ADOPTION FUND for Presley & Madison

HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO REALLY HELP OUT!!!

Hello everyone my Name is Nick and looking to help raise some money to help out our close family friend "AKA" Aunt Patti as she is known by my kids and NANA to my 2 Nieces Presley and Madison. She will be starting the adoption process to gain 100% custody of my 2 Nieces Presly and Madison. She's got an uphill battle financially as she is Retired and on a fixed income so we're looking to help her out and try to lessen the burden on her as she is doing all this out of the kindness of her heart and the love she has for these 2 young ladies. I’m reaching out to all of you because as most of you know the girl's mother Nicole and her situation with her addiction and being out on the streets. She has 2 beautiful girls Presley and Madison that are now being cared for by Patti which some of you know and some of you might not know. Patti got a call a few years ago now saying that the girl's father left them at his then girlfriend's house after they got into a fight and she needed to come pick Presley and Madison up so Patti called Star and Myself and we all went and pick the girls up from Orange County and Patti took them to her house out in Hemet, Ca. and has been caring for them ever since because both of their parents are in no way capable of caring for these two girls. Patti was able to get guardianship of the girls so that they didn’t end up in the system and get lost. Since then she has been providing the girls with a safe, loving and caring home and has gone above and beyond to give these girls the chance at life that they deserve. I received this letter this morning from Patti asking if I can reach out to Nicole’s family to let everyone know what’s going on with the girls and that she will be starting the adoption process so that she can try and provide even more stability for them. She is asking for some help if anyone is capable of helping out please read the letter and forward this to as many of your friends and family members so that we can do our part as a group to help provide for these girls in this time of need. Thank You all for reading this as I know it is very long.

Here's the Letter I received from Patti,

As many of you may know, I have permanent legal guardianship of Presley and Madison Erickson. We are now starting our fourth year together and I am starting the adoption process. It is time and I want the girls to know and feel completely secure that this is their home and to protect them legally.

FYI: Since I am not a blood relative, I had to notify Child Protective Services that I had physical possession of the girls over four years ago when this process started. Because the girls were from Orange County they would be placed in foster care in Orange County and since I reside in Riverside County the chances I would get the girls back were slim. The idea of them being put into the foster system was horrifying and not an option in my opinion. That is when I chose permanent legal guardianship and stopped CPS from intervening.

What you may not know is the difference between legal guardianship and foster care. Foster care would have provided financial support to maintain and keep the children. Legal guardianship provides zero support. Technically the parents are supposed to provide child support (which we know is not happening).

Why am I telling you all this? The reason is I am about to incur a very high cost to do the adoption process and I am retired and on a fixed income and quite frankly I could use some financial help in this regard. Those that know me, know how difficult this is for me to ask for help.

To give you an idea of what I am already providing for the girls. Presley has been diagnosed with a cognitive learning disorder and dyslexia. Presley has been receiving tutoring for dyslexia three times a week since April 2021. There are ten workbooks for her to complete at her pace with her tutor. She is currently in the process of mastering her fifth book. This tutoring has almost brought Presley up to grade level! I cannot stress the wonderful progress Presley has made and the confidence she has gained as a result. However, last year alone her tutoring costs were $5819 for the year.

Presley and Madison also required a lot of dental work as dental care had not been provided. Most of their dental work has been covered by Medi-Cal. However, Presley's upper mouth is not wide enough for her second teeth to come in and hence they started growing sideways. She required a pallet expander to expand the pallet and braces to keep the front teeth in place while the pallet expander does its job. Her orthodontist work is not covered by Medi-Cal. Her cost for just this first phase of orthodontist work is $2800.00. The second round is expected to cost the same. Luckily Madison does not require braces at this time and hopefully, that won't change.

Presley also has an issue with her ankles if left untreated she will develop permanent tendonitis. She is being seen by a podiatrist and is now utilizing orthotics to prevent the inward inclination and prevent the tendonitis. The insurance covers one set of orthotics per year, however, they wear out in about six months. The cost of her custom-made orthotics is $350.00.

Both girls are undergoing counseling every other week as there are many issues they are dealing with. The counselor was covered by the charter school but when we switched to public school after covid it is not covered under their insurance so this is being paid out of pocket.

Madison is in the school band and was selected to join the school district honor band. She is doing really well. She came with an electric guitar, but once she was signed up for lessons, we found out the jack to the guitar is broken. We have since purchased a new acoustic guitar, one perfect in size for our little peanut. She was taking lessons but with the cost of Presley's special needs, the cost became too prohibitive. I would like to be able to sign her back up for lessons but the cost is $60 per hour. While this is not a necessity, it would be wonderful to be able to let her pursue this avenue of expression.

So as you can see the extra costs mount up very quickly. Yes, I have a big house with some land which made perfect sense for me to take the girls. (Not to mention how much I love them!) They have plenty of room to play and be kids. But again I am retired and on a fixed income. I was doing Airbnb to help me maintain the household but since I have the girls here the court will not allow me to continue Airbnb. This means less income but more expenses.

So if any of you receive this letter from me or if it was passed on from another relative, please consider if you are able to make a contribution towards helping me cover the cost of the adoption attorney. I know that since COVID many have had financial difficulties but any amount will help and if everyone helps just a little it would be so appreciated.

Sincerely,

Patti Raftery