A Compassionate Request for Assistance

Dear Donors:

I am reaching out with humility to ask for financial assistance during what has been the most difficult period of my life. I never imagined I would find myself in a position where I would need to ask others for help. I have spent more than 20 years working as a Paralegal and have always taken great pride in being independent, supporting myself, and taking responsibility for my own life.

In 2017, my father passed away, and I struggled tremendously with the emotional impact of his death. I was unable to continue working and had to step away from my career for approximately six months. Eventually, a former colleague gave me an opportunity with a company in Chicago. With very few options available to me at the time, I uprooted my life, sold my home, and moved to Chicago to rebuild my career.

Unfortunately, after approximately two years, the company unexpectedly shut down, leaving me unemployed once again. I was forced to move back in with my mother. Then the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented disruption to the legal and commercial real estate industries, and it took years for my industry to begin recovering.

During this already difficult period, my brother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Because I was unemployed and available to help, I became responsible for caring for him during an incredibly painful chapter for our family.

I have now been searching for employment for more than two years. Despite my experience, qualifications, and continued efforts to find work, I have been unable to secure a position that would allow me to become financially independent again.

The prolonged unemployment, financial hardship, loss of independence, and inability to establish stable housing have taken an enormous emotional toll on me. I have experienced periods of severe emotional distress, including reaching a point where I have had thoughts of suicide. I am sharing this not to create guilt or pressure, but to honestly convey how serious and overwhelming my circumstances have become.

At this point, I have no reliable income and have accumulated debts that have gone into collections. One of those debts is related to a previous apartment, and the resulting debt has become a significant barrier to obtaining housing again. Without stable housing and the financial ability to address these debts, it has become extremely difficult to break the cycle I am in and move forward.

I am therefore compassionately asking for $15,000 in financial assistance.

This assistance would give me the opportunity to address the immediate obstacles that are preventing me from rebuilding my life, including:

           Resolving outstanding debts and collections;

• Addressing the apartment debt that is preventing me from obtaining housing;
• Securing stable housing and moving out of my mother’s home;
• Covering essential living expenses while I continue my employment search; and
• Creating the stability necessary for me to return to the workforce and become self-sufficient again.

I am not asking for assistance because I have given up. I am asking because I am trying desperately to get back on my feet.

For more than two decades, I worked, supported myself, built a career, and handled my responsibilities independently. The circumstances that brought me to this point were a series of devastating events that I could not have anticipated or prevented. I want the opportunity to rebuild what I lost.

A $15,000 contribution would not simply provide temporary financial relief. It could provide the foundation I need to resolve the barriers that have kept me from moving forward and give me a genuine opportunity to regain my independence, secure employment, obtain stable housing, and rebuild my life.

I understand that $15,000 is a significant request, and I do not make it lightly. I am simply asking that you consider the person behind the circumstances—a person who has worked hard for most of her adult life, experienced profound loss, cared for family, continued trying despite repeated setbacks, and desperately wants the opportunity to become self-sufficient again.

If you are able to assist me in any amount, I would be profoundly grateful. If you are unable to provide the full amount, even partial assistance toward housing, debt resolution, or essential living expenses would make a meaningful difference.

Thank you for taking the time to hear my story and consider my request. I am asking for compassion, an opportunity to recover, and a chance to rebuild the life I once had.

With sincere gratitude,

Jamie Shoemaker