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Help a disabled widow pay for two costly home emergencies

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Hi everyone, my name is Tara and I have to say; it is very difficult for me to ask for help...if you know me, you know that I am the one who always helps others. I am more of a private person and have been honestly trying to avoid creating a GoFundMe, and having to create a sad story, but it has been very rough financially with two unexpected emergencies. The holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, but we have had two catastrophic home emergencies that have simultaneously occurred this past month. I am seeking funds to pay for the damages in my mom’s house. For those who may not know, my mom, Janet, has multiple sclerosis, and has had this condition for decades, to where she has been homebound. I witnessed my dad suddenly and tragically pass away when I was 12. I have been assisting my mom my entire life, along with trying to pursue my own aspirations. I was a preschool teacher but at the end of the school year this year, I decided to take a huge leap and begin a grad program to become a therapist to continue to help others, as well as to better support my mom and I, but unfortunately that has had to be put on hold because of the house situation. Our kitchen cabinets were rotting, and so I was fortunate to have been able to purchase them, along with new appliances, as most of ours do not work. We were planning on having a non-profit organization demo the kitchen and install everything new, but unfortunately and fortunately things turned for the worse. The homeowners before us created an extension in the kitchen as well as adding a sunroom, and they did a poor job, leaving a faulty foundation. I noticed a sinkhole that was getting larger outside the kitchen. This created huge holes leading into the crawl space and boiler room in the basement, making way for a family of three raccoons. Not only was the foundation unstable, but was vulnerable to water pooling in the area due to the position of the gutters. The first contractor who came scammed my mom, giving us an astronomical price, and after looking to terminate the contract within 24 hours, sought to demand a certain price, or they would put a lien on her house, and take me to court. The only way out of the situation was to basically liquidate my moms bank account. Luckily we found a good contractor afterwards, but it was still costly because of the extent of the situation. I was told that had I waited a few more days, the kitchen would've collapsed. Thankfully the holes have been properly sealed and the rodent problem has subsided, but I still have to come up with the money to pay the contractor. To make things worse, the vinyl tiles in the kitchen have been popping up and mold was discovered. Nobody can demo the kitchen until the mold is mitigated. I was looking to mitigate it myself, but the problem is too extreme, and so I have to come up with thousands of dollars to resolve this current and urgent problem. I am fortunate to be able to still tutor, and sell online but it won't pay cover $20,00. I was hoping to have a fully functional kitchen by Christmas, but honestly what I really want is for all of us to be healthy, and to be able to pay for these costly repairs. I am told these repairs could be paid for by homeowners insurance, but my moms house is in a trust, and the companies I've spoken with do not want to get involved with insuring it because of it. Thank you for taking the time to read this, any amount helps, and the sooner we can receive funds, the sooner we can have the moldy subfloor removed, because we cannot continue living in this type of situation. in addition, the rest of the funds will be used to pay off the previous contractor for stabilizing the house. Your contribution will be able to help me to start saving up again for myself and my mom and will give me the flexibility to begin a more sustainable career path. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to anyone who gives, and wishing you and your families a happy holiday season!
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Donations 

  • Anne Attivissimo
    • $500
    • 17 d
  • Anonymous
    • $70
    • 18 d
  • Sandra Collins
    • $100
    • 29 d
  • Love Your Neighbor Project
    • $100
    • 1 mo
  • Joan Kurzweil
    • $450
    • 1 mo
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Organizer

Tara Dobsovits
Organizer
Glen Head, NY

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