Story of How I Met Ronnie

Let me tell you a story of how I met my neighbor Ronnie. Ronnie had a distinct walk and that caught my eye. A couple years ago he was rustling about the neighborhood opening the recycling bins to collect the soda cans. I tell him “Hey, why don't I just set aside those cans for you instead”. He smiled big and said “That’d be great!” “These cans are my vacation fund!” He was so delighted!

Every time I see him on the street he shouts hello with a bright greeting and send-off.

So every week I bring him a bag of my recyclables. I get it. I didn't have much growing up and things were tight. I recall collecting the cans and making things just work. I couldn't stand the sight of an elderly disabled man digging through my recycling, so I wanted to help. I think I have a soft spot for Ronnie because I see a lot of my parents in him. His love for God, big smile, good heart, gratitude for being alive, humble, disabled, scraping by but... and making it all work somehow.

Today I broke down in tears when I saw black smoke billowing from Ronnie’s house. There were five fire trucks taking over our street and Ronnie's kitchen had caught fire. My first thought is that there is a disabled man that lives there, and I thought of my dad who cannot walk. Thankfully Ronnie and his wife Betty weren’t home and are safe. However, later that evening I went to check on them and as I entered the house it reeked with carcinogenic chemicals; it was hard to breathe and it smelt toxic. Meanwhile, Betty, sitting in a wheelchair in the front room, is on an oxygen machine. Ronnie shared that he was on the phone with the Red Cross to try to get them somewhere safe. I asked if I could help facilitate that for tonight at the very least.

All this to say, Ronnie is the sweetest neighbor with a huge heart and love of life. I see him out there every week collecting other people’s cans with a big smile on his face. I want Ronnie to have a safe place to call home and be able to rebuild. If you feel called, please join me to help contribute to this beautiful person and make his life a little easier.

With love,

Raye