Help Ade and His Family Rebuild Their Home
Donation protected
To whom it may concern,
My name is Adedipupo Awolola. I am a 2nd-semester graduate student at the University of Illinois pursuing my master’s in Human Resources and Industrial Relation. I am one of four siblings who are also pursuing their studies. As of two weeks ago, on January 28 at 8 am, I received a call from my mom informing me that our home in Sauk Village, Illinois was on fire. Much to the tireless effort of the Sauk Village fire department, they were unable to contain the fire in time resulting in the loss of our home. As pointed out by the fire department, it was a result of electrical overload and poor electrical wiring. Thankfully, everyone, including our dog, was able to get out in time before the fire destroyed the house, the same could not be said for our belongings. I previously had a similar experience my Sophomore year of undergrad in which my apartment complex caught on fire and resulted in my roommates and I looking to friends and family to stay the night. Due to this previous experience, having to go through this again is mentally draining and overall a stressful situation. We are looking to do something we did not do before which is asking for help. We created this GoFundMe as a last resort to reduce the financial stress, ask for assistance and support from children, students, and adults alike. The house was uninsured. We are currently pushing forward and trying to start over while making ends meet despite the pandemic and the current economy of things. Our home has been our safe space.
We moved to Sauk Village in December 2013, and have been there for 7 years, previously moving from apartment to apartment on the east side of Chicago. It was the first place we could call our own and made it home. The house was bought needing great renovations. With limited resources, we used local contractors and friends to help renovate. This was major because my siblings and I took part in trying to help our mom build up the house and it was a major accomplishment when finished. To see it go has been devastating to the family. Just a few months ago, we lost a family member which altogether is causing a great deal of stress upon the family.
Currently, my siblings and my parent are at a family house while I am currently on campus. At the moment we have a roof over our heads, but still looking for a more permanent solution. We have gotten some help from friends and family so far but there is just so much everyone can do with the pandemic causing a reduction of hours, loss of jobs, and so on. Finances are currently not the best which is why again we are reaching out to any and everyone that can.
In hopes that we can get donations and financial assistance, we are planning to rebuild or relocate to a more suitable place. My youngest sibling will be starting her undergrad studies in the fall. We plan on using some of the money to help her get started for school so she can begin with a clean slate and a clear mind. My other sibling plans on returning to school and finishing his degree. We do not currently have a budget for the resources needed but as time goes by, we hope to finalize everything and keep the page updated as much as possible. Some of the current needs are clothes, money, and technology for school.
Lastly, we want to take the time to thank everyone that has assisted us so far, our families and friends, our neighbors and their families, the Sauk Village firefighters, Bloom trail high school, and many others. We appreciate all you have done for our family in these uncertain times. We also want to thank future donors, kids, students, adults, families, and so on. Feel free to follow our story on IG:Tru_Nigerian21
Gratitude,
Adedipupo Awolola (From the Awolola Family)
My name is Adedipupo Awolola. I am a 2nd-semester graduate student at the University of Illinois pursuing my master’s in Human Resources and Industrial Relation. I am one of four siblings who are also pursuing their studies. As of two weeks ago, on January 28 at 8 am, I received a call from my mom informing me that our home in Sauk Village, Illinois was on fire. Much to the tireless effort of the Sauk Village fire department, they were unable to contain the fire in time resulting in the loss of our home. As pointed out by the fire department, it was a result of electrical overload and poor electrical wiring. Thankfully, everyone, including our dog, was able to get out in time before the fire destroyed the house, the same could not be said for our belongings. I previously had a similar experience my Sophomore year of undergrad in which my apartment complex caught on fire and resulted in my roommates and I looking to friends and family to stay the night. Due to this previous experience, having to go through this again is mentally draining and overall a stressful situation. We are looking to do something we did not do before which is asking for help. We created this GoFundMe as a last resort to reduce the financial stress, ask for assistance and support from children, students, and adults alike. The house was uninsured. We are currently pushing forward and trying to start over while making ends meet despite the pandemic and the current economy of things. Our home has been our safe space.
We moved to Sauk Village in December 2013, and have been there for 7 years, previously moving from apartment to apartment on the east side of Chicago. It was the first place we could call our own and made it home. The house was bought needing great renovations. With limited resources, we used local contractors and friends to help renovate. This was major because my siblings and I took part in trying to help our mom build up the house and it was a major accomplishment when finished. To see it go has been devastating to the family. Just a few months ago, we lost a family member which altogether is causing a great deal of stress upon the family.
Currently, my siblings and my parent are at a family house while I am currently on campus. At the moment we have a roof over our heads, but still looking for a more permanent solution. We have gotten some help from friends and family so far but there is just so much everyone can do with the pandemic causing a reduction of hours, loss of jobs, and so on. Finances are currently not the best which is why again we are reaching out to any and everyone that can.
In hopes that we can get donations and financial assistance, we are planning to rebuild or relocate to a more suitable place. My youngest sibling will be starting her undergrad studies in the fall. We plan on using some of the money to help her get started for school so she can begin with a clean slate and a clear mind. My other sibling plans on returning to school and finishing his degree. We do not currently have a budget for the resources needed but as time goes by, we hope to finalize everything and keep the page updated as much as possible. Some of the current needs are clothes, money, and technology for school.
Lastly, we want to take the time to thank everyone that has assisted us so far, our families and friends, our neighbors and their families, the Sauk Village firefighters, Bloom trail high school, and many others. We appreciate all you have done for our family in these uncertain times. We also want to thank future donors, kids, students, adults, families, and so on. Feel free to follow our story on IG:Tru_Nigerian21
Gratitude,
Adedipupo Awolola (From the Awolola Family)
Organizer
Adé Awolola
Organizer
Chicago Heights, IL