Hello Friends,

Thank you for taking the time to read this. My wife and I are members of St. Jonah’s Orthodox Church in Spring, TX. In 2022, I moved to the area for my eventual marriage to my lovely wife, Rachel. Our first child, George, was born the following Spring! We have the blessing of another son, due this coming June. Shortly after my first child was born, I left a strictly commission sales job to return to a previous position as a General Manager to provide more stability so that my wife could be home full-time to care for our son. By this time, I had also been serving in the Texas State Guard, to serve my fellow Texans, and receive funding to complete my Bachelor's degree part-time. I enjoyed the opportunity to return to military service, which I enjoyed doing in my younger years. At first, my company seemed okay with it, but as time went on, they began to make snide comments about my one weekend a month and the potential of a “deployment.” In the State Guard, we are generally only deployed for natural disasters and State emergencies. 

Eventually, my supervisor asked me, “When would I be giving up the Guard?” In simple terms, I said “never.” Within a week of that conversation, my Assistant Manager was transferred to another location. I was left with two new managers. I’m okay with difficult situations, and I did my best to get the new managers up to speed, and I even promoted another employee. However, upper management began targeting my store with surprise inspections during my time, while the new managers were running the shifts. They used those inspections in an attempt to fire me on the basis of “not enforcing company standards.” Finally, I did go on my first deployment in two years of service with the Guard, a two-day mission in Central Texas. I was terminated the day that I returned. The Texas Workforce Commission agrees with me that the employer could not prove misconduct or incompetence, and has granted me unemployment benefits. 

During the month that has passed since my termination, I have been tirelessly looking for new work. I have been casting a wide net based on my experience, and my new Bachelor’s, which I will have this coming December. I have some long-term positions that I’m pursuing, which I feel will be great for my family, but some of them take a lot of time procedurally. I’m also pursuing positions with faster turnaround times as well, which would still provide a solid income. Meanwhile, I’ve also been writing articles in an attempt to supplement my unemployment. It is a blessing to have been approved for unemployment, but it is only about half of what I was earning before to support my family. 

My family and I have been blessed to receive some help from family during this challenging time. However, we would like to reduce the burden on them. Please consider helping us meet our goal of $20,000. That should help us endure the average length of unemployment. This would also help cover our bills and supplement, since we have another child coming in 6 weeks! Of course, as soon as employment is secured, this posting will be removed. If you don’t have a lot to give, spare what you can. Every little bit helps! $5 or $10 would be much appreciated. In addition to your donation, sharing this with your network would be a big help as well. Thank you!

Best Regards,

Michael Sisco