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Asking for financial help isn't something we take lightly, but things are getting urgent and we don't know what else we can do.
We did not ask to be put into this situation, and we've done our absolute best by these two beautiful kiddos. Time and time again, we would tell ourselves "How can we make this work? I don't know how. But we have to." We would tighten our belts (again), make lifestyle changes (again), and sacrifice (again). And somehow just managed to keep it all together.
***
Long story short: we have been taking care of John and Jessica full-time for the past year. We have loved them, fed them, clothed them, taught them, taken them to the dentist and doctor and daycare as if they were our own. We're there when they go to bed, and we are there when they wake up (be it at 1am, 4am, 6am, or whenever).
Birth mom has been extremely uncooperative and unhelpful. Despite us taking on these two in an open-ended way and on a FULL-TIME basis, she hasn't even given us power of attorney. She was practically, if not literally, completely out of the picture for most of the past year. And then recently started making demands on us and our time that we weren't comfortable with.
We have been parenting these two youngsters for a year. We love them. They love us. John has been with us for most of his life at this point. Jessica calls me "daddy". Her teachers at school, and anyone else who knew her a year ago say that she is completely transformed, FOR THE BETTER. I don't want to go into grisly detail here - but she was in a bad place. They both were. But things are better now. They are happy. There are loved and cared for and looked after like they deserve to be.
***
But we are in a strange sort of legal limbo. There is an open CPS case against birth mom, and that is the ONLY thing that guarantees they are staying safe with us - for the time being. We genuinely fear for the safety and well-being of John and Jessica if they are taken from us, even for a single night. We have consulted with three attorneys, and they all agree that we have a very strong case if we want to fight for permanent custody, WHICH WE ARE READY TO DO.
***
And that is where you come in. We pretty much have day-to-day living expenses etc under control. It's been REALLY TOUGH, but we keep making it work. What we really need help with is the legal bill. I tried to see if we could get some pro-bono help through the VA, but alas we cannot.
Hence this fundraiser. We need to raise several thousand dollars for the attorney's retainer, and that's just to get the ball rolling. Taking care of these two kids has become the central focus of our lives. We want to keep it that way. We will be forever grateful to anyone and everyone for any and all help we can get.
$5 from a thousand people, $1000 from five people, or something in between is what John and Jessica need. The technical term is “Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship” (SAPCR for short).
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS! We hope that in the fullness of time, John and Jessica will be able to thank you, as well.
<3
We did not ask to be put into this situation, and we've done our absolute best by these two beautiful kiddos. Time and time again, we would tell ourselves "How can we make this work? I don't know how. But we have to." We would tighten our belts (again), make lifestyle changes (again), and sacrifice (again). And somehow just managed to keep it all together.
***
Long story short: we have been taking care of John and Jessica full-time for the past year. We have loved them, fed them, clothed them, taught them, taken them to the dentist and doctor and daycare as if they were our own. We're there when they go to bed, and we are there when they wake up (be it at 1am, 4am, 6am, or whenever).
Birth mom has been extremely uncooperative and unhelpful. Despite us taking on these two in an open-ended way and on a FULL-TIME basis, she hasn't even given us power of attorney. She was practically, if not literally, completely out of the picture for most of the past year. And then recently started making demands on us and our time that we weren't comfortable with.
We have been parenting these two youngsters for a year. We love them. They love us. John has been with us for most of his life at this point. Jessica calls me "daddy". Her teachers at school, and anyone else who knew her a year ago say that she is completely transformed, FOR THE BETTER. I don't want to go into grisly detail here - but she was in a bad place. They both were. But things are better now. They are happy. There are loved and cared for and looked after like they deserve to be.
***
But we are in a strange sort of legal limbo. There is an open CPS case against birth mom, and that is the ONLY thing that guarantees they are staying safe with us - for the time being. We genuinely fear for the safety and well-being of John and Jessica if they are taken from us, even for a single night. We have consulted with three attorneys, and they all agree that we have a very strong case if we want to fight for permanent custody, WHICH WE ARE READY TO DO.
***
And that is where you come in. We pretty much have day-to-day living expenses etc under control. It's been REALLY TOUGH, but we keep making it work. What we really need help with is the legal bill. I tried to see if we could get some pro-bono help through the VA, but alas we cannot.
Hence this fundraiser. We need to raise several thousand dollars for the attorney's retainer, and that's just to get the ball rolling. Taking care of these two kids has become the central focus of our lives. We want to keep it that way. We will be forever grateful to anyone and everyone for any and all help we can get.
$5 from a thousand people, $1000 from five people, or something in between is what John and Jessica need. The technical term is “Suit Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship” (SAPCR for short).
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS! We hope that in the fullness of time, John and Jessica will be able to thank you, as well.
<3