Charity's custody battle legal fund

Hi.... This is Charity speaking....This week has proven to be one of the most difficult times of my life, losing my mother, my best friend and business partner. She is the one I would be turning to in my time of need as I always did. 
As any of you who know me, you know that I have been dealing with divorce, custody and all the fun that comes with it since 2007. I thought things would be different when my ex husband moved to Oregon last August. Things have gotten worse. Piper decided to move to Oregon to live with her dad at Christmas time, that was her choice. 
I filed to change custody and visitation schedules, since he moved out of state...and now my ex husband is wanting and is fighting me for physical custody of Alex (Parker) and Peyton, both of which want to stay with me. 
Like I said, I would be turning to my mom for help, but she is no longer with us. And my family has enough on their plate at this time and I don't want to burden them, so I'm asking my friends for help. 
I have the fight of my life on my hands and I need legal representation. The retainer is $3,500, and there will be more legal fees on top of that. If I can get enough to get me started, I should be ok. My court date is October 14, but my response needs to be filed the day before my moms memorial service, so time is of the essence. I thought I could do this in my own, but I'm not going to loose my mom and my kids all at once, so I'm here to fight. Please help me in any way you can...sincerest and deepest gratitude. And if you can only say a prayer for me on October 14, I'll take it. Peace, love and light.