This is my last chance to save my family home and get caught up on bills.
Hello to all potential Donors. I would like to introduce myself and tell you a bit about myself and my family and how we have come to the point of asking for help. It is hard to ask for help but I will do whatever it takes to help save my childhood home that my parent’s built. I will attempt to be as concise and to the point as possible in the hopes that I can share my story with you.
I am the youngest of my parent’s children. I grew up in a small farming community in the Midwest, in Illinois with my Mother, Father and 2 older sisters. My Father was an over the road truck driver and my mother worked in a factory part time when my sisters and I were of school age. My parents saved their money and bought 3 acres of land and built a home for our family. Growing up here in this home and community are some of the best times of my life. My plan is to retire here once my son graduates. Unfortunately, life has thrown many curve balls at us that we have had a very hard time maintaining the home and everything needed to keep the home in our family to pass down to future generations.
My oldest sister cannot help due to her problems she has with addiction for a few decades now. We may only see her once a year if even that. My middle oldest sister was a stay at home mom for over 25 years until her divorce. At this time she went back to school to be a medical assistant to help herself keep her home and raise her young daughter she still has in the home. Her income is minimal and has a hard time keeping up with her own bills.
It was our last chance and hope to be able to bring things together for our family. I had a decent job and some money saved along the way so I was able to help out where I could. When my mother passed in 2017 my Father was able to keep things afloat with his monthly pension. Unfortunately, they didn’t plan very well for future expenses in the event of their death. My Father passed away in 2021 due to Covid-19. My Father and my Mother each had a life insurance policy of $15,000 which was enough to pay for funeral services and to maintain the home for approximately 1 year. My income took a very hard hit after 2020. I am an all commissioned Real Estate Agent and the market had taken some twists and turns and it was hard to find clients.
I was able to use what little money we had set aside for our son to help out with the family home and still try to maintain our home as well. In the Winter of 2022 things went from bad to worse when my Mother In Law was diagnosed with Dementia. The little time I did have to try and drum up business was now being spent to help take care of her needs. By April, 2023 she needed full time care and we are currently still giving her full time care while she is on Hospice. You see, my Mother was diagnosed with Lung cancer in June 2017 and only given 3 months to live. I moved home and stayed with my Mother everyday until she passed away in September. She died peacefully at home surrounded by family and that is where she needed to be. Many people have said that we should put my Mother in law in a facility but I want her to be as comfortable as possible and at home where she needs to be with family as well. I did get approved to get paid for 20 hrs a week to help care for her since I am there five days a week and well over 20 hours. Unfortunately, the charity that funds the program will only allow payment for 20 hours.
With my income being minimal, I am now late on my own bills as well as the bills to maintain my parents home. Bank of America has started foreclosure proceedings against my Mom and Dad’s home and I am being threatened by utility companies that my own utilities are in jeopardy of being turned off. I have reached out to family for help but everyone is falling on hard times right now. I am representing my parents estate Pro Se in the court to fight this foreclosure. My Parents only owed $20,000 on their mortgage but since falling behind, It is now up to $28,000 with all the fees assessed. In addition to that, the home needs about $20,000 in updates such as new windows and siding to keep the home from deteriorating from the weather.
I want to be able to hand this home down to my son or my great nieces and nephews to keep it in the family for generations to come. To make that possible, I had the home put into a land trust with myself as the sole beneficiary. Both of my sisters signed an affidavit of heirship giving me 100% beneficiary and signing away any rights they had to the estate. All of this has been done with an attorney and recorded with the county. I am sure that I could write so much more about many hardships we encountered but I believe you get the picture of what I am trying to accomplish. I am willing to meet with any potential donors, provide documents, photos, do any zoom calls or even have donors visit the property if they would like to. Donors can meet my family and ask any questions that they deem necessary to make any decisions in regards to donations. The amount I am requesting is $80,000. This amount would allow me to pay off the home and any court fees associated with the foreclosure. I would be able to replace the windows and siding and fix a few things necessary to keep the home in good condition. It will also allow me to bring all of my bills that are delinquent up to date.
I want to thank each and every one of you that took the time to read my story and I want to thank all of you in advance for your consideration to donate to my cause.
Thank you