A story of a Christmas Fund

This year Donnie and I have brought our local Christmas fund to the website as I'm sure everyone has noticed. I wanted to take a time out and tell my story of how this all came to be. I wasn't always in the financial position I am in now, and I think its important to tell this story so our fans can see how much this fund means to me personally. Here it goes:

In 2009 I got married to my now ex-wife. We were by no means wealthy. I worked in a shitty sports arena making hockey ice and running setup for events making minimum wage on a swing shift and she worked in management for a fast food chain. When I got married I took in her daughter as my own and we lived a humble life in a small two bedroom apartment.

In early 2010 we got the exciting news that a new member to our family was going to be born. Although I had been a father to my daughter years before our marriage, this pregnancy put me in a whole new mindset. I wanted to be a good provider and father. I set out to give my family the best I could even if it wasn't much more than we already had.

A few months into the pregnancy I took every last bit of my savings and got a house. The goal was to share it with a family member who visited once a year so they would have a house to come home to every year.I bought a lawnmower, I bought all the things I needed to maintain this house, and nearly spend our savings down to the last dime doing it. It was magnificent. A house all my own and I had worked my ass of to get it. I  still had my crappy job, but it was enough to pay the bills for the time being.

Long story short, things went south with our family member and in July of 2010 the house was, in a moments notice, being yanked out from underneath me. We spent months living with friends and family members. Jumping from house to house. Never was their a sadder time in my life. I felt like a failure. Here I am with my     wife, 7 months pregnant, and my daughter, totally homeless. I'll never forget crying on the front porch in august of 2010 thinking that I had failed as a father before I ever became one.

As luck would have it by September we had found another small apartment, and had just enough to rent it. We had managed in a few months to put ourselves right back where we had started, but we were dirt poor. My son was born in early December and my wife at the time was unable to work. We where living on my garbage wages with no savings and a colicky baby who cried all night as I worked the night shift. What should have been the happiest time of my life became one of the most miserable as I tried to afford diapers,food, and rent and deal with the stress of work and a baby that cried day and night for no apparent reason.

No one helped us that Christmas apart from the credit card companies. In July of 2011, I found myself in a much better position. I had most of my debt paid off, some savings returned and most importantly I had found a job that, although it wasn't very glamorous, paid the bills and then some. That Christmas I called Donnie and told him about my experience the year previous and asked him to join me in adopting a family along with some other friends. I vowed that so long as I could I would always make an effort to better someones holiday season.

I know there are more people out there who have stories similar to this. I have heard dozens of them each year that I have had to choose a family to adopt and it truly breaks my heart. So if your able to help someone this holiday season then please do. Whatever you can offer could mean far more to someone this year than you know. Also we haven't stopped collecting on our X-mas fund yet. If your capable then please join us in helping both our families have a brighter Christmas this Holiday season.