Agency supports area families struggling in pandemic

DANBURY — Adriana can feel the overwhelming weight of living costs building on her shoulders after having to reduce her hours at work to care for her son Dean, who struggles with Autism.

Dean’s diagnosis entails some behavioral traits — like wandering — that keep Adriana on her toes throughout the day as she homeschools him through the pandemic.

She cut her hours at work to continue tending to Dean, even as household bills and costs for his care pile up. Her single mother status makes it difficult for her to both care for Dean and financially provide during an ongoing crisis.

Adriana is one of the Danbury area residents United Way of Western Connecticut is hoping to support this holiday season through its annual giving fund.

Agift of $1,700 would help Adriana cover essential bills and out-of-pocket costs for Dean’s special care.

In its ninth year, The Giving Fund is a partnership between The News-Times and United Way of Western Connecticut. This holiday program profiles real people in the community who need help to get out of a financial crisis.

“Making a difference in the lives of our neighbors is not only the right thing to do, it is essential to the long-term vitality of our community,” said Kim Morgan, CEO of United Way of Western Connecticut. “To bring our community back from a difficult year, we need financially stable and thriving residents who support local businesses. The Giving Fund is an opportunity to help people in need and make our community stronger. It puts people on the brink on a path to a better future for themselves and their families.”

Since its inception, the fund has raised more than $850,000 for families in need. United Way serves as the pro-bono fiduciary of the fund and does not take any fees to administer the program for The News-Times. That means 100 percent of your donation goes to the person described in the case you choose.

One family that benefited from the Giving Fund last year said the donations gave “stability” and “structure” to their children.

“Just knowing that relief is on the way gives us a chance to catch up and gives us a way to stop the phone calls and stress of knowing that we will simply not have enough,” the recipient said.

Over a six-week stretch, The News-Times will present several new cases describing a need that readers’ donations could meet. Names are changed to protect individuals and families’ privacy.

Donations may be made online at https://www. uwwesternct.org/thegiving fund or mailed to United Way of Western Connecticut, 301 Main Street, Suite 2-5, Danbury, CT 06810. Checks should be made payable to The Giving Fund c/o United Way.

If a case becomes fully funded, additional donations given will be used to support other cases.

This week’s cases are: Case #187: Michael and Katy are a young couple with two boys in elementary school. Recently, they were able to leave tight living quarters with a relative and move into an apartment of their own—a place they could call home. Michael is a hard worker and attentive father. He wants to give his sons the best life possible, a life of stability he didn’t have. Katy has had difficulty finding a job while juggling the responsibilities of helping their young children with distance learning during the pandemic. Despite taking a long time to take this big move into their own place, and waiting until they felt financially stable, they have begun to get behind on the electric bill. They share a car, and it is an older vehicle. With money being so tight, any surprise bill would be difficult to pay. A gift of $500 will let this family pay off their electric bill and put away a small cushion for any car-related expenses.

Case #188: Lisa works as a housecleaner. Her daughter Lindsay attends Danbury Public Schools which is on virtual learning indefinitely. Lindsay attends the distance learning program at a quality childcare center while her mother works. The tuition costs have increased significantly as her daughter is at the center many more hours than she was before the pandemic. As a single mother, Lisa is really struggling to cover the additional costs of tuition. A gift of $1,500 would help Lisa cover the costs of tuition and ensure that Lindsay is learning while her mother is working.

Case #189: Patricia is in her late 50s and is a single mom to two adult twin girls. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017. The diagnosis was challenging, but Patricia found comfort in thinking about completing her treatments and “going back to normal.” Unfortunately, just as she was beginning to heal and find the strength to go back to work, she was diagnosed with a recurrence. She again found the strength to undergo treatment (with many side effects) and was in remission. She went back to work, found a balance in her life, and created a new normal. Then, earlier this year, Patricia experienced a second recurrence. This time things are different, and her body is struggling more than ever to recover from treatments. After three years of being on and off with treatments and work, she is facing serious financial hardship. A gift of $1,000 would help Patricia pay for the taxes on her house, so she does not lose her home.

Case #190is Adriana described above.

Case #191: Diana is a beautiful, giving soul and a loving Mom to her two pre-teen girls. While caring for her daughters and her Mom’s end-of-life needs, she recently became ill. Hospitalized for a week and discharged with many follow-up appointments, she received bad news. Her kidney function is failing, and she will require in-patient care, including dialysis. There is a chance that she will be hospitalized for the holidays, but she is hoping to be out just before Christmas. This family struggles with bills, barely meeting monthly expenses. Despite a history of illness, Diana usually works a few hours a week, and she felt blessed having a little income to purchase what her girls needed for athletics and school. She has always been financially responsible, but her current illness won’t allow her to work for now. She is proud that her girls’ main concern is the health of their Mom. A gift of $800 will Diana to buy her girls some clothes, shop outside of the food pantry for their favorite foods, and enjoy little things like hot chocolate, cookies, and pizza.

Case #192: Dorothy, a loving mom to four young boys, is going through a divorce. Having been a stay-athome mom for the last ten years, she is having difficulty adjusting to her new life and routine. Her estranged husband has taken total control of his income and sparingly allows Dorothy money for the children to have items that most take for granted. Dorothy is preparing to go back into the workforce to help meet their basic needs. She visits the food pantry and is grateful for the food she receives. She is thrilled to receive second-hand clothing and toys, always watching every penny spent. But the pandemic put a bump in the road in her plans to go to school to learn new skills for a career. A gift of $1,300 will allow Dorothy to pay her bills, including rent, while giving her extra money to enjoy take-out and some holiday decorations, as well as purchase new clothes for her growing children.