Help me out of a perfect storm
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Fifteen years ago, at the age of 47, I married a young lady for what I thought would be a blissful lifetime. During that time, we as most families do, had our ups and downs. We had three wonderful children and happy times. Yet six years ago, my wife wanted out, and chose to pursue a life she had put on hold due to marriage. She went to court and applied for child support, and I naively made the mistake of not hiring a lawyer. In short, the court ruled that 60% of my income would go for child support.
My ex saw it as a mandate. The children, as is the case in most divorces, were the real victims. The cozy sense of ‘family’ was broken. It has been indescribably painful.
At the time, I worked for a large telecommunications company which provided our family all the amenities one expects from a major corporation. That all ended in June of 2013 when the company opted to go with younger staff. I was unceremoniously released. I quickly acquired a job with a local business teaching English as a second language. I was certified and loved the job. It went well for over a year until two months ago.
Based on peer and student evaluations, I was a superb and oft-requested teacher. Yet because I’m short of my degree and the employer was undergoing accreditation assessment, I was laid off.
At the time, I had sufficient reserve savings from my pension to defray my monthly living expenses. However, the layoff dramatically changed things. I applied for jobs but got little response. The pension dried up and even though I would make payments, I quickly found myself in debt.
Three weeks ago however, I managed to get jobs with Uber and Lyft. The money has been consistent and I hoped to use the opportunity as means to get back on my feet financially. I was however, receiving notices from the car finance company threatening repossession, and the state regarding back child support payments, threatening credit bureau reporting if I don’t produce at least $2K by Dec. 17; and tax garnishment, license and passport suspension, if I don’t comply by Dec. 30.
My landlord has been very supporting and forgiving thus far, even though I owe him $1500 in rent. This morning, my car was repossessed. Getting it back will first mean producing $1275 to Honda plus $250 per day for the towing company. Without the car, I can’t work. Without work, the debts increase and the deadlines loom ominously closer. Without a place to stay…well, you can imagine. At this writing, I have only $500.
As you can see, I’m in the middle of a financial perfect storm and need your help to dig myself out of the hole without the hole getting any bigger. I need to get the car back asap, as it is the source of my income. Please donate whatever you can as it will be deeply appreciated.
Thanks
Idris
Me with some of my students from Saudi Arabia, Brazil and China.
My ex saw it as a mandate. The children, as is the case in most divorces, were the real victims. The cozy sense of ‘family’ was broken. It has been indescribably painful.
At the time, I worked for a large telecommunications company which provided our family all the amenities one expects from a major corporation. That all ended in June of 2013 when the company opted to go with younger staff. I was unceremoniously released. I quickly acquired a job with a local business teaching English as a second language. I was certified and loved the job. It went well for over a year until two months ago.
Based on peer and student evaluations, I was a superb and oft-requested teacher. Yet because I’m short of my degree and the employer was undergoing accreditation assessment, I was laid off.
At the time, I had sufficient reserve savings from my pension to defray my monthly living expenses. However, the layoff dramatically changed things. I applied for jobs but got little response. The pension dried up and even though I would make payments, I quickly found myself in debt.
Three weeks ago however, I managed to get jobs with Uber and Lyft. The money has been consistent and I hoped to use the opportunity as means to get back on my feet financially. I was however, receiving notices from the car finance company threatening repossession, and the state regarding back child support payments, threatening credit bureau reporting if I don’t produce at least $2K by Dec. 17; and tax garnishment, license and passport suspension, if I don’t comply by Dec. 30.
My landlord has been very supporting and forgiving thus far, even though I owe him $1500 in rent. This morning, my car was repossessed. Getting it back will first mean producing $1275 to Honda plus $250 per day for the towing company. Without the car, I can’t work. Without work, the debts increase and the deadlines loom ominously closer. Without a place to stay…well, you can imagine. At this writing, I have only $500.
As you can see, I’m in the middle of a financial perfect storm and need your help to dig myself out of the hole without the hole getting any bigger. I need to get the car back asap, as it is the source of my income. Please donate whatever you can as it will be deeply appreciated.
Thanks
Idris
Me with some of my students from Saudi Arabia, Brazil and China.
Organizer
A Idris Palmer
Organizer
College Park, MD
