Help Kristen and her kids with some urgent needs!

Kristen and her kids have been rebuilding their lives after abuse. Though they've come a long way in a relatively short time, some unexpected expenses have come up recently, including urgent car repairs and a broken hot water heater, making their journey more challenging. Any donations are so appreciated to help this mama and her amazing kids continue to get back on their feet.

In Kristen's words:

The last several months have been difficult, with many unexpected expenses coming up and special needs and autism diagnoses for some of the kids.

There have also been a lot of positive things, however. We've got a good team that is helping my special needs kids succeed and helping me continue to homeschool them. Some of their therapy can be done via Zoom, making our school days less crazy!

I've also completed my Bachelor's degree with honors, and my senior thesis was chosen for presentation during my university's Research Week! I am proud and excited about my paper - Of Sacrament and Safety: How Two 1970s Home Birth Services Magnified Both the Power and Limits of Women's Voices.

My degree completion has allowed me to return to serving pregnant and birthing women, the work I love. I've been awarded a professional development scholarship that will prepare me to serve as a doula for Medicaid-eligible mothers. This is exciting because I care deeply about this population of mamas - and because Medicaid is reimbursing at a fair wage. I've got support from friends to help with the kids if I'm at a birth, and I can work prenatal education sessions and postpartum visits around my schedule. I'm so excited about this opportunity to do the work I love and be available to meet my kids' special needs.

Some days I feel frustrated that financial and health challenges happened in rapid succession. But at the same time, I am so proud of how far we've come. The kids are doing well as we continue to get counseling to help us in the aftermath of trauma. They are all succeeding in school, and I'm proud to graduate with honors from my degree program. I've also completed a financial education course offered for single moms – which is so helpful for me as the sole decision-maker. And I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to do work I love and rebuild my business. Though things are tight right now, and at times still scary, I'm so grateful that the future looks much brighter than it has in a long time!