Ashley Simpson: What you can do

Everyday, we're hit at the grocery store, by robocall, and at the front door by people canvassing for money for a worthy cause, be it cancer, children's health, heart disease, and such.

It's no wonder there is donor fatigue out there.

But sometimes a cause comes along that pulls at our heart strings. It's hard to watch toddlers drowning on the shore as their family tries to escape tyranny. Or to watch the countless Fort Mac residents who've lost everything.

For me, it's hard to watch members of my family who face financial ruin because their daughter has been missing over a month. Ashley's disappearance is no longer considered a missing person's case, it's being treated as a homicide.

Today, we received a heartfelt message from my cousin John, Ashley's father, who is finding it difficult to make ends meet, while he is off work and searching for his daughter. Shortly after Ashley's disappearance, John set out from his home in Niagara and headed to Salmon Arm, B.C. to help with the search for his 32-year-old daughter. The RCMP is combing the area, looking for clues but so far, nothing has turned up.

And so John and his wife Cindi wait, and fight off their creditors. It's difficult to hear about this. It could be you or me. I've been in a situation where it was difficult for me to work because of stress and anxiety. For a couple of years, I lived off my savings and supported my children as a single mom. I have never financially recovered from the trauma I experienced fighting for support for my children from their father. I used to own a home, now I rent. I used to own two cars, now I walk or take the bus. I used to earn six figures, now I work for minimum wage.

My situation was not nearly as bad as that faced by my cousin John who works as a cook. As he says, it's hard to explain to the Snidely Whiplashes of the world that your daughter is missing, that you're frantic with worry, and cannot work. Landlords and banks don't care. They want their money, and they want it when they want it.

This is not a forever situation, just a dip in the road. John will be back at work in late June. He and Cindi just need a little help from their friends to bridge until they can get back on their feet.

So if you can, just this one time, find it in your heart to reach into your wallet for a twenty or a fifty, or anything you can spare, please help this family. They are heartbroken, they are devastated, and they shouldn't be facing an eviction sign or a poor credit score.

We need to find Ashley, but in the meantime, we need to support this family whose only crime is trying to find any means to find their missing daughter.

Please visit this site, and you can donate.

Thanks!