Fund Miss Moody's Journey Back Home

Ms. Tanya Moody, a teacher at Border Star Montessori, and her family have been living in hotel rooms for the past 16 months. In January 2023, a faulty refrigerator flooded and destroyed large parts of her home. After months of waiting for insurance to release claim money, only minimal repairs have been made. Since then, she has been commuting two hours every day, working long hours, and trying to keep her children happy and engaged at their school despite the housing challenges they have been facing for well over a year. Now, her time in hotels is about to expire, and she needs to raise funds to make repairs to live safely in her home. As a teacher at Border Star, she is known for her radiant smile and positivity. At the dropoff line in the morning, she happily greets the students and parents by name, as well as the little brothers, sisters and pets along for the ride. She smiles warmly no matter how cold it is – and no matter how little sleep she got the night before. And it’s always very little. What started in early 2023 as a home disaster turned into a long-running catastrophe. While watching the Chiefs game at her parents’ house, her refrigerator began gushing water. It destroyed the kitchen, walls and flooring throughout, including the stairs, ceiling of her basement level family room, downstairs bathroom, and utility room. Her insurance company put her family up in a hotel while it investigated her claim, eventually concluding it would take over $56,000 to restore her home to its prior condition. She thought it would be about three months, no more than six, until she was back in her home. It’s now been 16 months, and still her home is nowhere near fixed. Ms Moody and her children survive on fast food, occasionally eating at restaurants. Though her mom helps when she can, often laundering their clothes at her home, there have been times when they’ve had to hand-wash clothing in the hotel bathroom sink. The kids go to school in Raymore but she teaches upwards of 12 hours a day in KCMO. This ordeal has been especially hard on Ms Moody’s children. They have had to go about their busy lives as teenagers without the security of a stable home or access to their belongings. As her daughter explains, “This has been such a hard time in our life especially for my mom. It’s hard relying on transportation to get us to school and getting reprimanded by the drivers if you are running a little behind even though the pick up times can be different each day. I hate not being able to do my schoolwork on time because the hotel wi-fi rarely works and it is hard to get dressed for the week or weekend when most of my clothes are dirty.”While out of her home, Ms Moody has had to continue paying her home mortgage, mortgage insurance, all utilities, meals, and purchase additional items for the family while their possessions are inaccessible. Unless Ms Moody can pay for and manage renovations herself, she and her kids will be forced to live in her home as-is. Her insurance will only cover her staying in the hotel until July 1st. We, the friends of Ms Moody, are asking for support to put her and her family back into their home, comfortably and safely! The needed repairs include: • Kitchen cabinets replaced or restored and painted. • Floor coverings must be purchased and installed • Drywall replacement completed and painted • Insulation installed and replaced and • A host of other repairs. She has found a contractor trusted by her family to do the work, but depending on how much is raised, we may ask for donations of volunteer labor and supplies. On a positive note, Ms Moody shared that a mystery neighbor or neighbors continue to keep her grass cut and she has yet to figure out which one or one is doing it. She is so thankful and believes, “God blesses those who bless others.” No matter how much is raised, it will make a difference in the lives of Ms Moody and her children. Let’s show Ms Tanya Moody our gratitude and get her back into her home!