In the fall of 2024, an unexpected family crisis dramatically changed my friend’s life and significantly limited her ability to manage her small business, while also deeply impacting her husband’s separate small business. As licensed foster care providers, she and her husband were asked to take temporary custody of her husband’s 9-year-old and 10-year-old great nephews due to their parents’ substance abuse.

One child has Angelman syndrome, leaving him wheelchair-bound, nonverbal, and prone to frequent seizures. He requires continuous, 24-hour care. His younger brother faces complex psychiatric challenges. When the boys arrived, one was experiencing multiple breakthrough seizures daily, while the other struggled to sleep because he feared what would come next. Toxicology reports later revealed both children had been exposed to extraordinarily high levels of illicit substances.

After extensive involvement with social services, Ray and Kody were granted permanent physical and legal custody in September 2025. They currently operate two small businesses: an electrical contracting business and a pet supply and grooming store. Kody will continue to operate the electrical contracting business, while Ray’s longer-term objective is to stabilize their day-to-day reality and eventually return to corporate advisory work once their caregiving responsibilities allow for more consistent scheduling.

Their rural community has shown meaningful support. The local school district purchased a handicap-accessible van, and a local veterans group helped during their first Christmas.

Even with this generosity, the challenges have remained significant. Between ongoing medical emergencies, specialist appointments, a 10-day ICU stay, and the daily realities of raising two high-needs children, my friend and her husband have struggled to sustain the businesses that once provided stability for their family.

Donations will help cover daily expenses, support the construction of a handicap-accessible bathroom, allow Ray to focus more fully on the boys’ daily care, and give Kody the ability to rebuild and sustain his business, which had been thriving before these extraordinary caregiving responsibilities reshaped their lives.

I am asking our community to come together for this remarkable family. My friend deeply values responsibility, accountability, and providing for those she loves. This is an opportunity to lift up a family that has stepped forward for vulnerable children and remind them they do not have to carry this alone.