Help my children expenses
Donation protected
Hi,
My name is Tim Sharp
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothysharp
and in 2010 my wife of sixteen years left me and then divorced me. In hindsight, I can only suggest it was mainly because I would not make our family's singing ministry the main focus of our lives.
When she left, she immediately put a restraining order on me and feigned fear of abuse, which kept me out of my children's lives until the judge found no grounds for the order and dismissed it.
However, this also caused the oldest (step) child, Caleb, to see that a false accusation could possibly get him away from her controlling ways, so he also accused her of abuse, and was soon taken from the home and put into foster care, and evenually given to his father.
I was completely cleared of all accusations and when the divorce was final, we had joint custody of our children, though for the children's sake, who had been home-schooled and still sang around the Topeka area, they would all live with their mother, and I would continue to be the sole provider, and their mother was to continue home-schooling our children. Since the time their mother left, I have lived on about 25%-30% of my gross income, while supporting two households: a family of ten and my own self.
Sadly, their mother did not do her part, and things came to a head several weeks ago, when one of my daughters ran away from their home and arrived at my home in the Denver area. She explained how her mother's controlling ways had turned into abuse and that they were rarely spending any time in schooling, but rather spent the majority of thier time in bible study, music practice or on the road singing. I was shocked and did not know any of this previously, and immediately retained a lawyer and began seeking emergency custody of this daughter, and eventual custody of all my children.
Then about the last week of April, while my lawyer was working on a strategy for my getting custody of my children, the rest of my children feared for their safety and that their mother was going to just disappear with them - she had been evicted from the home she was renting - so with the help of local friends in the Topeka, KS area, they fled to a sheriff's department and told their story, which put them into immediate protective custody.
http://cjonline.com/news/2016-05-03/odalis-sharp-topeka-area-singer-who-went-kids-oregon-standoff-arrested
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/kansas-mom-family-sang-occupiers-hit-children-rod-article-1.2626350
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/mom-accused-of-child-abuse-hauls-seven-kids-to-oregon-for-surreal-performance-before-armed-militants/
You cannot imagine how shocked and sickened I was to learn that the mother of my children had become so obsessed with fame and notoriety that she would risk our children's safety by taking them, without my knowledge or conscent to an armed standoff in Oregon! This is not the woman I married nearly twenty years ago; I fear she may have some kind of medical condition, as there is no other logical reason I can think of for her abusive and neglectful behavior.
Okay, on to the need... on May 4th, I drove 19-hours round trip to a hearing in Topeka, KS, bringing my oldest daughter back with me to appear. The judge ruled that there was probable cause to keep the children in protective custody, to protect them from their mother or a flight risk, and that I was not being accused of anything, so my children could eventually be released back to me.
The judge also set a new hearing date of June 13, at which time, if I have jumped through all the hoops set by the state, I may be able to bring my children back home to Denver with me, who are presently scattered into five foster homes in the greater Topeka area.
While I still do not have the plan from the state, so I don't know every requirement, I do know this much with regard to what getting my children back will cost:
--Denver lawyer: $1,000 - already spent
--Kansas lawyer: $5,000 - already spent
--Additional lawyer fees: $5,000 - based on what I watched in the first hearing, this matter will continue on for several more months, even after the children are placed with me, and my ex has a track record of filing appeal after appeal, so this amount may actually be low - it's a guess.
--State mandated costs for therapy, counseling, etc: $3,000 - I've been told by several attorneys that the state will likely mandate some kind of therapy or counseling to help the children deal with all the trauma that has taken place over the past several years.
--Tutor costs to catch children up to present grade level: $5,000 - as I said above, I learned recently that my children's mother has neglected her responsibility to educate the children, so 5-6 of them will likely need private tutoring or help to get them caught up to their respective grade levels.
--Fee to break present lease: $2,200 - I have to come up with this in the next 2-3 weeks.
--Costs to move into a larger place: $4,000- $6,000 (first month and deposit) - Denver has one of the highest housing costs in the nation and I have to provide a 4-5 bedroom, 2-3 bath house and I have to also come up with this in the next 2-3 weeks.
--Furniture for children: $4,000 - the need is for seven beds and at least four dressers initially; I have a new spare queen-sized bed and dresser that my oldest daughter can have, so that leaves at least 6-beds and 3-dressers more, and I have to come up with this in the next 2-3 weeks.
--Clothing for children: $1,500 - I do not know how much clothing the children will need, and have already purchased a few items for my oldest daughter when she was here, but I'm sure there will be additional needs.
I learned last week that the cost for a "home survey" for the state of Kansas will cost about $3,000.
--Miscellaneous costs: $6,000 - increased insurance costs, immediate medical needs, immediate dental needs, vehicle upgrade (I still drive a 2002 Voyager with 226,000 miles, and it needs to be replaced with the children involved), missed time from work and travel back and forth to Topeka on legal matters, etc.
Total that I can think of so far: about $40,000 - $6,000 already spent, and over $2,000/month in child support still being taken from my paycheck.
I totally love my children, I've never missed a child support payment and put them on a 30-acre ranch in Topeka with horses, dogs, ducks, chickens, barn cats, etc. because I love them. They don't deserve this, and I am doing all in my power to protect them and get them back together as a family unit again.
I desperately need some help to make this happen, and I need your help over the next 2-3 weeks please.
Would you please consider whatever you could afford to help with this challenge my children and I face?
Thank you so very much and God bless you!
--Tim Sharp
My name is Tim Sharp
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothysharp
and in 2010 my wife of sixteen years left me and then divorced me. In hindsight, I can only suggest it was mainly because I would not make our family's singing ministry the main focus of our lives.
When she left, she immediately put a restraining order on me and feigned fear of abuse, which kept me out of my children's lives until the judge found no grounds for the order and dismissed it.
However, this also caused the oldest (step) child, Caleb, to see that a false accusation could possibly get him away from her controlling ways, so he also accused her of abuse, and was soon taken from the home and put into foster care, and evenually given to his father.
I was completely cleared of all accusations and when the divorce was final, we had joint custody of our children, though for the children's sake, who had been home-schooled and still sang around the Topeka area, they would all live with their mother, and I would continue to be the sole provider, and their mother was to continue home-schooling our children. Since the time their mother left, I have lived on about 25%-30% of my gross income, while supporting two households: a family of ten and my own self.
Sadly, their mother did not do her part, and things came to a head several weeks ago, when one of my daughters ran away from their home and arrived at my home in the Denver area. She explained how her mother's controlling ways had turned into abuse and that they were rarely spending any time in schooling, but rather spent the majority of thier time in bible study, music practice or on the road singing. I was shocked and did not know any of this previously, and immediately retained a lawyer and began seeking emergency custody of this daughter, and eventual custody of all my children.
Then about the last week of April, while my lawyer was working on a strategy for my getting custody of my children, the rest of my children feared for their safety and that their mother was going to just disappear with them - she had been evicted from the home she was renting - so with the help of local friends in the Topeka, KS area, they fled to a sheriff's department and told their story, which put them into immediate protective custody.
http://cjonline.com/news/2016-05-03/odalis-sharp-topeka-area-singer-who-went-kids-oregon-standoff-arrested
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/kansas-mom-family-sang-occupiers-hit-children-rod-article-1.2626350
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/mom-accused-of-child-abuse-hauls-seven-kids-to-oregon-for-surreal-performance-before-armed-militants/
You cannot imagine how shocked and sickened I was to learn that the mother of my children had become so obsessed with fame and notoriety that she would risk our children's safety by taking them, without my knowledge or conscent to an armed standoff in Oregon! This is not the woman I married nearly twenty years ago; I fear she may have some kind of medical condition, as there is no other logical reason I can think of for her abusive and neglectful behavior.
Okay, on to the need... on May 4th, I drove 19-hours round trip to a hearing in Topeka, KS, bringing my oldest daughter back with me to appear. The judge ruled that there was probable cause to keep the children in protective custody, to protect them from their mother or a flight risk, and that I was not being accused of anything, so my children could eventually be released back to me.
The judge also set a new hearing date of June 13, at which time, if I have jumped through all the hoops set by the state, I may be able to bring my children back home to Denver with me, who are presently scattered into five foster homes in the greater Topeka area.
While I still do not have the plan from the state, so I don't know every requirement, I do know this much with regard to what getting my children back will cost:
--Denver lawyer: $1,000 - already spent
--Kansas lawyer: $5,000 - already spent
--Additional lawyer fees: $5,000 - based on what I watched in the first hearing, this matter will continue on for several more months, even after the children are placed with me, and my ex has a track record of filing appeal after appeal, so this amount may actually be low - it's a guess.
--State mandated costs for therapy, counseling, etc: $3,000 - I've been told by several attorneys that the state will likely mandate some kind of therapy or counseling to help the children deal with all the trauma that has taken place over the past several years.
--Tutor costs to catch children up to present grade level: $5,000 - as I said above, I learned recently that my children's mother has neglected her responsibility to educate the children, so 5-6 of them will likely need private tutoring or help to get them caught up to their respective grade levels.
--Fee to break present lease: $2,200 - I have to come up with this in the next 2-3 weeks.
--Costs to move into a larger place: $4,000- $6,000 (first month and deposit) - Denver has one of the highest housing costs in the nation and I have to provide a 4-5 bedroom, 2-3 bath house and I have to also come up with this in the next 2-3 weeks.
--Furniture for children: $4,000 - the need is for seven beds and at least four dressers initially; I have a new spare queen-sized bed and dresser that my oldest daughter can have, so that leaves at least 6-beds and 3-dressers more, and I have to come up with this in the next 2-3 weeks.
--Clothing for children: $1,500 - I do not know how much clothing the children will need, and have already purchased a few items for my oldest daughter when she was here, but I'm sure there will be additional needs.
I learned last week that the cost for a "home survey" for the state of Kansas will cost about $3,000.
--Miscellaneous costs: $6,000 - increased insurance costs, immediate medical needs, immediate dental needs, vehicle upgrade (I still drive a 2002 Voyager with 226,000 miles, and it needs to be replaced with the children involved), missed time from work and travel back and forth to Topeka on legal matters, etc.
Total that I can think of so far: about $40,000 - $6,000 already spent, and over $2,000/month in child support still being taken from my paycheck.
I totally love my children, I've never missed a child support payment and put them on a 30-acre ranch in Topeka with horses, dogs, ducks, chickens, barn cats, etc. because I love them. They don't deserve this, and I am doing all in my power to protect them and get them back together as a family unit again.
I desperately need some help to make this happen, and I need your help over the next 2-3 weeks please.
Would you please consider whatever you could afford to help with this challenge my children and I face?
Thank you so very much and God bless you!
--Tim Sharp
Organizer
Timothy Sharp
Organizer
Thornton, CO