The Difference Between Survival and Living
Donation protected
My name is Iraida, but people call me Jani Rose.
I am a college educated artist, educator, and activist;
mother of 4, employed by the city, struggling to pay bills,
fearful of being priced out of my home in The Bronx.
I have one semester to go. Just 10 credits to go,
to acquire the Bachelors degree that I need to ask for better pay.
Everything I have, I give back, so please help me get over this hurdle and into a better future for myself, my children, and my community.
I was informed that I would be able to matriculate NEXT WEEK if I pay just under $1,500 on my debt. Please help! Classes begin next week
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ @
I was 19 years old when I had my first little boy, a shining creative miracle, named James, after my father who had passed away just two years before. He gave a lost girl a reason to strive. People told me that my life was over. As a member of Mount Sinai's teen parenting group, MOMS, I wrote an article called, "My Life Isn't Over, It's Just Different".
Soon after, I began attending the Fashion Institute of Technology (marketing), and began working in the fashion industry as an artist representative with Perrella Management. I also worked at Mount Sinai, with the Adolescent Health Center, as a workshop leader with S.P.E.E.K., teaching teens, and young adults about self-esteem, safer choices, and the growing human body. It was an exciting time. Though I was financially strapped, it was exhilarating to be active and helpful.
In my early 20s, I married a wonderful young man, and gave birth to 3 amazing little boys; Gabriel, and the twins Judah and Benjamin. My husband and I sacrificed so that I could be with them during their foundational years. I gave 10 years of my life to my family, staying at home to ensure their stability, safety, creative outlook, and build their sense of security. I became a ubiquitous presence at their schools, volunteering as a Learning Leader, working as a member of the SLT, and becoming PTA President at Lexington Academy, on 104th Street and Lexington. They are musical, artistic, caring, powerful young men, and I am grateful to be their mami.
When my two youngest boys, the twins, were still toddlers, I began sharing my poetry, working with the Acentos Poetry Foundation, and Capicu Cultural Showcase, in order to address the dearth of cultural awareness among, and about marginalized, Latinx communities, as well as the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States, and to amplify the voice of the Boricua woman via the written word. The next decade of my life became about uniting artists, encouraging new writers, and supporting poetic expression. I attended workshops, became an Acentos Workshop, Pink Door Writers, and VONA fellow, and began working at and attending classes at Boricua College. I have since created a workshop series called La Sopa, The School of Poetic Arts, with my partners at Capicu, as a space to provide support and opportunity for emerging artists looking for a dynamic place to grow and find their tribe.
Devastated by my divorce in 2012, I began an academic journey that has been riddled with trauma. I had to stop attending school for almost 3 years, because I just don't have the money. As mentioned above, I have one semester to go. Just 10 credits to go, and I will have the Bachelors degree that I need to ask for better pay.
What I make is not a living wage, and I am a city employee. As a Parent Coordinator for the Department of Education, I barely make enough every two weeks to cover my rent, utilities, medical, and personal expenses. With no financial support: no programs, no child support, I maintain a two bedroom household by myself, always bobbing just above the line, sometimes drowning, but always grateful for the relief that my taxes have allowed me to pay a few months of rent, and bills. That didn't happen this year. Not only did Trump cut what I normally receive, my tax preparer never closed the loop with me, and isn't answering any of my calls. It's mysterious, and I am strongly considering beginning a police investigation.
I'm in a state of panic because the most important things that I have to tend to right now are dependent upon those funds. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose my home. I have medical bill collectors breathing down my neck. It pains me that, I don't even have money for my sons' back to school shopping. So, here goes nothing...
To anyone who donates, I will send a copy of my original chapbook, Memoirs of a Nuyorican Geisha, and/or a copy of the new, as yet to be named, chapbook which I am presently writing. I am also willing to provide services, such as review and assistance with any writing you have in progress. Do you need a poet for your event? Let's schedule something. Frankly, I'll even babysit and/or clean your house. I need the funds, and this is a classic "WILL WORK FOR FOOD" situation. If you just need someone to sit with you and talk, I am here. Let me help you.
I just want to get this degree in Human Services, so that I can step up to the next level.
Please help me, and my children, get one step closer to living our best lives.
May you be blessed mightily today.
May you feel strong and vibrant.
May you receive all the love you deserve.
May you feel joy and laugh shortly after you awake, and go to sleep with a smile.
I am a college educated artist, educator, and activist;
mother of 4, employed by the city, struggling to pay bills,
fearful of being priced out of my home in The Bronx.
I have one semester to go. Just 10 credits to go,
to acquire the Bachelors degree that I need to ask for better pay.
Everything I have, I give back, so please help me get over this hurdle and into a better future for myself, my children, and my community.
I was informed that I would be able to matriculate NEXT WEEK if I pay just under $1,500 on my debt. Please help! Classes begin next week
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ @
I was 19 years old when I had my first little boy, a shining creative miracle, named James, after my father who had passed away just two years before. He gave a lost girl a reason to strive. People told me that my life was over. As a member of Mount Sinai's teen parenting group, MOMS, I wrote an article called, "My Life Isn't Over, It's Just Different".
Soon after, I began attending the Fashion Institute of Technology (marketing), and began working in the fashion industry as an artist representative with Perrella Management. I also worked at Mount Sinai, with the Adolescent Health Center, as a workshop leader with S.P.E.E.K., teaching teens, and young adults about self-esteem, safer choices, and the growing human body. It was an exciting time. Though I was financially strapped, it was exhilarating to be active and helpful.
In my early 20s, I married a wonderful young man, and gave birth to 3 amazing little boys; Gabriel, and the twins Judah and Benjamin. My husband and I sacrificed so that I could be with them during their foundational years. I gave 10 years of my life to my family, staying at home to ensure their stability, safety, creative outlook, and build their sense of security. I became a ubiquitous presence at their schools, volunteering as a Learning Leader, working as a member of the SLT, and becoming PTA President at Lexington Academy, on 104th Street and Lexington. They are musical, artistic, caring, powerful young men, and I am grateful to be their mami.
When my two youngest boys, the twins, were still toddlers, I began sharing my poetry, working with the Acentos Poetry Foundation, and Capicu Cultural Showcase, in order to address the dearth of cultural awareness among, and about marginalized, Latinx communities, as well as the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States, and to amplify the voice of the Boricua woman via the written word. The next decade of my life became about uniting artists, encouraging new writers, and supporting poetic expression. I attended workshops, became an Acentos Workshop, Pink Door Writers, and VONA fellow, and began working at and attending classes at Boricua College. I have since created a workshop series called La Sopa, The School of Poetic Arts, with my partners at Capicu, as a space to provide support and opportunity for emerging artists looking for a dynamic place to grow and find their tribe.
Devastated by my divorce in 2012, I began an academic journey that has been riddled with trauma. I had to stop attending school for almost 3 years, because I just don't have the money. As mentioned above, I have one semester to go. Just 10 credits to go, and I will have the Bachelors degree that I need to ask for better pay.
What I make is not a living wage, and I am a city employee. As a Parent Coordinator for the Department of Education, I barely make enough every two weeks to cover my rent, utilities, medical, and personal expenses. With no financial support: no programs, no child support, I maintain a two bedroom household by myself, always bobbing just above the line, sometimes drowning, but always grateful for the relief that my taxes have allowed me to pay a few months of rent, and bills. That didn't happen this year. Not only did Trump cut what I normally receive, my tax preparer never closed the loop with me, and isn't answering any of my calls. It's mysterious, and I am strongly considering beginning a police investigation.
I'm in a state of panic because the most important things that I have to tend to right now are dependent upon those funds. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose my home. I have medical bill collectors breathing down my neck. It pains me that, I don't even have money for my sons' back to school shopping. So, here goes nothing...
To anyone who donates, I will send a copy of my original chapbook, Memoirs of a Nuyorican Geisha, and/or a copy of the new, as yet to be named, chapbook which I am presently writing. I am also willing to provide services, such as review and assistance with any writing you have in progress. Do you need a poet for your event? Let's schedule something. Frankly, I'll even babysit and/or clean your house. I need the funds, and this is a classic "WILL WORK FOR FOOD" situation. If you just need someone to sit with you and talk, I am here. Let me help you.
I just want to get this degree in Human Services, so that I can step up to the next level.
Please help me, and my children, get one step closer to living our best lives.
May you be blessed mightily today.
May you feel strong and vibrant.
May you receive all the love you deserve.
May you feel joy and laugh shortly after you awake, and go to sleep with a smile.
Organizer
Jani Rose
Organizer
New York, NY