A Las Vegas mom facing homelessness in 110°F heat raised $200k to help save family
Eviction seemed imminent for Dasha Kelly, 32, and her three young daughters Sharron, 8; Kia, 6; and Imani, 5, on Monday. The eviction moratorium expired over the weekend and it looked like there was no way for them to avoid becoming homeless.
The former Las Vegas card dealer lost her job due to casino closures during the pandemic and needed $2,000 to cover her back rent. The mother of three couldn't bear the thought of being put out of her apartment with three children in the scorching Nevada desert.
"I had no idea what we were going to do," Kelly said, according to KOAT.
But things changed for Kelly on Monday when she was featured in a CNN "Out Front" segment on the eviction moratorium. During the segment, she rummaged through her bare apartment. She was forced to sell her TV, laptop, and bed just to stay afloat.
She needed money so badly that she was donating blood plasma.
"You know it's happening when we start talking about it... it's bringing all of my emotions."\n\nDasha Kelly is a single mom facing eviction over unpaid rent. \n\nIf you'd like to help, the family has set up a GoFundMe here: \n\nhttps://bit.ly/3lCPRLl\u00a0pic.twitter.com/FFYIjDvVe2— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) 1627948622
At the end of the segment, a reporter mentioned that Kelly had started a GoFundme page to raise $2,000 to cover the back rent she owed. "We owe $1,900 for rent alone not including utilities. I will figure out utilities by pawning a few things. As you all know it is entirely still too hot to be homeless," she wrote.
In just 24 hours the campaign raised over $172,000 from more than 2,700 donors. As of the writing of this article the campaign has eclipsed $200,000.
CNN caught up with her on Tuesday and she couldn't believe her good fortune. "I just want to tell everybody thank you so much," Kelly said as tears ran down her face. "I'm still in denial."
"Our bills will be paid now, and the landlord has been great to us, will now be paid off for the whole lease," she wrote in a follow-up post on the GoFundme site. "My family can afford a vehicle again so I can return to work."
She also opened a savings account for each child and hopes to pay some of it forward to help another family in need. "I just want to make sure I do the best that I can to help the next person that is in my same situation," she said.
Dasha Kelly and Cori Bush on CNN's Erin Burnett Outfrontwww.youtube.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new, "temporary" moratorium on evictions on Tuesday.
The new order, which continues until October 3, covers counties experiencing "substantial" or "high" levels of COVID-19 spread. A source familiar with the moratorium said that currently includes about 80% of U.S. counties, or 90% of the U.S. population.
"The emergence of the delta variant has led to a rapid acceleration of community transmission in the United States, putting more Americans at increased risk, especially if they are unvaccinated," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. "This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads."
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An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."