Upon meeting with a family that has been doing what they need to do, one of the children voiced his wants and then ended his sentence with but I don't need. A 14-year-old boy has been filling in as the male figure of the house since dad isn't in the picture and he is the oldest of a sibling group of 4. The 14-year-old boy said he would like to play baseball at the park but said his mom can't afford it since she is the only person working in their household. Upon doing some checking, the Jackson Park baseball sign-up deadline ended last week. However, the gentleman in charge said the 14-year-old boy can still register if it can be turned in by March 28th. How selfless of this 14-year-old boy to put everything and everyone above himself! Mom would be eternally grateful if her son was able to play baseball and be involved in something that he wants to do. This is from the flyer as to where payments can be made: Jackson Civic Center (381 E. Deerwood Dr.) during business hours: Monday-Friday 7 am-8 pm; Saturday 9 am-6 pm; Sunday Noon-6 pm.

This Treatment Court participant has been doing well since he has started in July of 2022. Due to a separation between himself and his children's mother, he ended up losing his housing. He has finally been approved for an apartment and has a move in date! This participant keeps his two children basically full time, and will need all the necessities in his new apartment to take care of them. He has consistently been in compliance with our program, maintained sobriety, maintained employment, and made every effort to get to requirements without transportation. Any furniture, beds, pots and pans, sheets, and household items would be very appreciated for this family.

I, CSW Nichols, has a mom who is need of helping to get her furnace fixed. The mom has had to use her extra money to do other things around the home. It is currently still cold as the temp keeps dropping. She currently has a few space heaters, but they are not working well to keep the home warm.

Mom is a single parent with two children; a 5 year-old boy who is Autistic and a 6 year-old girl. The family car broke down and needs a new engine and a new transmission, which is very expensive. After a discussion about the expensive repairs, mom agreed that it would make more sense to look for a used car that is operational instead of putting money into the family car. If there is a vehicle that has been or will be donated it would be greatly appreciated by this family. Having a running vehicle would ensure the 5 year old would continue to receive services for his special needs, and be a help to mom in holding down a job.

Dad is a single parent who lives with his two daughters (ages 16 and 14) in a trailer he built himself out of scrap and spare trailer parts. There is a dormitory-sized fridge in the kitchen area currently, but the size isn't sufficient for the family. It would be a huge help to the family to have an apartment-sized refrigerator for the kitchen. Dad is employed part time and does odd jobs to support his daughters.

A placement provider with an 11-year-old child is in need of childcare assistance for the summer due to placement working. Placement has a specific summer care program to allow the child to be able to socialize with other children her age, and this program is built in through placement's work. Placement is asking for assistance with the full or even half of the amount since they are unable to afford the full amount with having three of their own children at home. The program is 12 weeks and costs around $134 per week.

This Treatment Court participant is doing well right now. He is having overnight visits with his children at this time, fully employed, and in compliance with Treatment Court. He has recently been successfully discharged from residential treatment, and is having some issues with transportation and meeting requirements without spending a ton of money on Lyft and Uber. He would like a bicycle to help lower the cost of transportation and allow him to pay his bills as well as save money for reliable transportation.

Biological mother, along with maternal grandparents, are in need of gas cards in order to help with visitation expenses. The child's goal is reunification, however the child is currently placed in a treatment foster home two hours away. Mom, little sister, and grandparents travel twice a month for these visits. These visits are crucial to help repair the family bond so that we can continue to move forward with the goal of reunification. We expect these visits to continue at least until school is out in May. Any assistance with gas cards would be greatly appreciated by the family as the cost of gas, as well as wear and tear on their vehicle, is a struggle for them. Thank you.

A family friend is attempting to help keep two kids out of foster care. She recently took two children in to help them and their mother out. She also has 3 children of her own. They are needing a small kitchen table. The placement provider does not have the funds to purchase this item and the kitchen table she did have broke.

I have a family that has been dealing with with a bad bug infestation for a while. We are throwing away some of their cloth furniture that is terribly infested. We are needing a pillows, a queen mattress and box springs, a love seat and a recliner. The family is happy to take used items as long as they have no bugs. We have gotten a mattress cover and new bedding donated from school employees. The family is extremely appreciative and has been working hard to address this issue for good!

Youth, 17, is currently placed with a foster placement in Ripley County. Placement has recently treated their home for bedbugs once but is needing a second treatment due to some remaining bed bugs that did not die. Placement has 4 foster children in the home, 3 out of circuit and one out of Cape County. After paying to treat the home the first time and getting a storage shed for that period, they are having trouble coming up with payment for a second treatment and need assistance or a specialist who would be willing to travel to treat their home.

We have a charming 3 year old boy who has had to have his leg amputated just below the knee. Grandma is caring for the child and has done a wonderful job in caring for this child and also his 2 year old brother. Grandma is struggling to make sure the boys have things they need. Along with the regular costs of children, Grandma is also trying to get this child things that are needed for his prosthetic leg. Grandma has reached out and asked if anyone can assist with purchasing some prosthetic socks. The child's insurance only covers 3 socks and with the child being 2 years old, you can imagine how quickly he is going through the socks. Gramdma has provided the label she has from the socks she purchased on Amazon. The sock is manufactured by Knit-Rite. It is the 3-ply green logo and description says child x-short, light weight, soft-sock prosthetic sock, 95.6% coolmax polyester and 4.4% lycra. The lot # listed is:(###) ###-####LB and item # is: 1SP1CHXS. The little guy is trying to learn to walk with his leg which is something he has never done before now so Grandma is trying to make the best out of the situation.

I have a single father that is disabled. The father is trying to fix the home himself to maintain the well being for his son. He is needing help fixing the shingles on his roof and repair some holes. He is unable to keep going up and down the ladder for health reasons. The father is waiting to get the financial backing. I believe that if someone could look at or send someone out to assess the damage it will benefit the father and son. We are unsure of the estimated value of how much it would cost, requesting someone to provide an estimate. We are unsure if its a whole roof or if patching could fix it.

A mom who has her child with her on a trial home visit is finding herself taking more steps backwards instead of forward. Mom has worked hard to get her son back and now she is about to lose her job because her car is extremely unreliable. In fact, it is highly likely that the car's engine has blown up due to the knocking sounds coming from it. Mom is really needing an automobile to get back and forth to her job. Mom will lose her job if she doesn't have reliable transportation.