Save Abuela's (Grandma's) House!
Donation protected
Julia Fernandez was a loving Sister, Mother, Grandmother and even Great Grandmother!
Born in Cidra, Puerto Rico in 1938, Julia was raised by her father after her mother abandoned them. She was mostly raised by her Grandmother, as her Father struggled working long hours to provide enough income to raise her and her sister Sylvia.
(Sylvia and Julia.)
She was married by the age of 14 to her husband Carlos, and by her 28th birthday she had 8 beautiful children. Together they did the best they could to raise all 8 children, until times became to unbearable and they left the island of Puerto Rico and landed in Brooklyn, NY in search of a better life.
They crammed into a tiny 2-bedroom apartment and worked endlessly to provide for their children at the expense of their marriage. They eventually seperated a few years later, and Julia took her 8 children to the Bronx to live closer to her sister Sylvia.
Julia and Carlos sperated but still tried to save their marriage for many years.
Julia constantly worked and provided for her 8 children to give them the best life she could. After a year of living in her apartment in the Bronx, her and her children woke up to the smell of smoke. They looked out the window to see the endless plumes of smoke and flames from the apartment below.
They had to live out of a tiny hotel for over a month, sleeping on sofa beds. No matter how hard times got, Julia always made sure she provided a hot meal and lots love for her kids.
Even though she worked in Manhattan for a low paying sewing factory for almost 20 years until it eventually closed down, she kept a positive attitude and always strived for a better life for her and her children.
Julia and Carlos eventually reconciled. At the age of 43 she unexpectadly got pregnant and had their 9th child.
(A recent photo of Julia's 9 Children. The 9th joining in via Skype!)
With very little options available for work and a baby boy to raise, she started working from within her apartment as a day care provider, saving every penny she had available. As her kids grew older, she saved more and more..
At age 59 she eventually saved enough to finally to live out her dream of buying a house in her homeland of Puerto Rico . Though it's not very big, for her it was a dream come true. For her it was more than a dream home, it was something she would be able to leave to her children; that was the real dream for Julia.
Once her children were all grown, and had children of their own, she decided to move back to Puerto Rico as she was aging.. She lived in her dream home for just a year before she got too ill and had to come back to New York. She had developed multiple forms of Cancer, and after undergoing multiples surgeries eventually passed of the disease at the age of 63.
Her children had to come together to collect money to bury her in Puerto Rico, just 15 minutes away from her home. The money collected also went to helping family members who could not afford the trip to Puerto Rico for the funeral to be there with Julia, something we all know she would have appreciated. After all, she raised us all to always put family first.
Her children stayed in New York, raising children of their own and were not able to upkeep the house as they provided their own families. As the families grew, so did the the finacial burden.
It has been 14 years since Julia's passing. Over the years the house has deteriated. The roof has been leaking creating water damage, and potential fire hazards.
Our goal is to keep Julia's dream home alive and together we have put in time, money and effort to restoring it as much as possible. We are still struggling to finish it, as contractors have made us aware that it may get to the point of no repair.
With the 3,000 dollars we raise we will use it for:
- An entirely new roof. (The damage previously would cost more to fix, then it would to replace.)
- Electric re-wiring as the water damage has made it unstable. This will bring it up to safety regulations.
- Paint and supplies. To keep the cost as low as possible our family is going to do all interior and exterior painting ourselves.
(Note: NONE of the funds raised are going towards travel, or family labor. All of the funds will go strictly to physical repairs.)
Abuela worked endlessy to help us all live better lives. She touched so many of us with her love, generosity and deliscious meals!
Together we can raise the funds needed to save her house before it is too late, and the cost spirals out of control.
Please, contribute as much as you can, because the sooner it is repaired the easier the process is. No donation is too small. Even if you can not donate, please share this page on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and/or email it to friends and family.
We will be incredibly thankful for any support you can give! Thank you in advance and may God bless you and your family!
R.I.P Abuela, We Miss You! We will continue to do everything we can to keep your home in good shape, and keep your spirit alive.
Image of some of the damage:
Born in Cidra, Puerto Rico in 1938, Julia was raised by her father after her mother abandoned them. She was mostly raised by her Grandmother, as her Father struggled working long hours to provide enough income to raise her and her sister Sylvia.
(Sylvia and Julia.)She was married by the age of 14 to her husband Carlos, and by her 28th birthday she had 8 beautiful children. Together they did the best they could to raise all 8 children, until times became to unbearable and they left the island of Puerto Rico and landed in Brooklyn, NY in search of a better life.
They crammed into a tiny 2-bedroom apartment and worked endlessly to provide for their children at the expense of their marriage. They eventually seperated a few years later, and Julia took her 8 children to the Bronx to live closer to her sister Sylvia.
Julia and Carlos sperated but still tried to save their marriage for many years.
Julia constantly worked and provided for her 8 children to give them the best life she could. After a year of living in her apartment in the Bronx, her and her children woke up to the smell of smoke. They looked out the window to see the endless plumes of smoke and flames from the apartment below.
They had to live out of a tiny hotel for over a month, sleeping on sofa beds. No matter how hard times got, Julia always made sure she provided a hot meal and lots love for her kids.
Even though she worked in Manhattan for a low paying sewing factory for almost 20 years until it eventually closed down, she kept a positive attitude and always strived for a better life for her and her children.
Julia and Carlos eventually reconciled. At the age of 43 she unexpectadly got pregnant and had their 9th child.
(A recent photo of Julia's 9 Children. The 9th joining in via Skype!)With very little options available for work and a baby boy to raise, she started working from within her apartment as a day care provider, saving every penny she had available. As her kids grew older, she saved more and more..
At age 59 she eventually saved enough to finally to live out her dream of buying a house in her homeland of Puerto Rico . Though it's not very big, for her it was a dream come true. For her it was more than a dream home, it was something she would be able to leave to her children; that was the real dream for Julia.
Once her children were all grown, and had children of their own, she decided to move back to Puerto Rico as she was aging.. She lived in her dream home for just a year before she got too ill and had to come back to New York. She had developed multiple forms of Cancer, and after undergoing multiples surgeries eventually passed of the disease at the age of 63.
Her children had to come together to collect money to bury her in Puerto Rico, just 15 minutes away from her home. The money collected also went to helping family members who could not afford the trip to Puerto Rico for the funeral to be there with Julia, something we all know she would have appreciated. After all, she raised us all to always put family first.
Her children stayed in New York, raising children of their own and were not able to upkeep the house as they provided their own families. As the families grew, so did the the finacial burden.
It has been 14 years since Julia's passing. Over the years the house has deteriated. The roof has been leaking creating water damage, and potential fire hazards.
Our goal is to keep Julia's dream home alive and together we have put in time, money and effort to restoring it as much as possible. We are still struggling to finish it, as contractors have made us aware that it may get to the point of no repair.
With the 3,000 dollars we raise we will use it for:
- An entirely new roof. (The damage previously would cost more to fix, then it would to replace.)
- Electric re-wiring as the water damage has made it unstable. This will bring it up to safety regulations.
- Paint and supplies. To keep the cost as low as possible our family is going to do all interior and exterior painting ourselves.
(Note: NONE of the funds raised are going towards travel, or family labor. All of the funds will go strictly to physical repairs.)
Abuela worked endlessy to help us all live better lives. She touched so many of us with her love, generosity and deliscious meals!
Together we can raise the funds needed to save her house before it is too late, and the cost spirals out of control.
Please, contribute as much as you can, because the sooner it is repaired the easier the process is. No donation is too small. Even if you can not donate, please share this page on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and/or email it to friends and family.
We will be incredibly thankful for any support you can give! Thank you in advance and may God bless you and your family!
R.I.P Abuela, We Miss You! We will continue to do everything we can to keep your home in good shape, and keep your spirit alive.
Image of some of the damage:
Organizer and beneficiary
Michael Muldoon
Organizer
New York, NY
Rosa Resto
Beneficiary