William Norris

I'm a single father of three amazing kids: daughter 10, son 8, and son 7. I was legally separated from their mother who abandoned our family and destroyed our happy home in the process. I was wrongfully charged by the children's mother of abuse so that she could get rid of me, but in that process, we ended up losing our home and all our belongings, including two vehicles. DHR had to take custody of them while I was two months behind bars. All of her claims were lies and caused me to be incarcerated while she destroyed everything we had built so that she could entertain a drug-fueled affair and eventually go M.I.A., abandoning her children and disappearing into the abyss. We still have not spoken after years, and we don't seek her out as per orders of DHR. It took almost 12 months for me to get full custody of all three, but now I am struggling to be a good father and a supportive provider for everyone. After a recent dispute between my daughter and our neighbor's daughter, the neighbor's mom began to call the police every time I would leave the home for work or shopping for groceries until I was arrested for child endangerment for leaving them home in the evening one recent Saturday while I took an hour trip to buy groceries. Because of this arrest, I lost my job, which was at the trailer park where we lived doing maintenance work. Now I have been unable to afford the trailer, which we own, as the lot is rented, and the trailer park management wants me gone. I'm not sure if it's legal or fair, but it definitely hurts. My kids are 10, 8, and 7 and perfectly capable of spending a few hours without me there to watch their every move. I remember when I was a kid, my parents made us leave the house for hours, 8 hours at a time, until the street light came on. We were required to be gone and fend for ourselves. Now we live in a world where your own kids can't play in their yard if you have to go to the store; you must take them with you, which is sometimes impossible. If I ever go to work, how am I supposed to do this? I was unaware of the law or legal trouble I would get in for leaving them all unattended. Was I wrong? Unfortunately, now everyone is suffering because of this, and we've had to move in with my mother, which is very difficult at times. What I'm asking for is your support in helping us get a new home and a decent vehicle. I am an aspiring artist and have actually been looking for steady work but unable to find it. I'm trying to revamp my art career. I have traveled the world and studied under the famous Nall Hollis as I was his personal assistant for many, many years. I would be willing to do a piece of artwork and donate it to anyone that makes a donation of $1,000 or more. We ask that you help our family start again and get me back to doing what I do best, which is my first love: artwork, painting beauty in nature, and I want my children to have the same. We just need a chance for a new beginning, and I think we can start over and move on in the absence of their mother, their childhood home, and the resilient, strong father I once was.