So today I am 5DPIUI. I feel completely normal. I have a minor headache but again, it may or may not be related. I have been doing awesome this TWW with not googling anything or thinking about it too much. Luckily I have been super busy with work and events during the week. Tonight I am getting my hair did and I am so freaking excited for it. Nothing better then a fresh head of hair!! Highlights all around please!! I have also been distracted due to a project I am working on for a family in need. I wanted to share it with you..
Ok, so without going into too much detail about where I work, I want to share a story with all of you (I love how I say all of you like there are a million readers out there)!
I work at a Bank. We own lots of properties that were foreclosed on. We had to take back many of these properties at Sheriff Sale because the borrower stopped paying us. Now, don't hate us and think we are mean, money grubbing, typical big banks. We are a small community Bank. We only have six branches. Many of these properties were rental properties for the borrowers. These were not the homes that they actually lived in. Many of the properties are located in poor and bad neighborhoods. The borrowers never kept up on maintenance or paying any of the utility bills or taxes. They used these properties as rentals and took advantage of people who just needed a place to call home. The borrowers aka slum lords would simply go by at the beginning of every month and collect the rent and then wouldn't be seen again for another month. If the house had maintenance issues, 9 out of 10 times, it wasn't taken care of.
So anyways, when we inherited these properties, many of them came with tenants in them. Mind you many of these "tenants" were families. Mothers and Fathers with their children. We took over the position of Landlord for them. This experience has been both gratifying and frustrating at the same time.
I have seen people take advantage of the governmental assistance programs out there and I have seen the other end of the spectrum where people who truly need help are denied. We hear stories almost daily about family members being shot, jobs lost, children getting into trouble with the law, children being sick in the hospital, etc. It is so draining sometimes. So this brings me to the point of this story...
We have a tenant. For privacy reasons, I will change his name to "Brian". Brian is married to his wife "Mary" and together they have a 3 year old daughter "Annie". They have been living in their home for well over 5 years now. Brian works full time as a security officer. He works the night shift. His parents live in Georgia and are both very ill. Brian sends his parents money every month to help with medical expenses. Because of this, Brian is behind on all of his bills and rent payments. He is just not bringing in enough money to survive. He hasn't paid rent since August of this year. His monthly rental amount is $500.00 but between living expenses, gas, food, bills, etc. he is unable to make his rent payments. We do not want to see Brian have to be evicted but understand that as a business we do need to have a tenant that can afford to pay rent. Brian has been doing odds and ends jobs for the Bank which we apply towards his past due rent. We met with him and he brought in all of his bills and pay stubs and tax returns. He laid his life on the table. I don't care if you are a man or woman, that is something that is not easy to do. Imagine bringing in all of your bills to sit down with people that you barely know. That takes an insane amount of courage. After reviewing all of his paperwork, we realized there was really nothing that he could give up or cut back on in order to help him get out of debt. He was simply over extended. He left the meeting stating that he had faith everything was going to work out and he has been praying on this.
After the meeting, my mind kept going back to him and his family. I thought about what it took for him to do that and the feeling he must have had as he left the meeting. We basically confirmed to him that he was in trouble and we really didn't see a way out for him. Then it dawned on me. Katie, you can help him! You can maybe play a small role in being his way out. So I decided right then and there that I was going to try to get donations together for this family. Whether it be clothes for Mary, toys, gift cards to food stores or gas stations, diapers/wipes, or basic tolietrees or even money towards their bills. I was going to do everything I could to help make their life a little bit easier. We are in the season of giving right? This is what it is all about right?
So I posted something on my Facebook page and the responses I got were incredible. Complete strangers offering whatever they could to help. My Mom's boss donated $100. I met two people last evening and they donated coloring books, crayons, and brand new clothing and hair accessories. Someone offered to provide Christmas dinner for them. Another complete stranger offered to provide them with a tree. A woman just dropped off a Wal-Mart gift card in my mail box.
I couldn't believe it. I truly cried tears of happiness on my way home from meeting the people that donated the items. I am completely surprised and I have a renewed faith in humanity. There are good people still in the world. I am scheduled to meet people on Friday evening and again on Saturday morning. I will also be going around picking things up for people. Another person I work with is helping me with this also. It really does remind you that your life isn't so bad after all.
If anyone reading this feels inclined to purchase or donate something please send me an email at katie395@gmail.com. We also created a registry on Amazon of things that we know the family needs/likes.
You can go here: Gordon Family Wish List
Items will be sent directly to my home and I will be sure the family gets them! The family does not have any idea that we are doing this for them. They did not request anything nor did they ask. We are simply trying to help give them a fighting chance and a brighter future!
Thanks in Advanced for helping me pay it forward!
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