Gift event lightens holiday for disabled mom and kids

YOUNGSTOWN

Life hasn’t been easy lately for Mary Ann Esposito of Youngstown, but seeing her daughter’s expression upon receiving a four-foot-tall, pink, stuffed rabbit brought a little added holiday cheer.

“That big, oversized rabbit is bigger than she is,” Esposito said with a chuckle, referring to her 9-year-old daughter, Tiona Saylia. “She loves stuffed animals.”

Esposito is disabled, and in July 2009, Terrence Crum, the father of her three children, was killed. Nevertheless, prayer and being with Tiona, 7-year-old son Treyvonte Cardona and daughter Terri Crum, 11, are making the holidays a lot easier, she added.

Also adding a bright spot to their Christmas was Saturday’s annual toy, clothing, coat and food giveaway event at the Crime Watch Center, 1001 Oak St., on the city’s East Side.

Read about it in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.