Leah Kleim

Update. April 10th 2018. My baby was born 3 weeks ago and yesterday our water was turned off.  Please read all of the updates I have posted. This situation is so much more complicated. ..  And getting worse by the day.

EMERGENCY  $40,000.00 NEEDED IMMIDIATLY

On July 1st  2017 I hugged my two daughters who are 17 and 14, for the first time since the summer of 2014, as they got off of a 37 hour bus ride.

They had a duffel bag and a garbage bag full of shmatas that they snuck into their father's house to get before they left.

These two brave girls had run away from their home in another state at 1am, two days before they got on that bus--with help from the local police. They had called me, crying, from a park at 1am. They had an altercation with their drunk and high father (again) and were scared. I called the police. The police went and got them, took them back to their father's house and kept them safely locked in the police car and knocked on the door to inform their father that they were running away to a friend's house. Their high and drunk father couldn't care less and shut the door.

My oldest daughter called some people to find somewhere to stay, so they didn't wind up in foster care. They were taken in by their father's ex-girlfriend--a woman whom he had beaten and who had suffered a broken eardrum at his hands. She called me and made arrangements to put them on a bus and send them to me. (They are court ordered to be here for 10 weeks every summer.) The ex-girlfriend paid for it, too. The officer called me to let me know they were OK.

Seven days after they ran away I got a call from the police in their town. Their father had finally decided to go make a police report and try to find them ... because they were supposed to start their summer jobs (corn de-tasseling, an intense hard  labor job in the hot sun.) He was counting on their jobs to pay some bills and have his fun. I told the police they were here and they are fine and they are supposed to be here.

The officer said he knew that and was aware of the court order  and just needed to speak to them for a minute. He spoke to them and then got back on the phone with me and said everything is fine, have a great summer.

I've since gotten a few more phone calls from the police about the way they were living and the way their father has acted. Like the time he was in jail for 6 days and they were home alone. He was mad that they didn't bail him out with a child support check.

I cannot go in to all of the details here because of two reasons: 1. the privacy and protection laws concerning minors; and 2. because Go Fund Me won't give me the space to write a megilla.

THIS IS THE SHORT VERSION OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION!

My daughters' father has violated EVERY SINGLE PART of our custody/visitation agreement since the day in 2014 that I traveled to the state of Illinois, that he lives in and registered ourNYS custody/visitation order there.

That ONE trip alone cost me over $5,000.00.

I have spoken to my children about 5-7 times since then. He does not have a job, they had no phones, no internet, no connection to the outside world. He is a heavy drinker and drug abuser. He has a sentencing date on August 24th for one of his several DUI's. I spoke to the DA--he is not getting jail time.

My children have lived without heat, hot water, electricity, and food. My children have to go to the food pantry once a week and get free food, and then he eats it and puts half of it away and says it's his "I call dibs on this".

My children have had to do odd jobs and who knows what to come up with money for the bills and food. The health department has been called because of the condition of the house and so has Child Protective Services. The kids have been told and trained as what to say to make them go away.

I also have a five year old, who I have custody of but can lose that if I'm convicted of parental kidnapping for not sending my daughters back when I am supposed to, the second week of August. I am about to have to fight a messy terrifying interstate custody battle all while I make sure to keep my five year old in school, on schedule, and be the best mother possible to him, too. While "someone" is trying to make it more and more difficult for me and my 5 year old to survive. 

I do not have ANY money. I can NOT afford an attorney... Even for paperwork...let alone a trip to another state. I am struggling to keep my kids happy, fed, clothed and as clueless to how serious this is as I can.

Under the best of conditions, the possibility of my ex showing up for an emergency custody hearing in N.Y. and voluntarily giving me full custody,  that day. I AM DEAD BROKE.... If they go back and I have to go there to court,  I don't know , but could only attempt to imagine what torture he would put them through before I got in front of a judge in. Illinois if he filed against me there,  to keep them..He could kill them. He  would  torture them. He would,  as he has make them TRY to file false charges against me and threaten and scare them into staying.

Today, about 25 days after they ran away, my daughter got a call from her father. She didn't answer. He left a voicemail saying he was leaving town on August 28th and signing guardianship over to someone else in their town. That could be any one of his drug dealing/using friends or the local pedophile who I can't go into details about.

My children's lives are on the line. Their father's rap sheet is long and full of violent felonies involving guns, armed robbery, disarming a police officer, battery.... I'm waiting for the new list of reports and arrests that he's gotten since 2014. It's on the way here in the mail from the chief of police in his town.

My oldest daughter has run away before. She went back because her sister had no electricity or food. They are talking about running away if they have to go back. I can't let them run away in NY and wander. I am absolutely terrified of having to send them back mid-August unless I can go with them and keep them in a hotel with me while I get emergency custody in their state and have their state give it back to NY. He is capable of ANYTHING. Crazy is an understatement with this man.

His whole town calls him Crazy Wi**. The police are afraid to go into his house unless there are 10 of them. This man has purchased illegal ballistic bulletproof face masks and body armor; I have one of the receipts.

This man got in his broken minivan, drunk and high, and took 2 of my children to South Beach, Florida for a month during the school year. They slept in his van, stole food and he was out sneaking my son into clubs all night and doing drugs.

I have letters and records from therapists saying that they should be living with me. I have a report from CPS in NY saying that “She goes above and beyond her parenting duties and they should live with her.” I have done everything in my power to save my children from this monster once before but money was a problem and there were other issues involving the kids that for legal reasons I can't divulge.

I have references, I have letters, I have mental health evaluations. I am willing to share them with the children's names and certain circumstances blacked out, through a Rabbi or trusted source if anyone is interested in seeing them as proof before making a donation. If it's just for Shabbos table gossip, please don't make me go out of my way making them available to you.

I have a signed document from someone I trusted very much... Who swore to be there for them and fight this fight with me ... and be one big happy family...But then  dropped out because money became more important to them... Now they are trying to hurt me and my 5 year old and put us on the street. 

I HAVE TO SAVE MY CHILDREN.
Aside from the insane costs of attorneys in two different states and the travel, even if a miracle did happened and their father showed up in a NY court and said I could have them, they'd still have nothing. I would have to buy a whole new life. I AM DEAD BROKE.

I have nothing right now. I have to get a bigger place, clothes (they are wearing my clothes) beds, food, doctors appointments and basic daily needs. Hopefully school supplies, too. My car is a 2003 with 176,000 miles on it and about to die. It's like driving a death trap... Its not even legally  mine... I was just threatened the other day that it was goingto be taken away and the insurance was past due.   I don't know if it's insured right now. NOTHING IS IN MY NAME. NOTHING

I need to raise $40,000.00 ASAP for legal fees, possibly  in two states, for accommodations in the other state when I travel there... And for beds, clothes, food, a life for my children... When I win... and I WILL. 40K Is low balling it. It's probably more like 140k...  it 40K is a jump start.... 

Basically I need to buy a brand new life. 

Please find it in your hearts to share this link as far as you can, as many times as you can, and make a donation. I can't watch my kids go back there and die. Every dollar helps.And I will do ANYTHING (legal) to save them...

Thank you in advance.
A terrified mother.

Please read and share all of the updates I have posted.