06/30/09 307-709-2621 sdalsup@yahoo.com
Sharon Alsup
Dear Mr. Obama and First Lady Michelle,
My name is Sharon Dryer Alsup; I’m a Domestic Violence survivor and survivor or many situations since childhood. What your about to read is so very important to so many women and children.
There are so many causes, illnesses and situations that are epidemic in our society. I will address just one and that is Domestic Violence against women and children. On July 19, 2009 I will begin a walk to raise money, food, clothing, education and housing for those that are going through domestic violence. Abuse is a learned action one chooses to afflict on another and it is a learned action to allow abuse to be in one’s life. It knows no economic status or race.
I hope to help women and children empower themselves against Domestic Violence, by raising awareness helping those that are in the situation to seek help and to educate others on the signs that present themselves in a relationship before it’s too late, to allow healing emotional , physical and financial. To not pass it to the next generation, which I have done through my daughters, who have chosen men that are abusesive and to one son who use to think it was ok to abuse a woman.
Even after you escape, the physical and emotional scars follow you throughout your life and into the next relationship. Resulting in helplessness, anger and inability to live a normal healthy life. Unable to make healthy decisions because the past leaves them so diseased that they are depending on drugs and therapy to make it through the day. Often turning to more serious situations because they don’t feel worthy.
I ask that you allow for me to do this walk to heal myself by helping others. I have federal and state loans, one including child support. My children are raised, this goes back years and there is only $2700.00 left to pay. I had my support paid down from approx $8,000 to approx $2,000 when they added another $5,000 on top of that. I now have it down to the $2,700 and was making regular payments when I received a notice from the Support division with a summons. They told me it was a new thing that the courts required and that it would prevent me from having to go back to California and appear in court. So I signed the paper, soon after a lean was put on my bank account. I have been dealing with El Dorado County family court system for many years. I have never had a report filed against me for child neglect; I lost custody because of who their father was. A deputy Sheriff (Tim Becker) protected by the “good ole boys” club. I haven’t made a payment in over six months; I have been on prescription drugs to deal with my life. (there is so much more to this) I hope to tell my complete story to help others.
I’m not asking that I not pay these loans and bills. I’m asking that I be allowed to heal; given the time to do what I feel will be what it takes to get past my past. Abuse is not something that you forget, put aside or suck up and deal with it. The nightmares continue, triggers for panic attacks could be caused from something you see in a movie, hear in a song or witness in a meeting at work or simple by driving down the street. I have nothing else to give except myself.
I made a decision a week ago to go off medication and get my life back. Please help me by allowing this demonstration to take place and continue until my walk takes me back to California. I will begin in Cheyenne, WY on September 1st , route to Washington D.C. is to walk through Nebraska, Iowa Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania to New York (where I will visit my daughter Tara Becker-Mendoza) Then onto the east coast down to Washington D.C., where I hope a rally will be held to help with Domestic Violence and then I will continue to California from there. This will take me a few years, but if you really knew my history of survival you would understand that I will do this, for my children as well as yours.
I’m not a crazy person, I’m not perfect and I know fear. My dog, Orea, a rescued Aussie will walk for Aussie Rescue.
Thank you for being there.
Sincerely,
Sharon Dryer Alsup/543/68/3995
CC: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Kulr-8 TV, Oxygen Media and Aussie Rescue
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