CHRISTMAS FOR ALL "Back in business and giving back"

As part of the annual Press Christmas for All Campaign, we share with readers the stories of those applying for help. This is the story of a gentleman who was helped during last year's campaign and the progress he has made this year.

“Everything is starting to come together for me now,” said Jerrod Escritt, a man who once hit rock bottom and received a hand-up from Press Christmas for All in 2020. Now married with a one-month-old baby boy, Escritt said his biggest achievement has been getting his life back on track.

Seven years ago, Escritt’s young nephew was killed. That devastation caused him to spiral downward and he began using hard drugs, he told Press Christmas for All.

“He was one of the people closest to me,” Escritt said of his nephew. “When he died, I quit working my business and got lost in using drugs.”

Many people struggle with processing grief, and for Escritt, his mental health conditions made it even more difficult. He has suffered from mental health problems since he was about 9 years old. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at 16 years old, Escritt also suffers from major depressive disorder.

When his drug use landed him in jail, Escritt was accepted into the Mental Health Court program.

“Mental Health Court helped me learn how to cope with my depression,” Escritt said. “It is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.” Escritt graduated from the program in July and will be released from probation in February, 2022.

While he was still working the program, Escritt had moved into a small apartment with nothing but the clothes on his back. “I even left the jail wearing donated clothes,” Escritt said.

Christmas for All was able to help Escritt obtain a bed, mattress, bedding, pots, pans, dishes, silverware, towels and help with the deposit on his apartment.

“I was super excited about getting (the help),” Escritt said. “Having that gave me the motivation and hope that I’d be able to do better in life.”

Escritt is an example of the lifelong impact that the right kind of assistance can have in changing a person’s life.

Escritt met his wife, Kenzie, while working at Staybridge Suites. The two recently welcomed their son, Brayden.

The CFA recipient is focused on moving forward and giving back to others. Now three-and-a-half years sober, Escritt still attends sobriety meetings and has become a sponsor for others going through the struggle.

“Now I do whatever I can to try to help others because I know what rock bottom is like,” Escritt said. “I think if you do good in society, good things will come to you.”

Escritt used to have a difficult time accepting, and mostly refused, assistance from others, he said. But the help that he received from Mental Health Court and Christmas for All changed his outlook on that. “I learned that getting help isn’t bad,” Escritt said.

Previously estranged from his family because of the trauma he suffered as a child as well as because of his own actions and the impact that his problems had on them, Escritt now enjoys a relationship with them again.

“I’ve made amends for what I put my family through,” Escritt said. “They’ve forgiven me for my past.”

Escritt had never really had a relationship with his dad before recently, he said.

“Family is so important,” Escritt said. “It makes a huge difference in my life and this way I won’t have any regrets.”

He was even able to travel to Iowa for his grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary and to see people he hadn’t seen in over three years.

“I’m so glad I got to do that,” Escritt said.

Escritt is again in business for himself and owns Allergy Free Air on Government Way, an air filtration company.

“I’m moving forward and staying on the right path for myself, my wife and my son,” Escritt said. “I’m focused on the business so that one day I can create a good life for my family.”

•••

Each year, Press readers donate generously to the program. Every penny raised is distributed to Kootenai County residents. All overhead costs are covered by The Hagadone Corp.

The gift recipients are our neighbors who are struggling, including the elderly, disabled, homeless and mentally ill. Many who seek assistance from Christmas for All are working, but living near or below the poverty level.

The beneficiaries of Press Christmas for All are going to keep their dignity intact while the community provides a hand up to help get them back on their feet.

Press Christmas for All is managed by The Hagadone Corp., with assistance from CharityReimagined.Org. It is a legally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, run entirely by volunteers.

If readers are moved to donate towards this worthy cause, please make your donation sooner than later.

Here are four ways to do it:

• Mail a check to Press Christmas for All, 215 N. Second St., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
• Call The Press and make a secure credit card donation over the phone: 208-664-8176
• Go to cdapress.com. Click on the MENU button, then click on Christmas for All 2021.
• Drop off your check at The Press weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.: 215 N. Second St. in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

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