Hello Everyone,

Asking for help is not something I do not do, but here I am asking for it. My name is 

Amanda Widman, I am a single mother of two beautiful children, Hope (12 years old) and Richard (8 years old) and a small business owner. I am asking for help to get my family back where we belong, in a house in Oklahoma.

Backstory

During Covid, when the world shut down and children were not allowed to go to school. I noticed my daughter having a lot more energy than most and having a hard time staying focused. It took 3 years to get her to specialists and have testing done. Hope was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD (Oppositional, Defiant Disorder). You may say, that’s tough or big whoop, but these diagnosis’ together have riddled our family with so much pain and heartbreak. It has been a long 3 years battling her lying, stealing, cheating, and self sabotage. She has been put on proper medication and attending counseling regularly. She is even a top tier wrestler. I have tried it all, getting her involved in extra curricular activities to let out the energy, gentle parenting, and parenting with an iron fist.

On September 27, 2024, my children were ripped from my care due to the broken DHS system, we are one of several families that have fallen victim. Hope had been stealing from me, clients, and her friends. The last time she stole money from me, I told her I was either going to call the police or she could get spanked. She was terrified to have the police called, so she chose the latter of the two. The following day at school, only thinking of herself and not dealing with consequences for bad decisions, she called and reported me to DHS for child abuse. That evening my children were taken from our home without even giving me an opportunity to tell my side of the story. I have proof she has been stealing for years. I have 13 characterwitnesses, who were willing to stand up for me, as they have seen my battling these behaviors with Hope. Thus, our nightmare began. For the first time in 11 years, I had come home to an empty home. My babies were gone and there was nothing I could do about it.

I hired a lawyer, he suggested putting my children with family rather than a foster home. That led us to Ohio, where they went from being with my dad, then to my cousin, to my friend. Each place was not a good environment for my children, their lives were flipped upside down, they had to find a new normal without me. To say the least, my children suffered in Ohio without me. Depression set in, their grades were falling, and attitudes were out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, I had been busting my rear to clear my name, work as much as I could to save money, put my house on the market, and pack everything in attempts to get back to my babies. I did! DHS closed my case, I was never charged with child abuse, and I was able to get legal guardianship back. Praise Jesus Holy name! I was reunited with my children in Ohio. 

Current Status

After moving to Ohio, yes we are together, but it has not been easy. My friend graciously enough opened her home to the 3 of us, but I knew it was only a temporary fix. I had to find my own place. We are living in a small condo, I am working in Oklahoma and in Ohio to make ends meet. The housing market is not friendly here, especially since all of my work history is in Oklahoma. We are not happy here, we desperately need to get back to a happy home life to thrive as a family. I want to be with my children full time and not have to rely on someone to help me make this work. I do not want to travel anymore to work and leave them for a week. We have plans to commit our lives to Jesus and be baptized together as a family. I have prayed hard for guidance in finding out happiness again, I know this is our first step. I have faith, the rest will follow. 

Please Help

Your support will help cover:

Moving Expenses: $3500 (moving assistance, packing, fuel for transport)

Transition Essentials: $1,500 (utility deposits, food, living essentials)

Housing Security: $5000 (deposit to move into a home)

With your help, my family will be able to strive for a safe, happy place. This will help with the financial burden to bring us that much closer. Thank you for your consideration in helping in our journey to rid our lives of this feeling of defeat. May God Bless You!