An abused and abandoned woman who turned to Craigslist to find a family for the holidays got her Christmas wish, and so much more.
Earlier this month, Jackie Turner –- a straight-A William Jessup University student -– couldn’t bear spending one more Christmas alone, so she turned to the Internet to find some support, News10 reported.
"I am looking to rent a mom and dad who can give me attention and make me feel like the light of their life just for a couple of days because I really need it,” the 26-year-old wrote in her Craigslist ad.
She even offered to pay her hosts $8 an hour.
Turner got an overwhelming number of responses from people eager to invite her in. She also heard from struggling individuals who could empathize with the overwhelming emptiness that comes with spending the holidays without loved ones.
She told HuffPost Live that people who have faced similar abuse reached out, as did a number of widows and people who have been successfully adopted.
Turner realized there were so many people out there just like her who dread the holidays.
Her mother had her when she was 16 and couldn’t take care of her. The college junior told CBS she wishes she had never met her father. She was passed around among a number of households when she was young and remembers being beaten and locked in closets as a child.
After hearing so many stories that mirrored her own, Turner decided to host an event at her university for people who could use a little extra attention.
She invited each person who emailed her about yearning for a family to a meeting at William Jessup. There, she paired up the lonely individuals with people who were willing to lend some support.
Turner matched each person up and even found her own mentor. She told HuffPost Live that she’ll be spending the holidays with a classmate’s family.
"People are hurting and broken and we need each other," she told CBS. "We need to be loving people.”
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