Bring Rachel's children home!
Donation protected
Rachel's air conditioning went out in the middle of summer. Her and her family (husband and 2 kids) were staying at a friend's house. For several weeks they tried to get someone to fix it but kept getting the run around. An HVAC person said it was electrical; an electrician said it an HVAC problem. So it went for several weeks, with them having to pay a $60+ consultation fee every time someone came out. About 2 weeks ago, an HVAC person, not knowing Rachel, her situation, or her family, reported them to CPS saying the house was unfit to live in and the AC was dangerous (due to his diagnosis that there was a leak from somewhere leaking onto an electrical component on the AC). Based solely on his report and a visit to the house, the children were removed.
Now, Rachel is disabled. She was born with a rare disease (Google "TAR syndrome") and is on disability. Her husband works but between their bills and her medical expenses that her insurance doesn't pay for, there is barely enough left for extras, let alone a $3500 air conditioner. You might say "Why doesn't she get help from the places that help disabled people?" The short answer is she has tried but they don't help with this problem.
Rachel has NEVER asked for anything, nor has she let her disability affect her attitude or living her life. She suffers severe pain from her disease but still soldiers on and does whatever needs to be done to take care of her kids. Rachel will admit that her house was not the cleanest it could have been at the time, but they hadn't been living there for about 10 days and it was hot so it didn't smell good inside.
That part is neither here nor there. The problem is this:
CPS removed the children from their home based on it being dirty and the AC being broken. How messed up is that?? The kids aren't being abused; they go to school; they have a roof over their head and food to eat. They are loved and well cared for. They brought Rachel's disability into it saying that she wasn't a fit mother because of it. She's already raised one child who's now about 23 so I'd like to call BS on that.
The bottom line is that CPS will not allow the children to come home until it is clean (easy) and the AC is fixed (extremely difficult). Rachel can't afford to get a new one and the people that have consulted with her told her that the AC unit she has now can not be fixed due to age. Also, her HOA does not allow window AC units in her housing complex so she can't even get those. A new AC unit will cost roughly $3500. They have no extra money and no way of getting that kind of money either. Plus their children have been taken away. Think about that. They can not get them back until the AC is working.
I know people are going to roll their eyes and grumble that there must be other reasons they were removed and I assure you there isn't. They've never had an issue with CPS before. I know Rachel. She is a great person and she doesn't use her disability as a crutch. She is going to be upset that I'm doing this because she doesn't like handouts but I have to do something to help her. I've researched all kinds of support places for her and they either don't help with appliances, or their is no money, or they don't work in her county.
The children, Aiden (8) and Lydia (7) are upset that they can't go home. They don't understand. They just want their mom and dad and to go back to their own school. They don't understand about CPS and not having money to fix the air conditioning. They just want to go home.
We have tried, without success, every other option we can think of, short of standing on the corner and begging. If there was another way, I or Rachel would peruse it.
I implore you; if you can't donate, then pray for them or send good thoughts or whatever it is you do. Share their story with others because it is so ridiculous that this is happening and something needs to be changed (but that's a problem for change.org). I just want to help Rachel and her kids. I am absolutely furious and upset that this is happening to them. I just want those kids home where they belong.
If you are skeptical that's fine. I know you don't know me from Eve, but I hate these campaigns and now I'm doing one because I don't know what else to do. Thank you for reading, contributing, sharing, praying, etc.
Now, Rachel is disabled. She was born with a rare disease (Google "TAR syndrome") and is on disability. Her husband works but between their bills and her medical expenses that her insurance doesn't pay for, there is barely enough left for extras, let alone a $3500 air conditioner. You might say "Why doesn't she get help from the places that help disabled people?" The short answer is she has tried but they don't help with this problem.
Rachel has NEVER asked for anything, nor has she let her disability affect her attitude or living her life. She suffers severe pain from her disease but still soldiers on and does whatever needs to be done to take care of her kids. Rachel will admit that her house was not the cleanest it could have been at the time, but they hadn't been living there for about 10 days and it was hot so it didn't smell good inside.
That part is neither here nor there. The problem is this:
CPS removed the children from their home based on it being dirty and the AC being broken. How messed up is that?? The kids aren't being abused; they go to school; they have a roof over their head and food to eat. They are loved and well cared for. They brought Rachel's disability into it saying that she wasn't a fit mother because of it. She's already raised one child who's now about 23 so I'd like to call BS on that.
The bottom line is that CPS will not allow the children to come home until it is clean (easy) and the AC is fixed (extremely difficult). Rachel can't afford to get a new one and the people that have consulted with her told her that the AC unit she has now can not be fixed due to age. Also, her HOA does not allow window AC units in her housing complex so she can't even get those. A new AC unit will cost roughly $3500. They have no extra money and no way of getting that kind of money either. Plus their children have been taken away. Think about that. They can not get them back until the AC is working.
I know people are going to roll their eyes and grumble that there must be other reasons they were removed and I assure you there isn't. They've never had an issue with CPS before. I know Rachel. She is a great person and she doesn't use her disability as a crutch. She is going to be upset that I'm doing this because she doesn't like handouts but I have to do something to help her. I've researched all kinds of support places for her and they either don't help with appliances, or their is no money, or they don't work in her county.
The children, Aiden (8) and Lydia (7) are upset that they can't go home. They don't understand. They just want their mom and dad and to go back to their own school. They don't understand about CPS and not having money to fix the air conditioning. They just want to go home.
We have tried, without success, every other option we can think of, short of standing on the corner and begging. If there was another way, I or Rachel would peruse it.
I implore you; if you can't donate, then pray for them or send good thoughts or whatever it is you do. Share their story with others because it is so ridiculous that this is happening and something needs to be changed (but that's a problem for change.org). I just want to help Rachel and her kids. I am absolutely furious and upset that this is happening to them. I just want those kids home where they belong.
If you are skeptical that's fine. I know you don't know me from Eve, but I hate these campaigns and now I'm doing one because I don't know what else to do. Thank you for reading, contributing, sharing, praying, etc.
Organizer and beneficiary
Angela Pratt
Organizer
Tucson, AZ
Rachel Spence
Beneficiary