Family struggling to make due after child is bullied

Bullying can have far-reaching effects.

For this family of five, the mother can no longer work outside the home because she now homeschools her youngest child.

“She loved going to school everyday. Then, it suddenly turned into us giving it everything we had to get her to go to school ... ,” the mom told Press Christmas for All. “We soon discovered that she was being bullied everyday. She was being told she was fat and ugly along with other cruel words. She would get pushed around and made fun of.”

With mom at home, the father is the sole provider in the household, working graveyard shifts as a cab driver, earning a percentage of each ride and any tips he receives.

“He has to make sure the cab is filled with gas at the end of each shift, which is understandable and fair, so there are times when he’s come home with no money because he got stiffed or sent to pick someone up somewhere farther away, and no one is even there for a ride, or they ended up not needing a ride and didn’t cancel,” the mother said.

Their daughter is doing better now, the mom said, since the little girl is doing her schoolwork at home.

“But my husband’s income is our only income, and it all goes to rent and us trying to catch up on utilities so we don’t get shut off,” she told Christmas for All. “My family would be so thankful for any help this holiday season.”

This is the 31st year Press Christmas for All has worked to brighten the lives of people like this during the holiday season.

The program helps everyone in need, including struggling young families, seniors, people with disabilities and mental illnesses. Many are alone, and despair is a common factor.

Through Christmas for All, these less fortunate neighbors feel the compassion of a caring community during what can be a very difficult time of year for them.

Each year, Press readers donate generously to the program. The money collected is distributed in the form of gift cards to those who might not otherwise be able to put a holiday meal on the table or purchase a small gift for a child.

Press Christmas for All is managed by The Hagadone Corp., with assistance from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. It is a legally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, run entirely by volunteers at The Hagadone Corp., the Coeur d’Alene Press and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.

Every penny raised is distributed to needy Kootenai County residents. All overhead costs are covered by The Hagadone Corp. and the volunteers at Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.

Donations are tax-deductible and can be made by dropping off or mailing a check to: Press Christmas for All, 215 Second St., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.

Online donations can be made by visiting goo.gl/WospPG.

Recent donors:

Coeur d’Alene Eagles No. 486; Idaho PI Master Chapter Beta Sigma PHI; AC & Paulette Zuehlke; Rosemary Sissons.