This Christmas The Queens Courier has adopted the Carpio family from Whitestone due to their very unique circumstance – in October of 2008 they welcomed into the world sextuplets – Justin, Jezreel, Joel, Jaden, Genesis and Daniela.
The sudden change from a family of three, mom Digna and dad Victor already had an eight-year-old son Jhancarlos, to a family of nine meant that Digna had to give up her job at a Citibank branch and now the family depends solely on Victor’s maintenance salary of $35,000, food stamps, social security income (SSI), and the few checks they received as donations through their P.O. Box.
Now the family will have one less stress this holiday season. Courier readers have begun to call to find out how they can volunteer while others have dropped in – like Santa – bearing gifts.
“I saw the article in the paper, and I was touched,” said Sheila Stein from Douglaston. “I’m a grandmother, and I took care of one baby last weekend. I don’t know how someone can take care of seven.”
Whitestone resident and early childhood development specialist Lisa Pacheco came by the Courier office to introduce herself because she wants to volunteer.
“I have worked a lot with ‘multiples’ and know a lot of techniques that could help the mom,” said Pacheco, who is getting her masters in early childhood development and thinks that volunteering with the Carpio family will help her decide on her thesis. “Does she have a kidney table to feed the kids? I’ll see if I can get one donated.”
But since the sextuplets get all the attention – understandably so – the Courier interviewed big brother Jhancarlos about his full house.
“They know that when I tell them not to touch, they shouldn’t touch,” he said, as he pointed to his vast collection of animal figures that ran the gamut of land and underwater species. His cozy ocean blue colored room is stenciled with a shark, octopus, dolphin and a clown fish.
Jhancarlos, now 9, also said he liked to read and showed off his growing collection of the Magic Treehouse series of children’s books.
We ask our loyal readers and advertisers to purchase what you would like to from the Carpios’ wish list and deliver all unwrapped gift items to The Queens Courier office, located at 38-15 Bell Boulevard in Bayside, by Tuesday, December 15 at 5 p.m.
Let us all make this Christmas one the Carpios will never forget! Thank you!
The Carpios Christmas Wish List
The sextuplets (14 months old) need and wish for:
1. Johnson & Johnson shampoos and creams
2. Clothes for babies aged 24 months (four boys and two girls)
3. Shoes, size four with socks
4. Pampers baby wipes
5. Pampers diapers (size 4)
6. Toys for children age 18 months and up
Jhancarlos, 9, wishes for:
1. A bucket with sea life animals from Toys R’ Us
2. A mammoth book
3. A Nintendo DS
4. Transformer toys
5. Yankee tickets
Mom Digna wishes for:
1. A spa day with massage
2. Detergents to clean the house
3. Aromatic candles with calming scents
4. A dinner at Applebees or Olive Garden
5. People to volunteer and help with the kids
6. Clothes: shirts (women’s small), pants (size 6), shoes (size 7)
Dad Victor wishes for:
1. A van to transport all of the kids with their child seats
2. A better job
3. Tickets for the Yankees
4. People to volunteer to help my wife with the kids
5. Clothes: pants (36 waist, 30 inseam); shirts (men’s large); ties and dress shoes (size 9 ½)
