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Change of place makes a world of difference for disabled mom, family

Dear W.C.,

I am writing to see if you could help my mom. She is trying so hard to take care of me and my little brother.

She was in a car accident last year and has a lot of problems since then. She had surgery on her back and I still hear her cry in pain at night. She had a job before the accident but has not been able to work since then. The person who hit her did not have their license or insurance.

There are times when we have very little food. The car we bought after the accident is not running. I do not have a father because he left when I was small and I have not seen him since then.

Can you please help my mother? I love her so much and hate to see her struggling so hard.

-- A loving daughter

Dear readers,

I went to the return address on the envelope. It was in a rundown apartment building.

A girl looking to be about 13 years old answered the door. I introduced myself, showed my identification and asked if her mother was at home. In her excitement she shouted, “Mom, he’s here! W.C. is here!”

I then saw the mother walking slowly to the door with a three-footed cane. She was not very old, yet she moved like someone much older. I could see the pain and stiffness on her face. She held out her hand and introduced herself. I also showed her my I.D. and she invited me inside.

I took a good look around, as I always do, and noticed, even though I was unexpected, the apartment was very neat and clean. The mother seemed to know what I was thinking and said her daughter was a big help.

The mother took her daughter’s hand in her own. With tears in her eyes, she said she did not know how she would have survived the past year without her loving, caring daughter. The daughter kissed the mother on the cheek. I could see they loved each other very much.

I asked where the younger brother was and they told me he was at a friend’s house. She said due to the lack of space in their small apartment, there was not enough room for boys to play and she was nervous about them playing outside because some of the older boys in the apartments were using drugs.

She said she worried about her children living in such a bad environment. Many of her neighbors drank and used drugs. She said they heard arguing and fights all the time. They never went outside at night.

They had moved there a few months after her accident. She said it was all they could afford after she had to give up her job and the medical bills started to pile up. When I asked where they had lived before, she said they had rented a small house for years. The landlord was very nice and because she had a good job, paying the rent was never a problem. Then her landlord died and the landlord’s son took over. He raised her rent just before her accident. When she could not pay the rent, she had to find someplace else to move to quickly.

I asked if I could take a look around the kitchen. She told me to go ahead. Again I noticed the dishes were done and everything was very clean. The refrigerator was nearly empty and there was hardly any food in the cabinets. I asked if they went to the food pantry, but they said they did not have a car to get there. Their car had been broken down for over a month and they had no way to get around.

I immediately called one of our volunteers to get a supply of food big enough to fill both the refrigerator and cabinets, while I continued my visit. I asked to see the car to determine if it was in good enough shape to consider repairing. It would have to be towed in for service, but it was determined it was worth fixing.

We went back inside the apartment to talk about how we could improve her budget and their housing situation. We went over what assistance she was receiving. She had been declined assistance that would have been very helpful. They determined she was not disabled enough. I challenge those who made this determination to walk a mile in her shoes.

I could see how she struggled to walk, sit and just go about her everyday life. The tears her daughter heard every night were real. The mother showed me some of her medical records that proved she had pins in her back and very serious injuries. How was she supposed to work long hours sitting, standing or lifting?

She had been a hard-working woman prior to her accident and being reduced to asking for assistance was very hard on this proud single mother. She said the children’s father had left when her son was just a baby. He never contacted her again. Needless to say, she did not receive any child support.

I had a rental property in mind I knew would be much better for this family. I called the landlord and she agreed to rent to her at the same rate the mother was paying for the rundown apartment, and it was in a nice, safe neighborhood.

The mother and daughter were both overjoyed with this news. She said the constant worry over where they were living was a huge stress in her life.

We also brought their utilities up to date and made sure their refrigerator and cupboards were well stocked. We helped them move into their new rental as soon as possible. She contacted health and human services and finally received the necessary financial aid. God bless the hard workers at health and human services.

The next time I visited them, they were in their new rental. When I drove up I noticed several boys playing ball in the yard. The mother was sitting in a chair on the front porch watching. She was very happy to see me and thanked us over and over for all The Time Is Now to Help had done for her family. She said all this while holding my hand with tears in her eyes.

She said, “I prayed for help for my children. God knew I worried about them all the time. He guided my daughter to ask you for help. I am so grateful for all The Time Is Now to Help has done for us.”

I told her we have the help of many wonderful people who help The Time Is Now to Help do our good works. Thank you and God bless all of you for your caring and sharing. Together, we have eased the pain and suffering of our fellow creations.

Health and happiness, God bless everyone,

WC/Sal

Please help: Make checks payable to: The Time Is Now to Help, P.O. Box 70, Pell Lake, WI 53157. The Time Is Now to Help is a federally recognized 501(c)3 charitable organization licensed in Wisconsin and Illinois. You will receive a tax deductible, itemized, thank-you receipt showing exactly what every penny of your donation provided for the poverty stricken.

A very special thank you to: Clarence and Marilyn Schawk, Mark and Natalie Reno, Martin Business Group, John Stensland and family, Paper Dolls, John and Kristi Hugunin, Albert and Geraldine Hinton, Dick and Jean Honeyager, Lake Geneva Area Realty, Jim and Lynne Newman, Martin O’Brien, Frank Huml Jr., Walter Jr. and Marie Smithy, Jacob and Janice Friesema, Victoria Wertz, Glen and Ellen Wiedenhoeft, Landon Petrie Jr., Michael Stonitsch, Ribbies, Nathan Denning, Kathryn Clark, Katherine Zdura, Catherine James, Lisa Roddy, Andrea Maestretti, Lisa Keys, Christina Ferraiolo, Molly Reisner, Molly Quinn, Elizabeth Norcom, Derek Larson, Michael Long, Tamara Berman, Susan Holohan, Georgeann Walled, Michelle Hagen, Lynne Baker, Jeffrey Yochum, Carole Brooks, Eileen Varnson, Priscilla Thornton, Charles Crouse, Donna Miller, Rick Onisko, Kellie Otubushin, Tam Lang, Meredith Foster, Adriene Swinton, Melanie Browne, Candy Dyhr, Kay Peters Davy, Stephanie Boaz, Randy Rhinier, Sandra Stout, Jennifer Deavenport, Christopher Coigne, Megan Jernigan, Karen Walen, Duane Harma, Michael and Susan Hill, W.C. Family Resource Center/Food Pantry volunteers, and all the God-loving volunteers of all our caring food pantries, all of you who support The Time Is Now to Help donation boxes, and the businesses that allow our donation boxes.

Anyone who would like a Time Is Now donation box in your business, please call (262) 249-7000.

We desperately need cars. Please donate a used car to help people get to work and other daily necessities.

Search the web with www.goodsearch.com and help to raise funds for The Time Is Now to Help. Just make www.goodsearch.com your home page and pick The Time Is Now to Help as your charity.