Mom Panhandles for Son, Deserves One Hell of a Mother’s Day Gift

Talk about a mom who’s going above and beyond…

Shelle Curley of Bellevue, Wash. doesn’t have the money to pay for her son’s senior year of high school at the prestigious Idyllwild Arts School in California, so she is standing at freeway on-ramps to beg for the money.

Now that’s love, BUT… she needs an even catchier gimmick!  I’m always a sucker for the panhandler with the psychic cat.  I swear, that kitty has a viewfinder into my wallet soul!

The woman’s 17-year-old son, D.J. Strong, is a talented dancer and received a $45,000 scholarship; however, she was recently laid off and is still thousands of dollars short.  Tuition costs — *GULP!* — $53,000 a year.

For HIGH SCHOOL?  Geesh.  Somehow, the GED isn’t looking so bad right now…

Curley says she tried applying for jobs, selling candy, and washing cars as well as applying for loans. But she wasn’t making money fast enough and since she’s applying for high school tuition, not college, she wasn’t able to secure a loan.  Curley’s daughter jokingly suggested that her mom beg, but Curley took the suggestion seriously.

Curley has been making about $45 an hour on some ramps — certainly better than what most bloggers make! — but she says it gets competitive and homeless people often try to kick her off the most profitable spots.   Again, that’s where the psychic cat would come in handy.  Cats don’t take crap from anybody!  So far she has raised the first deposit of $1,433, as well as $511 for gas and lodging so she can drive down to the school for parents’ weekend. The next payment is due November 1, but she hopes to find a job before then.

“At first, I tried to hide my face,” Curley admitted. “I was embarrassed. But then I thought of the sacrifice he [my son] has made in dance–the iced feet, the chiropractic visits, the ibuprofen, and I just held my head up high. He has worked so hard to get that scholarship. This is his senior year. This door is open now, but it might never be open again. They only take 15 new dancers a year. I have to do whatever I can do in my power to pay for this. I’m getting him there!”

Wow.  And I thought I was sacrificing for my child by downgrading from three-inch to two-inch heels!