My name is Whitney, and I am fundraising for my Aunt. Last week, she learned that her husband of almost 30 years has been financially and medically abusing her. She fled Florida, where she was residing, and drove up to Michigan with my dad (her brother). She lost her savings, her belongings, her horse whom she loved dearly, and her medical support dog whom she had waited 3 years to adopt. She lost her 30-year work history as an artist and Design Architect. She doesn't have any money at this time. She is still sorting out the details of what happened, but she does know that her credit is destroyed, she has no health insurance (working on that), and she has no financial security. Once it's more clear how deep and far-reaching the fraud is, I will likely hold another GoFundMe to assist her with lawyer fees and to allow her more independence.

As many of my friends and family know, my Aunt has been teaching my oldest child art for over 10 years. What first started as a weekly hour lesson with a 6-year-old has grown into 6 hour weekly lessons with a 17-year-old. Over Zoom, Tate learned about color theory, advanced color theory, how to store, package, and frame artwork, how to sell artwork, and how to make your work saleable. She has taught Tate many different genres of painting including still life, landscapes, portraiture, anatomical and technical drawing. During the estimated 1,898 hours of teaching over the years, and the estimated 5,694 hours of instructional preparation time that my Aunt has given, she has never expected anything in return. She has always been unconditionally supportive and loving. She provided literature tutoring during some of their lessons when it was needed. Tate has received class credit for some of the work (including literature) that they have completed and plans to go to art school.

The picture shown an oil painting of my father (my Aunt's brother) that Tate has been working on. It is not quite complete, but I believe it showcases not only Tate's talent but the time and dedication that my Aunt has put into Tate's art education.

In the absence of being able to pay my Aunt for every hour of instructional time and planning, I am asking for your help in getting her settled in Detroit. She needs clothes, a new ipad (which she uses for teaching), a new phone and service, painting supplies, etc.

Thank you for your consideration.