Mike's Final Project - Fix Driveway for Dawn Liss

Thank you so much for helping my family and, most importantly, my mom during this difficult time. Your donations will be used to remove trees from alongside the driveway, grade the driveway, fix drainage issues, and for materials and labor to pave the driveway. 

In 2011 my dad accomplished one of his biggest goals: he finally purchased a house that he and my mom could turn into their dream home. Over the next few years, they took a house stuck in the 80s and renovated it into a modern-day, rustic oasis. They gutted the entire main floor, finished the basement, and redid every bathroom in the house. The master bathroom remodel even included removing a cast iron tub from the middle of the room. This was no ordinary bathtub either. Along with weighing hundreds of pounds, it was encased in a wooden frame that was covered in carpet... you read that correctly, carpet around the bathtub. Talk about sexy...

 

My mom and dad fixed up every square inch of that house and turned it into their sanctuary. My mom was the vision behind the whole project, but my dad was so happy helping her bring her vision to reality (although he wasn't always the biggest fan of the remodel when he saw the invoices). Since his passing a few weeks ago, my mom has repeatedly told me how often my dad would say, "I just love this house" or "I'm so happy with our house," as they would enjoy a quiet evening together on the porch swing. For him, every penny and every minute put into their home was worth it. 

I am so proud of everything my dad was able to accomplish during his life. He went from having his first child when he was 18 years old to having a loving family of six kids, the truck he always wanted, and a house he helped turn into something truly spectacular- almost.

 

Despite all the work my parents put into the inside of the house, there was one project my dad was never able to complete. The driveway at my parent's house has always been a nightmare. The long, winding, dirt and rock driveway is so uneven it is impossible to plow or use a snowblower. The bottom of the driveway has a strange curve and gets minimal sun. From about November until April the ground is covered in inches of ice - a major hazard for my mom, our family, and friends. I've slipped and have almost fallen multiple times while bringing the trash cans up the driveway for my parents, so I know first-hand how dangerous this is for my mom, especially if she is ever by herself. This combination of ice and the strange curvature of the driveway has been the cause of at least 5 to 6 calls for tow trucks to pull out our stuck cars. The top is tough to maneuver due to the layout and becomes a mud pit around this time of year. We are also dealing with some major drainage issues due to the city fixing a water main break and then dumping truckloads of rock into the drainage ditch at the bottom of the driveway. Essentially, the whole driveway needs major work to make it safe and accessible.

 

My parents had talked about paving the driveway since they moved in but could never finish the project because of finances. Even with my dad working two jobs and my mom being a full-time teacher, they never could get to a point to justify the expense over their children's needs. Being the generous people they are, they always put their kids first, which often meant giving us kids the money they were saving for the driveway.

 

I'm asking for your donations to help finish this major project in honor of my dad. He would want my mom to be safe and comfortable in the house they made into a home. If you know my mom, then you know she will be out there trying to shovel the driveway by herself when she is 80+ years old. Getting the driveway paved will allow my family to hire someone to plow the driveway for her and eliminate the driveway as a stressor in her life. My dad was taken too soon for he and my mom to put the finishing touches on their dream, so I'm asking you to help that dream come to fruition. 

 

Thank you so much for your support over the past few weeks as my family has been grieving the loss of an incredible husband, father, and grandfather, and thank you for your generosity in helping complete this project.

 

 

Ethan Liss