Please save our mother from foreclosure
Donation protected
Do you remember how you and your family felt during the economic crisis of 2008? Did you or someone you care about experience the very real fear of losing their job or their home? For our family, the economic crisis of 2008 was a turning point, and unfortunately, things have only gotten worse since then.
Our hope now is to give our mother a fighting chance at keeping a roof over her head. Under the roof we are fighting for, she has raised 4 very lucky and grateful children, offered countless friends and family a place to stay whenever needed, and given the best lives to more than 30 rescue animals.
Our mother has always opened her house to just about anyone, not just welcoming friends and family to arrive unannounced and stay as long as they pleased, but even providing a safe haven for months, or even years, for family, friends, foreign exchange students, and friends-of-friends in need. Not only has this woman made her house a home for so many, she has volunteered her time and energy in many organizations to help benefit her neighborhood, her town, and the lives of people around her. In the 40+ years she has lived in town she has been an active member of The Junior League, the Northwest Greenwich Association, the North Greenwich Nursery School, the Children’s Day School, and Oldfields School. In many of these organizations she took on important leadership roles to effect positive change for her community and for children. Furthermore, she has spent the last 10 years of her career working in a therapeutic school, helping students with social and emotional needs find a safe space to grow and learn, and supporting families affected by mental health difficulties. This is a woman who has spent her entire adult life giving to others, and now she is in a desperate situation and we must ask others to show her the kindness and generosity that she never seems to run out of.
Our mother is currently facing foreclosure, and has 9 weeks to raise the funds to pay off the bank that, following the economic crisis of 2008, provided her with what some might call a “predatory loan”. Leading up to this point, our mother had exhausted her income and savings to support our family and, in particular, our father’s unsuccessful small business ventures. She had refinanced the mortgage on our home several times to keep our heads above water, but after 2008, the family business shut down its warehouse/office and remaining inventory was stored on her property. At that point our mother began working for her current employer, which allowed her to maintain health insurance coverage and some sort of income for her family. She had high hopes that our father would spend his time constructively, helping to sell the outstanding inventory, however he did not. In August 2016, when her bank accounts were drained, her credit cards were maxed out, and she had sold off precious family heirlooms in an attempt to meet the financial obligations of the loan, our father left. Divorce papers were served to her soon after. Most people would have given up at this point, having dedicated over 30 years and every penny she had to her marriage and her family, our mother did not give up. She has spent the last 3 years enduring the pressures of divorce court and foreclosure proceedings at the same time, while working full time and maintaining the house. Now that their divorce is final, our father has left town and our mother has been silently suffering, doing everything she can to save the house that she has made a home for so many, which is also the last significant piece of equity she has to her name. More important to her than equity is her longtime dream to not only raise her children here, but to watch her grandchildren (16 months and another due in March!) grow up playing in the yard.
The house is not only valuable to her, both financially and emotionally, but it is a town landmark, originally built in the 1700’s. If she does not meet the bank’s demands, the bank will likely sell to a developer who will almost certainly tear it down to build a new house and/or develop the land, and this piece of town history that has been lovingly preserved will be lost.
Until a few weeks ago, we were not aware of how serious the situation was, because in her protective nature as a mother, she chose to shoulder this burden alone so as not to stress or worry her children. Knowing what we now know, and having very limited means ourselves, we are sharing her story with the wider world because we would not be able to live with ourselves if we did not exhaust every possible solution. We understand this is a huge ask, but we are out of options and hoping for a miracle. Many people are suffering financially, and if people are interested in getting something in exchange for donating, we are willing to offer whatever we can. We have a significant amount of tile from our father’s failed tile business, and we can offer babysitting, pet sitting, house sitting, leaf blowing, weed whacking, hedge trimming, and log splitting as a form of repayment. We are also selling equipment, tools, and furniture.
If you found this story compelling or relatable and you have questions about our family, her home, or any of the items services we are selling/trading, please email us at [email redacted]. Thank you for reading her story, and thank you for considering donating to save our amazing mom, Dede Alexandre LeComte, from losing the house she has made a home to so many.
Our hope now is to give our mother a fighting chance at keeping a roof over her head. Under the roof we are fighting for, she has raised 4 very lucky and grateful children, offered countless friends and family a place to stay whenever needed, and given the best lives to more than 30 rescue animals.
Our mother has always opened her house to just about anyone, not just welcoming friends and family to arrive unannounced and stay as long as they pleased, but even providing a safe haven for months, or even years, for family, friends, foreign exchange students, and friends-of-friends in need. Not only has this woman made her house a home for so many, she has volunteered her time and energy in many organizations to help benefit her neighborhood, her town, and the lives of people around her. In the 40+ years she has lived in town she has been an active member of The Junior League, the Northwest Greenwich Association, the North Greenwich Nursery School, the Children’s Day School, and Oldfields School. In many of these organizations she took on important leadership roles to effect positive change for her community and for children. Furthermore, she has spent the last 10 years of her career working in a therapeutic school, helping students with social and emotional needs find a safe space to grow and learn, and supporting families affected by mental health difficulties. This is a woman who has spent her entire adult life giving to others, and now she is in a desperate situation and we must ask others to show her the kindness and generosity that she never seems to run out of. Our mother is currently facing foreclosure, and has 9 weeks to raise the funds to pay off the bank that, following the economic crisis of 2008, provided her with what some might call a “predatory loan”. Leading up to this point, our mother had exhausted her income and savings to support our family and, in particular, our father’s unsuccessful small business ventures. She had refinanced the mortgage on our home several times to keep our heads above water, but after 2008, the family business shut down its warehouse/office and remaining inventory was stored on her property. At that point our mother began working for her current employer, which allowed her to maintain health insurance coverage and some sort of income for her family. She had high hopes that our father would spend his time constructively, helping to sell the outstanding inventory, however he did not. In August 2016, when her bank accounts were drained, her credit cards were maxed out, and she had sold off precious family heirlooms in an attempt to meet the financial obligations of the loan, our father left. Divorce papers were served to her soon after. Most people would have given up at this point, having dedicated over 30 years and every penny she had to her marriage and her family, our mother did not give up. She has spent the last 3 years enduring the pressures of divorce court and foreclosure proceedings at the same time, while working full time and maintaining the house. Now that their divorce is final, our father has left town and our mother has been silently suffering, doing everything she can to save the house that she has made a home for so many, which is also the last significant piece of equity she has to her name. More important to her than equity is her longtime dream to not only raise her children here, but to watch her grandchildren (16 months and another due in March!) grow up playing in the yard.
The house is not only valuable to her, both financially and emotionally, but it is a town landmark, originally built in the 1700’s. If she does not meet the bank’s demands, the bank will likely sell to a developer who will almost certainly tear it down to build a new house and/or develop the land, and this piece of town history that has been lovingly preserved will be lost. Until a few weeks ago, we were not aware of how serious the situation was, because in her protective nature as a mother, she chose to shoulder this burden alone so as not to stress or worry her children. Knowing what we now know, and having very limited means ourselves, we are sharing her story with the wider world because we would not be able to live with ourselves if we did not exhaust every possible solution. We understand this is a huge ask, but we are out of options and hoping for a miracle. Many people are suffering financially, and if people are interested in getting something in exchange for donating, we are willing to offer whatever we can. We have a significant amount of tile from our father’s failed tile business, and we can offer babysitting, pet sitting, house sitting, leaf blowing, weed whacking, hedge trimming, and log splitting as a form of repayment. We are also selling equipment, tools, and furniture.
If you found this story compelling or relatable and you have questions about our family, her home, or any of the items services we are selling/trading, please email us at [email redacted]. Thank you for reading her story, and thank you for considering donating to save our amazing mom, Dede Alexandre LeComte, from losing the house she has made a home to so many.
Organizer
Alysia LeComte
Organizer
Greenwich, CT