Dear Johnny,

My name is Terri and I have been a daycare provider for over 30 years in the Blue

Springs community. I have watched over mostly children from area teachers and I love

every minute of it. I’ve helped with kids from most major school districts on the Missouri

side including Blue Springs, Independence, Lee’s Summit, Grain Valley, Raytown, and

the list goes on and on. I genuinely love these kids and try not to be the “typical

daycare provider.” I fix homemade meals for the kids every day for breakfast and lunch,

customize a preschool curriculum, go to the kids’ birthday parties and help them

celebrate birthdays and holidays to make them feel special. I really try to spare no

expense for the kids I care for and look after every day.

Over the last couple of years, my family and I have suffered some hardships.

My husband, Larry, of nearly 30 years had to quit his job as a local mechanic due to the

effects of his progressing Parkinson’s Disease. In the Spring we suffered a small

kitchen fire and insurance covered most of the repairs, but we did have some out of

pocket expense to make sure we were running things safely and efficiently. Recently,

the strong winds that came through town a couple of weeks ago and caused a branch to

fall from a nearby tree and puncture a hole in the back porch roof. It also blew over a

portion of our fence in the backyard. Insurance will cover the repairs, but I just can’t

afford the large deductible.

Going to a single income family has already put financial strain us, but adding the fire,

the roof and fence repair, and my husband’s medical expenses makes it hard to stay

afloat. I have started doing “DoorDash” after all the kids have been picked up just to try

and make ends meet.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and any help would be greatly

appreciated. Merry Christmas.

Sincerely,

Terri

Who helped: Gary, Jason, Shane, Tony, Sue, Gene, Allison, Jason, Consentino’s

How you helped: 3 months of mortgage payments, insurance deductible for roof repair, groceries