Help Give “Little M” a New Start After Tragic Loss
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Karlie and I am raising funds in support of my dear friends, Liz & Kelly, a loving couple who has sacrificed nearly everything in order to gain custody of their young niece after her mother’s tragic and unexpected death.
PLEASE NOTE: Because this family is still involved in an active case, I am not able to share identifying details about the child, such as her name, image, or location, but I can share parts of their story.
Their Story
Liz’s sister, Kate, died unexpectedly from Covid 19-related pneumonia in 2021. Her daughter, “Little M,” was not quite a year old. There wasn't a known father and the state in which she lived assumed placement in a non-relative foster home.
- The state testified in court that they did not make any attempts to contact Liz or ANY family member following her sister's death. This was in direct violation of state code.
- Although Liz immediately contacted the state to inquire about her niece, she was told she would need an attorney to intervene, it would take months, and a judge in their state didn't have to place the orphaned child with family.
- Despite the fact that Liz and Kelly immediately hired an attorney, were granted intervenor status by the court in a timely manner, went through a rigorous home-study, and passed all requirements to become licensed foster parents, the state department testified in court that their permanency plan for Little M was always with the non-relative foster family. This is in complete violation of state and federal code.
- The state argued that Little M had severe special needs that required 24-hour care, which the stay-at-home foster parent could provide. Little M's own court-appointed attorney told Liz her niece was seriously "messed up."
- Medical records revealed that Little M suffers only from mild eczema.
- Medical and developmental records also revealed that the foster family had secretly changed Little M’s name within days of her mother's death. This was in direct violation of code, but no action was taken and the child remained in their care.
- The foster family ignored best practices and instead, engaged in a contentious battle for custody.
Last October, feeling the case would not be ending anytime soon, Liz and Kelly made the very difficult decision to have Liz move from their home in San Francisco to the state where her niece was living in order to have consistent visitations and bonding time between hearings. Since then, they have been forced to navigate this emotional and tumultuous journey from separate sides of the country and have had to pay for secondary housing, a rental car, travel and living expenses, etc. In addition, Liz had to leave one job behind and has lost over a 1/3 of her annual income.
For almost two years, the couple fought against blatant negligence, small town bias, and discrimination. The state stonewalled them every step of the way and used unethical scare tactics in an attempt to drive the couple away from pursuing custody of their young niece.
A Happy Ending
After six hearings, two attorneys, two experts, 800 pages of transcripts, and hundreds of hours of documented supervised visits, the court finally delivered the judgement they had been waiting for… Liz & Kelly WON and will finally be able to bring Little M home to California in October!!
Why They Need Our Help
This couple exhausted every resource they had in order to fund this effort. Legal fees, expert fees, separate housing, furnishings, living expenses, rental cars, travel, and lost wages have cost them right around $100,000. And... they are still living away from home during the transition phase and must continue to retain their attorneys to address an appeal with the state Supreme Court.
After everything Liz & Kelly have sacrificed, this new family of three does not deserve to come home completely drained. The emotional and mental toll this has taken on them is difficult enough; they shouldn’t have to also deal with the overwhelming stress of being $100,000 in debt.
Little M lost her mother. And now, at almost three years old, will be starting a brand new life with her family in San Francisco. She needs and deserves all the love, support, access, and opportunity she can get.
Please consider making a donation to support this courageous family and a chance at a new life for this beautiful and resilient little toddler.
Ways YOU can help:
Donate
Your financial contribution will:
- Help Liz & Kelly begin to recover their losses
- Provide foundational support in order to help Little M access quality healthcare, therapeutic services, and education
- Help secure legal fees associated with ongoing litigation
Other types of donations
If making a financial contribution isn't feasible for you, there may be other ways you can help:
- Personally collect donations to send to family (please email me at [email redacted])
- Provide a special service, gift cards, flight miles or lodging points, local museum passes, food delivery, etc.
Send Love
This family will take all the love they can get!
If you would like to make a financial donation in another form outside of the Go Fund Me platform, please email me directly at [email redacted] to discuss other payment options.
THANK YOU for your time, love, and support!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Karlie Guthrie
Organizer
San Francisco, CA
Elizabeth Lewis
Beneficiary