The Giving Fund
The holidays can be a tough time for those who are struggling to make ends meet. During this holiday season, the Greenwich Time and the Stamford Advocate are publishing short stories about local people in need of a helping hand — and inviting the public to offer assistance to their neighbors through the Giving Fund.
Each case in the Giving Fund includes an estimated dollar amount that would help a local person or family tackle everyday challenges such as rent payments, child care costs and transportation. Every dollar donated to the Giving Fund goes directly to the peoples in the stories, which are published every Thursday and Sunday throughout the holiday season.
The names of those included have been changed to protect their privacy. The Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time sponsor The Giving Fund in partnership with Family Centers and PersontoPerson.
Readers are invited to brighten the holidays of others by making a donation. Here are the personal stories of 10 neighbors in need:
Case #350) Jessica recently and abruptly became a single mother to her 4yearold daughter. Subsequently, Jessica is now solely responsible for all their financial needs and basic living expenses. Despite making great efforts and accepting all work
hours offered to her, Jessica is struggling to secure stable employment. Her goal is to complete a CNA course and work fulltime as a nursing assistant. A gift of $500 to help with her CNA tuition fees would help advance Jessica’s employment opportunities and help her better provide for her daughter’s wellbeing.
Case #351) Esther is a hardworking single mother of four children. But because of her health problems due to diabetes, she is currently unable to work full time. She also had a crash recently and lost her car. Every month, she finds herself struggling to cover expenses, especially because the only way to get to and from work is by taking a taxi or an Uber. A gift of $500 would help Esther buy a used car.
Case #352) Lynn is the mother of three young children who recently filed for divorce. She now needs to figure out where to live with her children. She has no extended family members in the area who are able to provide help and support of any kind. A gift of $500 would help Lynn toward a security deposit, allowing her to have a space and the tranquility she needs to resettle with her children.
Case #353) Yolanda is the mother of three children. Her teenage boy is recovering from drug addiction and is out of school. He is currently experiencing vision problems that interfere with his ability to read. To look after her son,
Yolanda quit her job so she can drive him to and from his recovery sessions and tutoring hours. The family is now struggling financially and cannot pay for the eye doctor’s consultation and glasses. Unfortunately, her son is not eligible for medical insurance. A gift of $500 would help Yolanda pay for medical expenses and for the appropriate glasses her son needs.
Case #354) Rosalia is a single mother of three who has a hard time making ends meets. She does not have a steady job and works only when an opportunity comes along. Her son just graduated from high school and she is not able to pay for his classes at community college. Rosalia has been trying to find employment, but it has not been possible. She has no other support for her because relatives live in another country
Case #355) Courtney is a single mother of three, and her youngest child who is 1 has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. As a result, the child requires a specialist to ensure his health care needs are met. A waitress, Courtney struggles financially to makes ends meet. Her son’s specialist is about 35 miles away from their residence, making it difficult to attend his appointments regularly as needed. A gift of $200 would assist Courtney in paying for a driving test and registering her vehicle so that she can be on the road to selfsufficiency.
Case #356) Gloria, a mother to three beautiful children,
works incredibly hard at multiple jobs to support and take care of her family. Her youngest was recently diagnosed with autism and requires many supports, many of which are not fully covered by her insurance. Gloria’s hope is to provide as much wraparound support to her youngest in order to give him the best opportunity to learn and navigate his world in a healthy and positive way. A gift of $500 would be incredibly meaningful in helping Gloria pay for her son’s medical bills this holiday season.
Case #357) Marta is a single mother of two children — her 1year old daughter lives with her but her 8yearold lives in Colombia. Marta is working hard to save money to start the immigration process for her older daughter and bring her to the U.S. Marta hasn’t seen her daugh
ter in oneandahalf years, and she would love to travel to Colombia to spend the holidays together as a family. Although the trip would be a dream come true — it is a financial struggle for Marta to make it happen. A gift of $600 would help Angelica afford the ticket to Colombia and be able to hug and kiss her two daughters for the holidays.
Case #358) Carmen is a firsttime mother who is dealing with a mental health condition for which she is receiving treatment. As a parent, Carmen is doing the best she can, and is receiving support from agencies that take a “whole family” approach by supporting the child, parents and other family members. Due to her disability, Carmen is unable to work and relies on her mother for financial support. A gift of $500 would help Carmen and her mother with the grocery bills and transportation costs this winter.
Case #359) Antonia and her husband are hardwork
ing and loving parents who always do their best to meet the needs of their three children. Antonia’s oldest daughter lives in Peru, where she is in college. Antonia is proud of her daughter because she is the first person from her family to go to college. However, Antonia is struggling to save the money to send to her daughter for the next college semester. A gift of $500 would help Antonia pay for her daughter’s semester and give the young woman the opportunity to continue her studies.
All the cases in the Giving Fund are also listed online. Donations can be made by sending in the coupon in print or going online to stamfordadvocate.com/ givingfund and greenwichtime.com/givingfund and clicking on the link to the dollar amount for the case of interest. Or visit http://bit.ly/2jU5O1H and select from the case numbers above. Donors may also select “any case” and the donation will be applied as needed.