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Mom reaches out from jail seeking help for her kids

Editor's note: The Time is Now to Help was founded by a local businessman who knew extreme poverty as a child. With the help of donations from the community, The Time is Now is able to help local residents in need.

Dear W.C.,

I am writing to ask for help for my mom and my children. I am writing this letter from jail, where I have been for the last two months.

I am very concerned about how my mom and children are while I am in here. My mom took temporary custody of my children for me until I straighten out my act, as she put it. I fell into a bad crowd and was drinking and using drugs. My mom took my kids before I was arrested. Now she is having a hard time financially and with her health. I know two young kids are a lot for her to handle at her age.

Now she tells me she lost her job of 20 years after the place closed down. She told me she is behind on her bills. She receives some assistance, but it is not enough for her to get by. I know she will feed the kids before she pays the rent or utilities. She is a good grandma to them and she gives them the love and stability they need right now.

I admit I was not a good mom, and I got myself into some trouble. I will be out in a few months and will make a fresh start. I will not have any contact with my old crowd, and I am taking parenting classes. My mom will be there to help me along the way.

I am just so worried now for their well-being. She is under so much stress, trying to care for the kids and pay the bills. I know she is looking for a job, but has not been able to find one. I feel so helpless being where I am.

I thought the least I could do was write to you since I have heard so many good things about The Time Is Now. I do not want help for myself, but please help my mother and my children.

Dear readers,

I was appreciative of her honesty and admittance of her wrong-doing. I always tell people when I am interviewing them to be honest with me or I will not help them. I would prefer an honest admission of the mistakes they have made that brought them to this point in their lives.

Her children attend school. I called the contact information for the grandmother that was given to me in the letter. She was surprised at first when I told her who I was on the phone. I explained her daughter had written to me out of concern for her and the children. She seemed relieved to talk to me. She said she had been keeping the whereabouts of her daughter a secret due to her embarrassment. The only people who knew were the children’s doctor and teachers.

After we spoke for some time, she opened up to me about her financial problems. When she spoke of her grandchildren, I could hear the love and devotion she had for them. She invited me to come by the following day.

When I arrived at her small apartment, I noticed she had to walk up two flights of stairs. When I knocked, I was greeted by a woman with a cane. I knew those flights of stairs had to be a real struggle for her. She invited me in, and I immediately noticed everything was neat but well worn. She looked tired and strained.

She told me about her daughter’s fall into a world of partying and drugs. She explained her son-in-law had moved out of state with another woman several years ago. He never paid child support or bothered to even visit. Her daughter was so distressed from the failure of her marriage that she turned to drinking. When her daughter didn’t bother to pick up her children after a weekend of binging, the mother told her to leave her children with her and not come back until she straightened herself out. Several days after that happened, the daughter was arrested for driving under the influence and drug possession.

She went on to tell me how her daughter seems to be on the right path now, having no choice but to straighten out while in jail. She is receiving job counseling and taking parenting classes. She said she will welcome her daughter into her apartment if she can keep herself clean and sober. She was adamant about the children not being exposed to that lifestyle.

When we got around to talking about her financial problems, she was in tears. She said she had worked hard her whole life to support herself and her daughter when her husband had died at a young age. They didn’t live lavishly but she was able to put food on the table and pay her bills. She thought she would work at her job until the day she retired. She never even saw the job loss coming.

She did not have much savings due to the increase in expenses of gas, utilities, food and now the two children. She cried as she told me how scared she felt, being all alone, with no help, never letting the children know they were soon to become homeless.

I reassured her there were many people living in the same financial circumstances right now. It is a tough economy to be looking for a job, especially for an older woman who is caring for two grandchildren.

I reassured her The Time Is Now to Help would be able to ease her burden for awhile. She hugged me and cried on my shoulder. I offered to help her by bringing her rent and utilities up to date. We went over the other assistance she was receiving and I made some suggestions. She told me her rent was so reasonable she did not want to move out of the building. She was on a waiting list for a ground-level unit that was going to be available in the following month. I offered to help her move her few belongings when the apartment was available.

After hearing this, she was smiling and I could see the relief on her face.

When the children arrived home from school, I noticed how they ran in the door to hug their grandmother. She was all smiles. They were very polite and well mannered when she introduced me as her special friend. I said my goodbyes as they were happily telling their grandma about their day. The grandmother is a godsend to these two loving gifts from God.

Several weeks later, we moved her into her ground-level apartment. She will be able to come and go as she wants now that the stairs are not such an obstacle. She also was happy to announce she got a part-time job while the children were in school. She was looking forward to her daughter’s release and a new beginning for her. She was very positive and not nearly as stressed as our first meeting.

Thanks to your caring and sharing, we helped another struggling fellow American.

Health and happiness, God bless everyone, W.C.

A very special thank you to: Dr. Mark Braden, Dr. Ryan Braden and staff of Braden Dental Center; Paper Dolls; Paul Ziegler/Ziegler Charitable Foundation; Martin O’Brien; William and Sharon Conklin; Gerald and Marilyn Wilkin; Margarie Egger; W.C. Family Resource Center/Food Pantry volunteers; Michael and Sue Borden; Dick and Jean Honeyager; all of you who support The Time Is Now to Help donation boxes; and the businesses that allow our donation boxes.

Anyone who would like a Time Is Now donation box in your business, please call (262) 249-7000.

Read more in the e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.