Please help me to save our home
Donation protected
I never imagined that I’d be here writing this, that I would be on the other end of giving and that I’d be in need of help from others. This is my last hope for saving our home.
I have prided myself in being a strong independent women and I have always paved my own way in life. This past year has been a lesson in humility. It has been by far, the most challenging year of my life. I am a woman of faith and I know it is God who has brought me through this steep valley. I am a 37 year old single mother of two incredible daughters. Mia is 15 years old and she is talented beyond measure in the arts working hard to pursue her dreams of being on Broadway. Janae is almost 10 and I adopted her as a single parent when she was just an infant. I traveled all the way across the world, to Ethiopia to bring her home when she was only 5 months old. I was a single mom for several years until I eventually remarried. Over the last year I struggled financially trying to make a career change. It was an immense pay cut but I thought we would be able to weather the storm however my marriage was not strong enough to survive and so I am now single once again. During the midst of adjusting to the career change God put two more little girls in my life. I unexpectedly took in sisters who were 5 and 9 years old. I cared for them and they lived with us for a few months while Child Services made long term arrangements for them. I tried my best however my income was simply not enough to sustain my household and our home ended up in foreclosure.
I have been working with the mortgage company for over two years now trying to get a modification so that I can afford to remain in the only home my children have ever known. It is not a large, lavish home but it is ours and it is filled with love. The mortgage company began to work with me and I spent incredible amounts of time, sweat and tears putting everything together for the bank only to hear that they “never received it”. I continued to fight and ended up having to redo my entire application, essentially rebuying my home. It was at that point that I found out the loan was sold to a different lender. I had to start from scratch yet again. The second bank agreed to provide me with an opportunity to try and save my house. They gave me a 5 month modification trial. The agreement says I need to make a good faith payment of $4000.00 in the month of December which is the last month of the trial. After that payment is received the new monthly rate gets locked in and I am no longer in jeopardy of losing our home.
I had explained to my girls that I would not be able to get them gifts this Christmas as all of the money we had needed to be put towards saving the home. They are amazing, kind, loving, talented, intelligent young ladies and I was very proud of the way they handled the situation with grace. I thought I had gotten through the worst of it and that I was going to be able to finally save our home. Yesterday I found out that the funds which I had planned to use to cover the “good faith” payment are not available to me. There was a huge misunderstanding and I am now left with 30 days to come up with the balance of $3000.00. I have exhausted every option and I am working two jobs. I am doing everything within my power to give my children the life they deserve.
I do not want to have to pull them from our present school district. Not only do they have a wonderful support network of teachers but their friends are also very attached to our home. You see, I have an “open door” policy. All their friends know, ours is a loving, tolerant and accepting home. We are a judgement free zone and when their friends need a safe haven, a mental break or even just a home cooked meal they know they are welcome in our home.
I am reaching out to my community as this is my only hope now. I believe you get what you give and I make a conscious effort to bring positivity to other’s lives every day. I have taught my children to give of themselves when they are able and I know they have listened. Please help me to show them that kindness and empathy exist in this world. I humbly ask for any assistance you are able to give so that we are able to spend this Christmas and many more years together in our home.
I have prided myself in being a strong independent women and I have always paved my own way in life. This past year has been a lesson in humility. It has been by far, the most challenging year of my life. I am a woman of faith and I know it is God who has brought me through this steep valley. I am a 37 year old single mother of two incredible daughters. Mia is 15 years old and she is talented beyond measure in the arts working hard to pursue her dreams of being on Broadway. Janae is almost 10 and I adopted her as a single parent when she was just an infant. I traveled all the way across the world, to Ethiopia to bring her home when she was only 5 months old. I was a single mom for several years until I eventually remarried. Over the last year I struggled financially trying to make a career change. It was an immense pay cut but I thought we would be able to weather the storm however my marriage was not strong enough to survive and so I am now single once again. During the midst of adjusting to the career change God put two more little girls in my life. I unexpectedly took in sisters who were 5 and 9 years old. I cared for them and they lived with us for a few months while Child Services made long term arrangements for them. I tried my best however my income was simply not enough to sustain my household and our home ended up in foreclosure.
I have been working with the mortgage company for over two years now trying to get a modification so that I can afford to remain in the only home my children have ever known. It is not a large, lavish home but it is ours and it is filled with love. The mortgage company began to work with me and I spent incredible amounts of time, sweat and tears putting everything together for the bank only to hear that they “never received it”. I continued to fight and ended up having to redo my entire application, essentially rebuying my home. It was at that point that I found out the loan was sold to a different lender. I had to start from scratch yet again. The second bank agreed to provide me with an opportunity to try and save my house. They gave me a 5 month modification trial. The agreement says I need to make a good faith payment of $4000.00 in the month of December which is the last month of the trial. After that payment is received the new monthly rate gets locked in and I am no longer in jeopardy of losing our home.
I had explained to my girls that I would not be able to get them gifts this Christmas as all of the money we had needed to be put towards saving the home. They are amazing, kind, loving, talented, intelligent young ladies and I was very proud of the way they handled the situation with grace. I thought I had gotten through the worst of it and that I was going to be able to finally save our home. Yesterday I found out that the funds which I had planned to use to cover the “good faith” payment are not available to me. There was a huge misunderstanding and I am now left with 30 days to come up with the balance of $3000.00. I have exhausted every option and I am working two jobs. I am doing everything within my power to give my children the life they deserve.
I do not want to have to pull them from our present school district. Not only do they have a wonderful support network of teachers but their friends are also very attached to our home. You see, I have an “open door” policy. All their friends know, ours is a loving, tolerant and accepting home. We are a judgement free zone and when their friends need a safe haven, a mental break or even just a home cooked meal they know they are welcome in our home.
I am reaching out to my community as this is my only hope now. I believe you get what you give and I make a conscious effort to bring positivity to other’s lives every day. I have taught my children to give of themselves when they are able and I know they have listened. Please help me to show them that kindness and empathy exist in this world. I humbly ask for any assistance you are able to give so that we are able to spend this Christmas and many more years together in our home.
Organizer
Mary Gurnow Wilmot
Organizer
Rochester, NY
