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A hug from the neighborhood
By JULIE CHURCH, Times Staff Writer CLEARWATER -- Red and purple balloons circled the pool at the Lantana apartment complex Saturday afternoon. A brightly colored pinata hung from a tree and a huge pile of birthday presents sat stacked on a table in the clubhouse. But many of the guests at this party didn't know the birthday girl, who wore a silver crown. They came together in a show of community support for a 12-year-old whose mother wasn't able to throw a birthday pool party herself. Morgan Alexander's mother, Denise Hoskin, 47, died of a heart attack in their Lantana apartment on Sept. 6, just two weeks before Morgan's 12th birthday. The two had lived in the apartment for only three months, so they didn't know many of their neighbors at the 184-unit complex near the corner of U.S. 19 and Drew Street. Hoskin had planned to host a birthday party for her daughter last month. When she died and Morgan moved in with her uncle in Clearwater, she thought her dreams of splashing in the pool with her friends to celebrate her big day had died along with her mother. But when Morgan's former neighbors learned of the tragedy and Morgan's wish for a pool party, strangers and friends stepped in to help make the girl's dream a reality. "I'm a single mom raising two kids on my own," said Melanee McCarthy, 39, who has lived at at the Lantana apartments for more than a year. "When I heard about Morgan's mom, my heart just broke for her. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking of it now." McCarthy and her son, T.J. Stoupas, 12, worked with the leasing staff to coordinate the celebration. T.J. and his friend Shane Fischer, 11, helped pass out fliers to every apartment, and McCarthy bought decorations and videotaped the party, which was attended by adults and children. Some of the people at the party knew Morgan and her mother, but many did not. "I got calls from literally almost every resident," said Cynthia Hornblower, assistant property manager. "People have pitched in to plan the party, and others have brought food and gifts. It's been incredible." Morgan's uncle, Al Hoskin, 40, said the month after his older sister's death hasn't been easy, but he and Morgan are getting by. They have a very close relationship and they're helping each other cope with their grief. "We've always been like brother and sister almost," he said. "I was at a place in my life where I was wondering what I would do next, and this just feels right. You've got to do the right thing." Morgan is in the seventh grade at Oak Grove Middle School. Her former neighbors made sure that some of her friends from school were also invited to the party. "This is great," Morgan said Saturday. Like many 12-year-olds, she is a girl of few words and was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd, but her face glowed as more and more guests arrived, giving her hugs and wishing her well. Among the gifts Morgan requested were an inflatable chair, a lava lamp and a poster. She received those items and many more, including a huge stuffed gorilla. "This is the way it should be," said Elizabeth Pinales, another former neighbor of Morgan and her mother. "I've got three kids of my own and I'd like to think if, God forbid, something ever happened to me, people would do the same thing."
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From the Times North Pinellas desks Letters |
