Hello friends,

I'm Shannon, a single mom of three amazing kids. My seven-year-old son has autism and significant special needs, and all three of my children currently receive therapeutic support.

When I first created this GoFundMe, I believed I was asking for help getting my family through a difficult season while I worked toward rebuilding our lives.

That season has lasted much longer than I ever imagined.

For nearly a year, my children and I have been navigating an ongoing custody and divorce case while I have worked to create as much stability and normalcy for them as possible. The legal process is still continuing and is expected to last at least another six months.

The prolonged legal and financial strain has taken an enormous toll. I have exhausted the resources available to me, sold personal belongings, and relied heavily on my family simply to help us keep going.

After months of mounting legal expenses, I reached a point where I could no longer afford to maintain legal representation and am currently representing myself in court. That has relieved one enormous expense, but it also means I am doing the work of managing my case myself while continuing to manage every other part of our lives. As the case continues, obtaining experienced legal representation again is becoming increasingly important.

My greatest challenge right now is finding a sustainable way to support my family while meeting the needs of my children.

Our weeks are filled with school, therapy, medical appointments, and the everyday responsibilities of raising three kids. All three of my children receive therapeutic support, and my two youngest boys have multiple therapies and support services each week. My seven-year-old son has autism and significant communication needs. His days include specialized schooling, speech therapy, and intensive ABA therapy. These services are incredibly important to his progress, but coordinating the children's schedules also makes traditional full-time employment extremely difficult.

I am working hard to build income around those responsibilities. I am pursuing employment opportunities, taking on creative and freelance work where I can, and rebuilding my work in music, writing, and art. I am doing everything I can to create a sustainable future for us.

But we aren't there yet.

Right now, there is still a gap between what I can earn and what it takes to maintain a stable home for four people. Donations to this fundraiser help bridge that gap by helping with housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, childcare, my children's ongoing needs, and the legal support necessary to help bring this chapter of our lives toward resolution.

This is not where I expected our family to be. Asking for help is difficult. But right now, help from our community gives me something incredibly important: the ability to keep our home stable and our children's lives moving forward while I continue working toward the point where we can stand securely on our own again.

How You Can Help

One of the most meaningful ways to help us now is through a monthly contribution.

Because the road ahead is measured in months rather than weeks, even a small recurring donation creates something incredibly valuable: predictability. Ten, fifteen, or twenty dollars a month may seem small on its own, but when people come together, those contributions become groceries, gas for appointments, part of an electric bill, childcare, or another piece of the foundation that keeps our household running.

One-time donations are equally appreciated. Every contribution, at any amount, helps give me more time and breathing room to keep building toward the point when we no longer need this page.

And if donating isn't possible, sharing our fundraiser is an enormous help. It introduces our story to someone who may be in a position to help.

I wish I could say that I have everything figured out. I don't. What I can say is that I haven't stopped trying.

I keep showing up for my children. I keep showing up to therapies, schools, appointments, and courtrooms. I keep applying for work and looking for new opportunities. I keep writing, singing, creating, and finding ways forward. Some days that progress is measured in big steps, and other days it is simply keeping everything together for one more day.

My goal has never changed: to give my children a safe, stable home and build a future in which our family can stand securely on its own again.

If you can help us get there, whether through a donation, monthly support, or simply sharing our story, I am deeply grateful.

Thank you for continuing to believe in us and for helping us find our way forward.

With love and gratitude,

Shannon

*No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for donations made to this GoFundMe.*