A car for the kids

Dear Friends,

My children have a friend who is being raised by their 20-year-old sister and her 20-year-old partner. The two 20-year-olds are kind, considerate, wonderful people. The kinds of people we all hope we would be in their situation. They haven’t asked, but they need help. I am reaching out to our village to invite you to join me in helping this amazing family.

Two years ago, at 18, this courageous young woman called the police on her abusive perpetrator and escaped from her abusive childhood. Her then-high school boyfriend was there to support her every step of the way. A year later, with a criminal trial underway against her perpetrator, she made the brave decision to file a Department of Human Services and Child Protective Services report on her old household; she was determined to shield her younger siblings (ages 4 and 12) from the trauma she had endured.

This past fall, her two young siblings (now 5 and 13) were removed from the care of their parents. Not wanting her siblings to be put into foster care, this young woman and her partner sought and received temporary custody of her younger siblings.

They are working hard to receive permanent custody of the children in the coming months. The custody hearing was scheduled for this month but has been postponed to June due to a backlog in the DHS system.

It’s hard to imagine, but they have no extended family or childhood community they can turn to for support. When my friend decided to call 911, her entire extended family shunned her. In addition, because their family moved schools so many times, they lack the kind of stability and comfort most of us took for granted as children.

It is incredible seeing these two 20-year-olds succeeding in giving these young siblings the stability, love, and joy-filled childhoods they deserve. As a former 20-year-old myself, I can only say they are an inspiration.

Unfortunately, even these two have setbacks once in a while. Last week, their car broke down and is not repairable. As you might imagine, a car is vital to keeping their lives together. They use it to get to work, get the kids to and from school, attend DHS meetings, etc. The middle schooler is thriving, and the kindergartner is bubbling with conversation. DHS will weigh the ability of these two to take care of the young siblings adequately. A car is vital to support this stability. The young couple has built a small savings, but not enough to buy a car.

So, I am reaching out to friends to see if we might be able to collectively raise enough money to allow them to purchase a safe and reliable car. Or, perhaps you know someone who wants to get rid of a car for a reasonable price, and we can use these funds to purchase it?

I realize that I have not included any names or details about the family, which could leave some people with questions. I am doing this to preserve privacy as much as possible. I would be happy to hop on a call to answer questions or discuss things in more detail privately.