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Help Newlyweds Find a Home!

Doug and Syreeta are coming up on their Paper Anniversary in a little over two months. Their wedding was small and intimate--the couple surrounded only by close friends and family as they said their vows and took their first steps on a lifetime journey. Married last year on October 26, 2013, this hopeful duo is ready to move out on their own and start their family. We’d like to help them to realize their dream.

At the moment, Doug and Syreeta are living with Doug’s mother, camping out in the livingroom of a small two-bedroom apartment. Prior to meeting Syreeta, Doug had, as many grown children do, moved out of his mother’s house into one of his own. However, when his mother came under severe financial strain, he sold his own house and moved into his mother’s apartment in order to ease her burden. There is plenty enough love to go around in the Nichols household but the situation is cramped--a queen size mattress smack-dab in the middle of the living room makes for a tight squeeze and tough maneuvering through the already limited space provided by Lynnewood Gardens. Due to a mental condition, Doug’s brother, who also shares the apartment with the newlyweds, does not comprehend the need for privacy, compounding the strain and aggravation of an already tense and overcrowded living situation. Naturally, the arrangement is far from ideal, particularly for a bright young couple hoping to make their way in the world and start a family. While they are extremely grateful for the roof over their heads, they would like to ease Mrs. Nichols’ situation by moving on out of her hair, while continuing to provide her financial support, of course. Unfortunately, the loss of Doug’s job of 6 years after the move left him unable to take any major action to remedy the situation himself. While he and Syreeta have since found employment, finances remain strained and the prospect of a new home distant.

As some may know, Doug is also heading up Altered Fate Productions (www.alteredfate.com), a small start-up media production company, along with a number of his peers (us!): Mariya Gudima, Claire Leslie, Dan Ruhling, Chris Zellars, Kenneth Thompson, Rebecca Shilling, Richard Lewis, Jamie Nagle, and Syreeta Nichols. Despite his hardships, Doug has committed himself wholeheartedly to establishing the business and worked tirelessly to get it off the ground. Still Altered Fate Productions remains without a home or permanent work space. Despite their crowded living conditions, Doug and Syreeta have many a time graciously allowed us the use of what little space they command to work on the magic, as it were. Often, due to our numbers, our work meets must take place on the porch. But lovely people as they are, they have never complained about the cramped quarters, even as they’ve been quietly window shopping for a house and waiting until such a time as they are able to afford to move.

We at the company are extremely grateful to Doug for bringing us together and want to give Doug and Syreeta this amazing gift because they have been nothing but nurturing and welcoming to us in friendship and in business and we’re asking for your help to make it happen. We’re not setting a due date on this GOFUNDME fundraiser but as we know tensions are running high, we would like to help the couple make their move on property by the end of this year (2014). Please help us raise enough money for a downpayment on a home for these newlyweds, somewhere they can begin their family.

We’re hoping to raise them a secure $30,000 but the couple could likely make due and move out with at least $15,000.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and consider donating! Every little bit helps. 

Sincerely,
The Altered Fate Team (Mariya Gudima (@plastic_red), Claire Leslie (@PurplishProse), Richard Lewis, Dan Ruhling, Kenneth Thompson, Rebecca Shilling, Jamie Nagle and Chris Zellars) 

P.S. Lovely, lovely contributors! GoFundMe charges a 5% fee for their service and another ~3% is charged for processing (more info here: http://www.gofundme.com/pricing). This is why our goal is set to $32, 608, to account for the 8% fee. (On that note, to reach our base goal of $15,000, we need to raise $16, 304.)
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Donations 

  • Anonymous
    • $935 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $200 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $1,000 (Offline)
    • 9 yrs
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Organizer

Mariya Gudima
Organizer
Cheltenham, PA

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