Misty’s – May, 2013 Entry: Filling Homes, Filling Lives
May 22nd, 2013 admin
“I would like to use the $500 gift certificate to purchase a couch or kitchen table so my family and I can be together at meal time and sit down to read and cuddle and have a place to be together for positive enrichment. I am a single parent of a 9 year old who is involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. My daughter is in the School Mentoring program where she meets with her big once a week at her school, AE Perry. She leaves her classroom for an hour and they do activities within the school or school property. My daughter is an above average student who is constantly exceeding in her grade and I found that some of the time she is left with nothing to do in class due to her work being complete and the teachers today have bigger classes that they need to tend to the children that require the extra help. This program allows her to get out of the “boredom” and be able to do a little physical activity and just have a person in her life that she develops a relationship with and maybe feel comfortable to talk with if things are happening for her at school, with peers, even at home. I trust and rely on the screening process of Big Brothers Big Sisters that the volunteers who are placed with the children are there because they want to be and for a lasting influence in each child’s life. My daughter also recently participated in the Sports Mentoring Program where her and her big snowboarded every second Sunday at Sun Peaks for the winter. I am so grateful for the opportunity my daughter had along with the fun and learning to try something new as I would never of been able to afford the cost as I am a single mom with a lower than average income. She gained confidence, a new outlook on trying something new and had so much fun it definitely was an opportunity of a life time for her.
“I applied at BBBS last year around this time as I wanted my daughter to get a chance to have someone in her life outside our family who she could feel comfortable with, do things with, form a special bond and relationship for years to come. In June of last year my daughter returned home to me after being removed from my home two years earlier because of my addiction to drugs and involvement in an abusive relationship that I was not willing to leave at that time. She went and lived with my sister for that time. For the last year prior to her coming home I gave up a 20 year addiction and worked on myself by going to treatment, counseling with Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Counselor, seeking out everything available in Kamloops that involved addicts. I attended the out patient treatment, AASH and still attend recovery based programs and groups along with weekly counseling to maintain a drug free life. My whole life changed when I could no longer take care of my child due to choices that I was making that were making my life unmanageable. I am now just over a year clean. I also had to make sure Katlyn was not affected negatively through this removal so I also took the time to put her in a couple groups and counseling for her to deal with her feelings, emotions and watching her mother be abused by an abusive partner. When I was finally ready to look at myself and leave the relationship I walked away with nothing and have had to start all over trying to build up a house that provided a safe and loving home from my girl. The kindness of companies in Kamloops that help out mothers of addiction and just second hand things are so greatly appreciated at that time.
In September, my younger sister lost her kids as well to addiction. I have taken on the responsibility of taking my 2 year old niece into my home to care for. We have had some huge adjustments within our home and are becoming a loving and caring family of three.
Since all these changes have taken place in such a short time i have not had any extra money to purchase a sturdy kitchen table and chairs and due to kids being kids the legs of my couch recently broke when it became a trampoline. I would love to be able to purchase some items where we can all come together everyday for conversation, crafts, hugs and spending quality time.”
Misty – May, 2013
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