Hello, my name is Patrick. I’m an ex-con trying to get my life right. I got out of CDOC in 2018 with a 5-year parole tail. Since then, I have struggled to find people that will hire me due to my past. Every job in my line of work requires a background check, so it makes it hard. I know I have made mistakes, and I know they probably won’t ever be forgiven, but I did my time. Since then, I have worked my ass off to go from better job to better job. For the past few years, I have been a diesel mechanic, which pays okay but not great. As you can imagine, my living situation due to my past has never been easy or great. Every place I apply (like employment) requires a background check. Most deny me. Luckily, I managed to find a home that is through a private landlord, but the price is kinda up there.

I met the most amazing woman ever, and somehow we got pregnant. I was thought to be sterile through many, many, many years of psychiatric medication. Surprised all of us. She got a job too!! (A struggling refugee from Bolivia), and we saved for months to get her a car. Many of those months involved one of us (sometimes both) sleeping in the car, waking up early, or missing our days off to ensure the other got to work. We got the car, and it overheated . I have removed cylinder heads, and the cylinder walls and the cylinder head have cracked from excess heat. She didn’t know . I have the tools, knowledge, and ability to replace the motor, which is what the vehicle requires to become roadworthy again.

We are just so tight on our budget since she lost her job due to lack of transportation and fuel costs. My vehicle gets a whopping 12mpg, but it’s all I have. We are expecting a child soon, and the finances just are not adding up. They have denied us for all assistance for some reason. Probably the lack of documentation on her half . We really just need help to purchase a running, decent condition used engine so I can put it in her car in the next week or two so she can get her job back and we can have some hope for a better future. Life is more difficult than one can imagine, and if you can help, it would mean the world to me. Appreciate all who read this cry for help. God bless you, and may we all prosper.