Can you help our family overcome tragedy.

Hello my name is Cassandra alaine and I would like to take a moment to tell you who I am and a little bit about where I’m from and how my family got to the situation we are facing right now. This picture from left to right is my daughter Alona 14, our dog Bella 10, horse George and my oldest daughter Ruby 20. I was born November 1983 and raised in a small farming community in Grant county Indiana. I grew up on a farm where my grandparents raised beef cattle on 100 acre farm. I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers and the home we grew up in was not very big so there was hardly any room for the 7 of us and so I spent a good part of my life as a child outside. I found comfort with my cats and the treehouse my dad built for us. I was homeschooled for a good portion of my elementary years and when my parents decided to let us go to public schools I had already become very socially awkward finding it hard to fit in. My parents divorced when I was around 12 so between school and my parents splitting up it was very hard for me to make meaningful friendships that lasted. I ended up dropping out of school my junior year and wanted so badly to find someone I could start a family with. I didn’t realize that in order to make a relationship last I had to learn boundaries first but that’s a mistake I made so many times without knowing why my relationships wouldn’t work. It took 2 children with 2 different men and many years of addiction and in an out of prison, jail, rehabs and mental institutions for me to realize what my weaknesses were and as a single mother what to do differently after I got sober this last time Feb 16th 2016. I had a very long time in prison hanging over my head and I was on and off heroin for almost 10 years but struggled with addiction since I was 20. I finally made a choice after receiving 2 years of incarceration while I was sitting in my jail cell alone for 3 days I had been in 23 hr lockdown by myself and this was towards the beginning of my sentence that I had this overwhelming feeling that I had to change my life because my baby girls needed their momma. I can’t tell you why, how or what sparked that flame of inspiration in my soul but it happened and there was no way I could ignore it. So fast forward a year and a half later I had 6 months left of my 2 year sentence and id asked the judge if I could do the last part of my sentence in work release so I worked two jobs saving up enough to get my own apartment and a car. I did just that and when it was time for me to be released I had a home waiting for me and my girls. I got a car that I bought an paid for all on my own. I made a conscious decision that I needed to not be in a relationship and that I would devote every single ounce of my being to my girls until they graduated and moved out because of all the years of me not being there for them like they needed me to be. I got a job making more money than I’d ever made before working in a factory painting kitchen an bathroom cabinet frames. Working as many hours as I could to support me an my family. Iv been able to give my girls the life they deserved with me being an active part in it. I started there November 2017 until May 2023. I got custody back of my youngest daughter while my oldest remained in my mother’s custody but spent a good majority of her time with me. I was able to buy a horse his name is George and he’s a 19 year old haflinger we’ve owned for 2 years now. Iv been able to keep the girls in 4-H from the time they were old enough to be in it until now. We love being outside fishing, hiking, camping, going to caves and going on road trips. We also love animals so much and have rescued and saved the life’s of so many hurt and or sick animals or babies abandoned by their mommas. We currently have a diabetic dog her name is Bella, and 5 rescued cats that were abandoned when they were a few weeks old. We have a snake that we nursed back to health from being attacked in the wild and almost died but was able to make a full recovery and has been with us for almost 5 years. We also have a leopard gecko that was found in an abandoned house and we just recently adopted a black lab, who’s still a puppy , from my brother. I also have a very deep love an passion for growing plants and flowers and have found so much joy and happiness in making beautiful things grow . So to bring you to my current situation About 4 months ago I lost my best friend/brother since we were teenagers 25 years of friendship, who was tragically killed in a car accident and then shortly after that I lost my uncle from ALS. The trauma from losing someone so close to me was too much for me to handle and I made a major safety violation at work spilling 50 gallons of paint. I was terminated 3 days later. I tried to get unemployment but that was not happening because my company said I committed a safety violation. Iv tried so hard to find work and Iv applied for rental assistance and utility assistance but because my electricity is in my dads name I can’t get help for that from the state. Iv been able to get rental assistance but iv got all of my other bills that I can’t get help with, my phone bill(and my daughters), water bill, trash and sewage bill, car insurance, I’m behind around $2000 for everything because Iv been off work for a couple of months now. I did find a job at another factory about a month ago but that didn’t work out. I’m trying so hard to find work but the places Iv applied to Iv made it past the first part of the hiring process but then don’t get a call back because of my felony background. I’m not giving up because I’m a fighter and survivor and have been through way too much to give up now but most importantly my girls still need me and and I will continue to keep applying for a job. Until then I would be so grateful for any help I can get. Iv never reached out for help like this because Iv always been able to find a way to make things work but this time I’m really struggling. Your help will be so very greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time and support.

Sincerely,

Cassandra Morgan