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 Please! Please help give my three amazing children a Christmas  Tana 6, Kota4, Landyn 2. They truelly believe in Santa, It would tear me to pieces to have to tell them Santa couldn't come this year,Please help  Any help would be a blessing . jmonko2007@yahoo.com or call 309-808-2388

Hi there. I’m here because I really need some help. I am a 51 year old Veteran who found himself homeless eight days ago. I’ve never been on the streets before and I can’t imagine how long some of these people out here took before they got a routine down. I work, but it may not be possible to maintain employment for much longer. As I’m finding, once you live on the streets, every day is just a struggle to survive for that day. If you are employed, then everyday you work buys you food and keeps you somewhat clean for the next day of work. Homeless shelters have hours that don’t quite correspond with one’s working schedule, as is my situation. Finding the basics to just get by is a daunting task that exhausts the soul and not just the body. Some of you are aware of all this, so I won’t dwell.

I am on parole. I served a sentence for carjacking. I’m sorry. That statement right there will send many of you away believing I am getting what I deserve. The fact is, however, that the prison term I spent was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I took inventory of my life while inside and found that I didn’t like the person I was very much. I was cruel, selfish, and apathetic. I committed crimes because I somehow felt that it would make me whole.  Well, I was whole the whole time. Everything I need for happiness I have right here in my mind. Living in the moment allows me to see the wonder in all things and recognize that I am but just a part of a much bigger mechanism of change. I want to be a positive influence on society by helping others recognize their confused states of mind.

Right now, however, here I am. I am restricted in the places I can live because this county has gang injunction zones and I have had past gang associations. So anywhere near a nice place where good people hang out is out of the question for me as well as run-down areas where the seedier elements are known to congregate.  I have, however, found an apartment for 950.00 a month and a 950.00 deposit. I cannot afford this lump sum. I have two dollars in my pocket and that will buy me a place to have coffee while I charge my cell phone (424)229-0928. That’s it. I will asked for an advance on my pay tomorrow to cover the cost of eating and laundry. See, when I need to get out of the weather I have to have money to go into someplace. Even using the restroom is an ordeal because you need money to be a customer. Today I actually crapped my pants looking for someplace to use the restroom. If I could afford to pay the move-in costs of this apartment I would be able to keep monthly rent payments up because I would not have to rely on restaurants and fast food, and my clothes would stay a little cleaner, as well as myself. I have quite a few things and I may lose them living on the street. I am concerned about my possessions and I don’t know what to do.

Any help someone could offer would surely be appreciated and not be in vain. I will help others fix their lives in whatever way I can.

These are just a few ideas that I wanted to expand upon from my post on inexpensive gifts at Christmas. It is very easy this time of year for children and parents to get pulled into the “Galloping Greedy Gimmies”, to quote Mamma Bear, and sometimes we need to take a new look at things.

Here are a few things that children and parents can do and give at Christmas to encourage generosity. They are also things that can be given all year long.

Visit a Retirement Home: Take your child to visit a retirement home and sing for the older residents during the season. Instead of asking for a gift from Santa, this could be their gift to the spirit of Santa.

Give Coupons: Have your children design and give coupons to the ones they love. They could be for free hugs, fixing dinner (with help for little ones), taking out the trash, raking the lawn, shoveling the snow, or so forth. Let your child be as creative as they want.

Anonymous Gifts: Encourage your child along with yourself to give anonymously. Take a neighbors trash out, shovel their front drive, wipe off the snow from their car, walk a newspaper up to their front door, leave a surprise gift on their front porch of preserves or such.

 These are my three beautiful children.  Earlier this year our sewer exploded in our downstairs destroying everything down there.  My daughters room was down there so everything she owned was contamined and had to be gotten rid of.  The playroom was also down there so all the movies, furniture, toys, books, playcenters and pictures and so on had to be thrown out.  Worst of all in the storage room was all the Christmas decorations.  90% of which were destroyed along with a ton of other things but this is the stuff that mattered to the children.  Their stockings were destroyed.  These were stockings that I had spent months picking out while I was pregnant and then had the year writen on them so them were very important to each child.  They were the first thing each child put up on December first and sybolized the start of the Christmas Season.  From there every day were would decorate more.  But now all the decorationa are gone.  All the special ones from nana for each child that was bought each year. Even the tree and the tree skirt.

 We have since moved to a new rental home and are still trying to recoup our losses.  And are very much in debt because of all of this.  We have no idea how we are going to do our usual tradition with our children with their stalkings and decorations.  We are hoping someone with a very kind heart would be able to assist us in some way.

 For us the Decorating and fun during the Christmas month is what is the best part and the presents is the icing on the cake.(Even though those have me worried to).  So if you can help my family would greatly appreciate you help.

Since my last posting in June 2008 in need of help. I have received none. It has been a great struggle, I was trying to save my family and instead one of them took their life due to the fact that we had very little. The worst possible situation yes, but we are working through it. 

Now since my father has left us, I really want to save our family home. The payments are not much but we are behind in the taxes and two month payments. To get caught up we need to raise 5462.00.  I stopped working for about 4 months due to this horrible tragedy, I am in my own financial situation, but I am not asking for myself but for my families home. I do hope that people on this thing actually can help us. It is hard enough that we are struggling for our own home, but being in probate does not help.  So we are asking for help from where ever we can.

I am a photographer, and I have picked my gear back up and I am slowly getting booked out. So I would be willing to travel to most any destination for events and weddings. Other work that I do are portraits, commercial, products, and artistic. But until we are back on our feet we still need help. I do appreciate any assistance that we receive. 

Gratefully yours,

Jenn 

Welcome to Aidpage!

Aidpage is a special place where people help each other by speaking out and paying attention to each other.

What TO DO on Aidpage

1. Speak out

Describe your problems and needs. Or, tell a success story - about overcoming problems.

You may have already posted something - a comment, a question, or a short note. Add to it - write more. You may not be ready to write today - no problem. Come back tomorrow - add more info about yourself, make new pages, and insert pictures in your posts. The more you write and post pictures - the more people would be willing to come to your pages and write back to you.

2. Pay attention

Browse the pages of other aidmates - people will see that you are paying attention to them. Once they see that you have visited, they'd most likely pay a visit back to your own page.

Post comments and questions on the pages of other aidmates. Don't be shy. This is the purpose of Aidpage - to get people pay attention to each other.

What NOT to do on Aidpage

1. Do NOT post your email address, phone number, or street address on your public aidpages if you don't want to get a lot of spam and fraudulent offers in your mail and over the phone.
   
   People will contact you through messages here on Aidpage.
   
   Why is it safer to use Aidpage messages? Because spammers and scammers would have to register on Aidpage in order to communicate with you - and they normally don't want to do that. Even if they register as aidmates, once they start spamming, they are quickly discovered and removed from the system.
2. If looking for help, do NOT ask directly for money. Explain your problems and let people decide how they could help you. You cannot be sure what kind of help is best for you.

You are a tourist on a city street... trying to find your way. How do you get help?

Help Yourself

You use a map or a booklet with information about the city. That's ok... although... feels a bit like work... and is somewhat lonely.

People Helping People

You ask a passer-by for directions... Or simply, a passer-by recognizes your "tourist" behavior, stops on his/her own will and spends 30 seconds (often much more) helping you. You feel good. The passer-by feels even better. Witnessing onlookers feel good too. What happens is an easy, almost instinctive "give and take"... so natural that we don't even think about who "gives", who "takes", or why is this happening. This is not "giving"... people are just helping each other.

So... what is Aidpage?

Aidpage is a free public space on the Web where you can:

• speak out about your problems and needs,
• act upon your need to help others,
• join or organize groups for good causes.

Aidpage fosters informal communication among Aidmates, sharing of experience, and mutual support. Simply posting on Aidpage makes you an Aidmate.

Need to know more?

Here are a few links to the aidpages of a few veteran Aidmates:

• Soulight
• Elaine of TSA
• Ekikaseven

See also:

• Instructions: How to Use Aidpage