It was the “last straw”. I received a notice from my son’s daycare center that because I was $600.00 in arrears on my payments they would not be able to continue providing their services to me.  I had a good job but without childcare for my son I would be unable to continue working.

I had been separated from my husband for several months because of his drug habit and was in the process of filing for divorce.  I discovered that he had not paid the bills for several months and that he had overdrawn our checking account.   

A co-worker knew my situation and referred me to Julie’s House and Pat Bourke for assistance. She offered me a “hand-up and not a hand-out”.  The Julie’s House organization wrote a check to my daycare for $200.00 and Ms. Bourke referred me to DFCS to apply for low-income childcare assistance.  I qualified for half of the childcare payments. She called me often to give me encouragement. 

Several weeks later I went to court for my divorce hearing and my situation began to improve day-by-day.  The judge ordered my ex-husband to help with childcare payments and my attorney hired me as her paralegal.  A big milestone in my life was when I was able to open my own checking account and take control of my own finances and my own life. 

The gift of $200.00 from Julie’s House saved my job, my car, and my home and I am now able to help other women in crisis. 

Thank you, Julie’s House. 

Anonymous