My name is Shannon, and I have lived in Cheltenham Township since 2020. We moved during a time when it was challenging to meet neighbors, but we met Mr. Bill and his wife. His wife was the outgoing one, and we became fast friends. They watched as our family grew from four to six and were excited that we were on our way to seven. They smiled every time we stopped by with a stroller to introduce the newest baby or to say hi. I wish we did that more often. Sadly, my friendship with his wife was short because her health was failing, and she passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. We helped Mr. Bill during his first weeks of being widowed to the best of our ability. He has always been shy, but was always grateful when we delivered meals or checked in on him. We will never know if it was truly his wife who had gifts set aside for our kids before she passed, or if he got them himself during that first holiday he spent without her.

After some time, it didn't seem very easy to catch up with Mr. Bill, but we saw his truck coming and going from the driveway, so we assumed he was alright and just needed space to grieve. We noticed his property maintenance was falling behind, and we helped a few times without telling him it was us, but we didn't think much more of it. We felt it was normal for his age and circumstances that he wasn't staying on top of it, since he spent a lot of time at home. Then we saw his roof needed repairs, and before my husband could get over to check things out, some other workers were there, tearing down parts of the roof and putting up tarps. Our lives are busy, but I feel bad that it took us so long to notice how long those tarps have been there.

One afternoon, some months back, we saw a few police cars parked in front of his house, so we kept checking from the window to make sure something had not happened to Mr. Bill. The last time those cars were there, they came to take away the physical part of the woman who was the love of his life. We saw Mr. Bill emerge from the house and say goodbye to the police as they left, so we were relieved to know he was still there. Our friendly "check-in" text messages went unanswered that week, so we figured maybe it was best to mind our business.

This week, we learned that Mr. Bill is living in a house with holes in the roof, which have caused considerable debris, wildlife, and mold to collect in his home. He no longer has electricity in his home. He did something out of character when he rang our doorbell to ask to borrow a phone. It was then that we realized how much he was struggling. He told my husband his story about a contractor company and a scheme in which criminals posed as inspectors and pressured him to commit to roof work and other repairs. The perpetrators were supposedly arrested and are in jail, but Mr. Bill is left penniless in a house left in shambles, borrowing against his mortgage to make ends meet and stay alive. The total financial damage to Mr. Bill appears to exceed $400K, and we cannot fathom how a senior citizen on a fixed income is supposed to recover from this.

We are devastated to learn that this is the situation of a person living across the asphalt from us, while we have been oblivious. We feel compelled to share this story with others in our community so we can rally together to help someone who truly did not deserve this. As someone actively involved in multiple community groups on social media, I plan to spread the word, gather resources, and other donated items that might help with his needs. Through my networking groups, I will also urge local businesses to contribute what they can to the necessary repairs and remediation of his home to make it livable in the short term and eventually sellable so that he can move somewhere more manageable. I plan to update this page frequently, including pictures of repair progress and anything else relevant to helping Mr. Bill. The funds being collected will go directly into Stuart "Mr. Bill" Westphal's personal checking account to help him start get back on track with his bills, provide for his ongoing needs, and restore his life and hope to where it was before he fell into crisis.

This community has shown us, in such a short time, how we band together to help one another, and we believe this situation offers us another opportunity to do precisely that. Please consider helping us protect one of the more vulnerable members of Cheltenham Township, whom we lovingly call "Mr. Bill".