A Real-Life Grinch Steals Gifts for Disabled Children

A real-life Grinch slithered into a North Hollywood nonprofit organization and stole more than 100 presents intended for children with severe mental and emotional disabilities, officials said Monday.

Many of the children are wards of the court and were not likely to receive any other Christmas gifts.

Staff members of the Dubnoff Center for Child Development and Educational Therapy arrived at the center’s administrative offices Monday morning to find the presents, computer equipment, office furniture and a refrigerator gone.

Officials at the center estimate that the total losses, including the presents, was $20,000. Police said the theft occurred sometime during the weekend.

“These children have so very little to begin with,” said Gil Freitag. “The amount of effort and goodwill and expectations that went into the preparation of these gifts was enormous, and to have them snatched from under us overnight has just been devastating.”

The private agency has worked with children from throughout Los Angeles County for 46 years, Freitag said. More than 130 students attend the center’s school and preschool programs and about 30 live in group homes.

The live-in children--who range in age from 12 to 18--were asked to make lists of things they wanted for Christmas, Freitag said. Some of those items were donated and others were bought with donated money and wrapped by staff members.

Each child was to receive five presents, including such items as athletic shoes, cassette recorders, computer games, walkie-talkies, baseball cards and art supplies. Freitag said the gifts were to be a surprise, placed under Christmas trees in the group homes on Monday. He added that he will not tell the children what happened.

“They’ve experienced abandonment in major ways that have destroyed their hope that they could ever have a normal, happy, Christmas,” Freitag said. “This would just confirm their worst fears.”