Her family faces hardships but she wants her kids to have a memorable Christmas
Janelle Wright’s main priority for Christmas is straightforward: The 31-year-old Homestead resident wants her three kids to have a merry Christmas that has the closeness of family, gifts and hot chocolate with candy canes.
“I just hope I can make Christmas as memorable as I can for them,” Wright told the Miami Herald.
Wright’s children have special needs that require much of her attention. Wright’s son Josiah, 5, and daughter Davina, 3, both have developmental delays. Her second daughter Denali, 2, was born deaf and is in the process of receiving a cochlear implant.
Despite their challenges, all three kids are full of energy and exude joy. Wright frequently gets them to doctor appointments and after one recent appointment, the three kids were all smiles.
Growing up in Palmetto Bay, Wright didn’t spend time with her own siblings because they were significantly older than she was. One sister was into dating while Wright was into Barbie dolls.
She wants her three kids to be close. One reason: Of her four siblings, three have died.
As a single mother, Wright takes care of her three kids and her disabled mother, Diana Pratt. Pratt, 71, lives with Wright in Homestead.
When Wright isn’t tending to her family, she is a highly active student at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. She leads the school’s Future Business Leaders of America and Garden Club organization and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
Being a full-time student and taking care of family can be tiring for Wright, but getting her education matters to her. Getting in trouble with the law in her late teens has made it difficult for her to get a job, and pursuing a degree gives her a second chance to succeed.
One day, Wright wants to own a house for her family. She was homeless in 2023 when she was pregnant with Denali and wants to do better than rent.
In the months that Wright and her family were homeless, she persisted and focused on getting paperwork together to apply for a new home and got assistance from churches to pay for temporary housing in hotels. There were times when Wright lived in her car.
‘A PLACE WHERE MY KIDS CAN BE HAPPY’
“I just want a place where my kids can be happy and I can paint my room any color that I want,” she said.
Maria Barros is the principal at ACE Academy South Campus where Josiah is in kindergarten. She admires how Wright supports her three children and nominated Wright for the Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald Wish Book. She respects the way in which Wright perseveres in taking care of Josiah, his sisters and their ailing grandmother.
“I admire her tenacity,” Barros said. “Even though she has children with special needs, she doesn’t let that get her down.”
From Wish Book, the Wright children need diapers, wipes, clothes and shoes. Wright also needs housing essentials and cleaning supplies for their home. Josiah needs a tablet for his schoolwork. Denali doesn’t speak, but she enjoys toys and things that her older sister Davina likes. “Davina loves dolls and interactive toys,” Wright said.
In years past, Wright had become apathetic about the holidays. But with a fourth child on the way, Wright anticipates that this Christmas will be a joyful one.
“We’re trying to make little things like making hot chocolate with candy canes,” she said.
HOW TO HELP
To help this Wish Book nominee and more than 150 others who are in need this year:
▪ To donate, use the coupon found in the newspaper or pay securely online through www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
▪ For more information, call 305-376-2906 or email Wishbook@MiamiHerald.com
▪ The most requested items are often laptops and tablets for school, furniture, and accessible vans
▪ Read all Wish Book stories on www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
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