Single mom finally has hope for herself, toddler
Though broke and living in a transitional housing program, this single mom finally has hope for herself and her young toddler. She recently completed drug rehab and was accepted by the program she is now in.
"I am getting my life back together and they're helping me do that. Before coming here, I had been with an abusive man for about a year. This place is amazing. It helps you in all kinds of areas like setting personal boundaries. That was something I did have a problem with. They help you recover from your past."
The full-time program in which this mom is enrolled lasts more than a year and allows her to keep her daughter with her the entire time. One of her long-term goals, she said, is to get a place of her own for herself and her child. Program participants are not permitted to work outside the program.
"I might be working in the kitchen here on Christmas Day, but I'll be with my daughter and taking care of her and that's what's important," she said. "It'll be her first real Christmas.
"What I really want to do when I complete the program is go back to school at NIC and become a pediatric nurse. I was born with a special medical condition, so I pretty much grew up in pediatric hospitals - I've had a passion for helping kids since I was young."
She has "fallen in love" with the program she's in.
"They help you pick up the broken pieces and put your life back together. Me and my daughter have had a very rough year and I just really want to give my daughter the best Christmas I can.
"I want her to have fun this year - to have good memories of the year. She's had a bad time of it and she deserves a little happy."
With our readers' assistance, Press Christmas for All works to brighten the holidays for people like this - the jobless, homeless, those who are barely making ends meet, individuals with disabilities or illnesses. Many are alone this holiday season.
Each year, our generous readers' donations allow us to assist thousands of Kootenai County families in need. Each day until Christmas, we will share the stories of those whose holiday memories will be a little happier because of Press Christmas for All.
Donations are collected, then distributed in the form of gift cards to Kootenai County residents in need. The more money that's raised, the more families receive.
Press Christmas for All is a holiday charity now in its 28th year. It is managed as a nonprofit by The Hagadone Corp. Because it is run by volunteers from The Hagadone Corp. and their partners at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, every penny raised is distributed in the form of gift cards from local retailers who also generously support the program. The cards can be used to buy food and gifts but not alcohol or tobacco products. All contributions are tax deductible.
To give, please send a check to:
Press Christmas for All, 201 Second St., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.
You can also call (208) 664-8176 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and donate by credit card.
Donations can be made securely online: www.christmasforallcda.com
Recent donors: Robert and M. Hunt, Akers Logging, Inc., Northwest Realty Group, Jim and Carol Roff, Jean and Ronald Voights, Delmar and June Gittel, H. and K. Hayes, Robert Fraley, Carol and Robert Yost, John and Wilma Ednie.