Domestic Abuse Relief Aid for Shannon & Nolan
Donation protected
I want you all to meet Shannon and her son, Nolan. We met in July of 2019 and became fast friends - and then more.
I learned that Shannon had moved here to be with her ex in 2014 from North Carolina, and they had a son. She loves vintage sci-fi, Ghostbusters, Star Trek and old movies. Her favorite musical artist is Morrisy. When she moved here it should have been a happy time in her life, but unfortunately her ex quickly showed that he was not upfront with who he really was.
Now in a new place with no friends or family to help, and with a newborn, Shannon found herself trapped in a relationship with an abusive alcoholic. She was quickly isolated and stripped of her independence, she became like so many women before her - She was trapped.
There was no where for her to go, and the household depended on her modest income for support, her son (who was diagnosed as Autistic) needed her, and her ex drained her of money - and what little money he brought into the household was quickly dispersed towards cigarettes and beer.
Often he would berate and belittle her, calling her ugly names, insulting her or her beliefs and decrying her abilities as a mother. Shannon was anything but the lies her ex filled her with. She is strong, and with no way out she entered survival mode. Many times her ex would even become physically violent, taking his drunken frustrations out on her in front of their son. Shannon stayed strong, she kept on fighting to the next day, and entered into a routine of daily abuse, sleepless nights and living in constant fear, depression and anxiety.
She ended the relationship, but with no where to go she was forced to continue to endure his toxic behavior - If you asked her a year ago what her plan was, she had none. She just had to survive for her son's sake.
Fast forward five years since she arrived in Virginia. Her son now freshly four she met me through happen chance. And as these things go we fell in love, and we hatched a plan to get her and Nolan out of that horrible place. As many well thought out plans go though, things fell apart. On August 25th her ex came home in her vehicle, drunk and events took a turn for the worse. Police intervention occurred, and in the night Shannon and Nolan were evacuated by myself into the safety of my home.
The next couple of weeks were a whirlwind of activity, my home was shifted, and readied for it's new residents. A protective order was placed onto her ex barring him contact with her or Nolan. Regardless, he lied his way into forcing the police to search all of my previous addresses for her, attempting to use them to continue intimidation and control tactics he had used so effortlessly on Shannon for years. This time, they would not work - and now I am asking for help.
We've retained an exceptional attorney to aid Shannon in her fight for herself and for Nolan, but attorneys don't come cheap. Neither of us were prepared financially for the new burden in our lives but we both know that it is necessary to secure the safety and happiness of both Nolan and Shannon. Two criminal charges have been filed, and custody petitions are in process.
I am asking for help here to simply cover the retainer costs of our attorney. We're on a payment plan and can shoulder the burden, but with a host of new costs we're asking our friends for a little assistance. Shannon and Nolan evacuated to safety with almost no more than the clothes on their back, all of her and Nolan's belongings still reside in their old home and our attorney isn't sure if we'll be able to get them back. Clothes, family memories, personal items all could be lost - but can all mostly be replaced.
The first $3,000.00 raised will go towards the costs of her attorney's retainer, anything more than that will go towards things Shannon and Nolan need to settle into their new home. Clothes, underwear, pull-ups, car seats and even food or toys as all of Nolan's toys still reside in their old, abusive house hold.
The important thing here is that both Nolan and Shannon are now safe, Nolan has settled well into his new environment, and hasn't had a violent outburst in weeks, the house is a safe place - calm, comfortable and cozy - with many people who all want the best in safety and help for both Shannon and her adorable son.
If you're able to help, you will have our eternal gratitude, even words of encouragement, or donations of clothes. If all you do is share this, we thank you from the very bottom of our hearts. We hope you consider the situation, and the unfortunate circumstances - and help me fulfill my promise to Shannon and Nolan to get them through this so that they can start a new chapter in their lives filled with love, compassion and positive memories.
Thank you.
I learned that Shannon had moved here to be with her ex in 2014 from North Carolina, and they had a son. She loves vintage sci-fi, Ghostbusters, Star Trek and old movies. Her favorite musical artist is Morrisy. When she moved here it should have been a happy time in her life, but unfortunately her ex quickly showed that he was not upfront with who he really was.
Now in a new place with no friends or family to help, and with a newborn, Shannon found herself trapped in a relationship with an abusive alcoholic. She was quickly isolated and stripped of her independence, she became like so many women before her - She was trapped.
There was no where for her to go, and the household depended on her modest income for support, her son (who was diagnosed as Autistic) needed her, and her ex drained her of money - and what little money he brought into the household was quickly dispersed towards cigarettes and beer.
Often he would berate and belittle her, calling her ugly names, insulting her or her beliefs and decrying her abilities as a mother. Shannon was anything but the lies her ex filled her with. She is strong, and with no way out she entered survival mode. Many times her ex would even become physically violent, taking his drunken frustrations out on her in front of their son. Shannon stayed strong, she kept on fighting to the next day, and entered into a routine of daily abuse, sleepless nights and living in constant fear, depression and anxiety.
She ended the relationship, but with no where to go she was forced to continue to endure his toxic behavior - If you asked her a year ago what her plan was, she had none. She just had to survive for her son's sake.
Fast forward five years since she arrived in Virginia. Her son now freshly four she met me through happen chance. And as these things go we fell in love, and we hatched a plan to get her and Nolan out of that horrible place. As many well thought out plans go though, things fell apart. On August 25th her ex came home in her vehicle, drunk and events took a turn for the worse. Police intervention occurred, and in the night Shannon and Nolan were evacuated by myself into the safety of my home.
The next couple of weeks were a whirlwind of activity, my home was shifted, and readied for it's new residents. A protective order was placed onto her ex barring him contact with her or Nolan. Regardless, he lied his way into forcing the police to search all of my previous addresses for her, attempting to use them to continue intimidation and control tactics he had used so effortlessly on Shannon for years. This time, they would not work - and now I am asking for help.
We've retained an exceptional attorney to aid Shannon in her fight for herself and for Nolan, but attorneys don't come cheap. Neither of us were prepared financially for the new burden in our lives but we both know that it is necessary to secure the safety and happiness of both Nolan and Shannon. Two criminal charges have been filed, and custody petitions are in process.
I am asking for help here to simply cover the retainer costs of our attorney. We're on a payment plan and can shoulder the burden, but with a host of new costs we're asking our friends for a little assistance. Shannon and Nolan evacuated to safety with almost no more than the clothes on their back, all of her and Nolan's belongings still reside in their old home and our attorney isn't sure if we'll be able to get them back. Clothes, family memories, personal items all could be lost - but can all mostly be replaced.
The first $3,000.00 raised will go towards the costs of her attorney's retainer, anything more than that will go towards things Shannon and Nolan need to settle into their new home. Clothes, underwear, pull-ups, car seats and even food or toys as all of Nolan's toys still reside in their old, abusive house hold.
The important thing here is that both Nolan and Shannon are now safe, Nolan has settled well into his new environment, and hasn't had a violent outburst in weeks, the house is a safe place - calm, comfortable and cozy - with many people who all want the best in safety and help for both Shannon and her adorable son.
If you're able to help, you will have our eternal gratitude, even words of encouragement, or donations of clothes. If all you do is share this, we thank you from the very bottom of our hearts. We hope you consider the situation, and the unfortunate circumstances - and help me fulfill my promise to Shannon and Nolan to get them through this so that they can start a new chapter in their lives filled with love, compassion and positive memories.
Thank you.
Organizer
Daniel Harshman
Organizer
Chesapeake, VA