Domestic disputes can cost a pretty penny, financially and emotionally.
For Avery Sanford, this couldn’t be more true. The 18-year-old and her mother got the shock of their lives when Avery’s father dropped off his final child support payment recently. It came in the form of 80,000 pennies that were dumped outside their house following Avery’s 18th birthday.
“I just turned 18. When I was in the middle of class my dad came by…he had rented a trailer…he pulled up in front of our house…turned the trailer on so it dumped out all the pennies on the street in front of our house.” – Avery Sanford
Avery’s mom didn’t recognize her ex-husband at first and went out to see what was going on. She asked him what he was dumping on the lawn and his response was shocking.
“It’s your final child support payment.”
Avery’s father drove away after dumping 80,000 pennies in front of the family’s mailbox.
When all the pennies were picked up, many with a snow shovel, there were coolers full of pennies.
Avery’s mom finally recognized who it was but it was too late to do anything.
Her ex-husband got into his car and quickly drove away leaving the pennies on the street.
His actions did have an impact but possibly not the one he expected.
His intentions may have been focused on annoying his ex-wife but his actions ended up negatively affecting his daughter.
“It’s not just her that he is trying to embarrass,” said Avery. “It’s also me, it’s also my sister. It’s upsetting that he doesn’t really consider that before he did this.”
In a positive turn of events, Avery and her mother decide to donate all the pennies to Safe Harbor, a domestic abuse crisis center.
“Turning around and donating that money to moms and children in need…I feel like that just really turns the situation into a positive one. You can learn a lesson from it.” – Avery Sanford
Safe Harbor’s mission statement is ‘to support those who are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence, sexual violence, or human trafficking.’
‘In all of our programs, we work from a trauma-informed and empowerment-focused lens. We see each survivor as the expert of their own experiences and strive to create a safe and welcoming space for all. Our goals are to help clients understand and address the impact of trauma and build resilience.’ – safeharborshelter.com
Avery spoke to WTVR CBS 6 about how parents should always have the best interests of their kids in mind no matter how bad the situation gets.
“It is really hurtful and damaging to your kids when you do things like that. It doesn’t matter how old your kids are, it doesn’t matter if they are a young child or an adult. The actions of your parents will always have some impact on you.”
When asked about his penny stunt, Avery’s father said that it was 18 years of frustration that had built up. He told WTVR CBS 6 that he didn’t mean to put a wedge between him and his daughter.
Now watch the incredible video of Avery’s story.
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