day, bound and gagged in Palos Verdes. He had been sexually molested.

A man, now on Death Row, was arrested two days later in connection with the murder.

In the years that have passed since her son’s death, Brenneman says she has recovered from a drug addiction, a divorce from her husband and the breakdown of her daughter, all without the assistance of any one collective self-help group.

Though the state provides some aid for victims, including counseling services, Brenneman said that state-allocated aid can take a year or more to reach the the victim. Her foundation will offer immediate funds for people seeking counseling services.

Brenneman added that funds will also be available for victims unable to return to work. “Though the state does give some compensation for that, you have to prove that the illness occurred as a result of the crime, but in many instances a pre-existing ailment is worsened by trauma and the state doesn’t recognize that,” Brenneman said.

The foundation, which has four board members and will be manned by volunteers, also hopes to raise $50,000 for a victim’s hot line and other services.