Help Burke's pay for unexpected emergency costs

Hi, my name is Jamie Burke, and my husband is Austin Burke. On October 28, 2021, after a very long conference call, it was decided by officials that it would be best for 3 children, our nieces and nephew, to move in with us and our family, immediately and permanently. We truly love these children like they are our own. We have been advocating for them for their entire lives', and this is the first time ever we are getting an opportunity to actually help them. I never ever in a million years dreamed that this would become our story. I am creating this fundraiser to ask for help in paying for unexpected emergency costs, and to ask for your help in providing these children with the best possible life now and for them in the future.

I have never asked for help like this before, nor have I ever created a crowd fundraiser. I must admit, it feels completely awkward and intimidating to even start trying to type out our story. I've done a lot of "firsts" though in my life here lately, and here I am doing another one...

My husband, Austin, and I have four children together. Their names are Katelyn, age 15, Autumn, age 13, Maya, age 12, and Jackson, age 9. My sister's oldest three children, Burgandie, age 16, Ashton, age 15, and Ashlyn, age 14 were legally adopted by mother and step-father in 2016, and lived with them from June 2015 until they moved in with us on Oct. 28, 2021 - I may have never dreamed this would ever happen, but I definitely love that we are all together now.

I feel like I have an awful lot to prove right now, because of things done in the past by my own family members. One of the best things I can do for the children right now is to continue advocating for them, and speaking the truth. You can't imagine the overwhelming guilt I feel for these children suffering for so many years.

It was the strength, voices, and courage from a few recently that gave us the strength and courage to be where we are today. I honestly did not expect anyone to listen to me, to care, or to help. I cannot even begin to express the gratitude I feel towards the few who have spoken up and helped the kids so far.

By asking for your help now, publicly, I'm hoping to be a positive role model for three children we are currently raising who strongly believe that it is not ok to ever ask for help, for anything. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help them learn and understand that it is ok and they should ask for help sometimes, and how to ask for help when it is needed.

Our nieces and nephew believe that they do not deserve anything in life at all. They believe that no one actually cares about them. They have never been able to trust, nor do they trust now, any parental or authority figure or any other adult in their entire lives. Please help me show these children that there actually are many caring, kind adults in this world.

It is Ashton's 16th birthday in two days - January 1. Please help us celebrate this year by donating to this cause. Ashton has not had a good birthday most of his life, and while we can't change his past, we can help give him and all of these children a better future.

Some of you have asked me how can you could help. By sharing this fundraiser and/or donating, you can directly help these children now.

We have, since the kids moved in, built three new bedrooms, a second bathroom for our home, and a second living room area for the kids to hang out in.

We are currently faced with the decision of getting another bank loan, or asking for help. We chose to take on this responsibility, and we will continue to do everything we can possibly can.

We are currently not receiving, nor have we ever received any child support payments. The children also did not bring much with them when they moved here. We are not receiving any foster care or kinship support payments, from anywhere.

We currently do not have a vehicle that will fit all 9 members of our family. It now takes two vehicles for all of us to go anywhere. Even the smallest donation would help us pay for gas.

We also need to replace the roof on our house. This is something we had planned on taking care of this year. We did not expect for our resources to be dedicated to a much needed house addition instead.

As you might expect, but may not consider, our expenses for literally everything have increased. Utility bills, cell phone bills, personal hygiene products, clothing and shoes, etc.

All three children, though they are old enough, have never driven a car before. We will soon be giving them driving lessons and looking to help them purchase their own vehicles. This opportunity will give them some personal independence for the first time in their lives.

If you are able to, please consider donating immediately. All funds will go directly towards improving these children's lives, in all capacities possible. These children have been through hell, their entire lives. By donating, you can help us restore a faith in humanity for these three children. They did not deserve to be put in the position they are in, nor do they deserve to feel like they should never ask for or accept help, or that nobody cares about them.

At the very least, I hope you remember that you should always stand up for what you believe in, even if you're standing alone.

Thank you for reading this, and to all those who can help by sharing our story or donating, thank you for becoming a part of this incredibly amazing story.