Help Needed With Legal Fees and Living Expenses

I need help. My attorneys are withdrawing (by mutual understanding and agreement) after a scheduled hearing tomorrow regarding the recusal of a local elected official, and I urgently need funds for a new lawyer and basic living expenses while I look for a better job that still allows me to take my children to and from school. I have held on for almost two years without asking for help, but we cannot keep doing this alone. I know there are others facing terrible situations, and I feel guilty even asking—but I have reached the point where I have no choice.

It has been almost two years since my daughter first made an outcry of sexual abuse. CPS has twice issued “reason to believe” findings, and there are currently two separate indictments for sexual abuse of a child in two different counties. We are awaiting trial in both matters. Despite this, the justice system has continued to allow contact between my daughter and the accused individual. This has been extremely difficult for her and has placed a huge strain on my entire family.

My mother has been required to supervise long visits at the accused’s family home for many hours—even though one of the alleged incidents under investigation is connected to that location. She will be starting a new job soon and will no longer be able to continue helping with the children. I also had to make the very difficult decision to resign from the hospital where I worked as a nurse because that was where my daughter had one of her SANE exams, and I could not handle being in that environment emotionally or mentally.

The court has paused all child support until a final hearing, despite the criminal cases not yet going to trial. This left me with no support to care for my family other than my candle business through the summer—and summer is always slow, as parents are focused on preparing for school and giving their children the best they can. I started Grubbs Candle & Co. as a way to bring in income while still being able to care for our children, since my husband works long hours. But the business does not make enough right now to sustain our family or cover my children’s activities—and they should not have to suffer or miss out because of this situation. I have taken out multiple loans to cover bills and accepted a temporary nursing job, but it does not provide enough to keep up with both daily expenses and mounting legal costs. My family has already helped all they can, and I cannot deplete them any further.

Without raising these funds, I will not be able to have any lawyer represent my daughter’s best interests at the upcoming final hearing—which is approaching quickly.

I have also had multiple people reach out to me sharing that they, too, have faced similar injustices in this court system with their children. This seems to be a systemic problem in our area. The stress of this has been mentally and emotionally draining for all of us—especially my daughter. This whole situation has stolen the light from my daughter and from my family.

At the end of the day, I just want my daughter safe. Any help—whether financial support, sharing this fundraiser, or offering resources—would go directly toward keeping us afloat with bills and covering legal expenses so I can continue advocating for her safety.

If you feel led to share what you’ve gone through within this court system, please speak out. I have been in contact with organizations for help as well, but there is a process and we are still in the evaluation stage.

Thank you in advance for contributing to our cause.

God has a reason for everything and I know all of this is for good reason. I can't wait to witness what God has in store for my family.