2011 Grant Recipients
Below are the latest recipients for the Care For Other Helping Hand Grants. Previous years grant recipients can be viewed by selecting the year from the link to the left.
December 2011 - Help Hand Grant Receipients
E.E. Tampa,FL
Florida couple expecting their second child and living pay check to paycheck experienced an emergency car repair They could not wait to save money for the repair because he needed to be able to get to work. At first he attempted to take a taxi as there was no bus route to work but that was too expensive so he missed time from work until the car was fixed. Having no extra money, they used rent money to pay for the repair, hoping to borrow rent money from a friend or relative. They were unable to borrow rent money and soon received an eviction notice because of non payment. Meeting our eligibility requirements we were able to take care of the rent payment which now icluded late fees and court costs.
M.C. Maynard,MA
Single divorced father was hospitalized for a month. As a result of his illness and recovery time he lost his job and began getting behind in bills. Now back to work full time he is trying to catch up on bills he was unable to pay. Keeping his car was the priority so he could continue to get back and forth to work. We helped with a one month car payment.
November 2011 - Help Hand Grant Receipients
D.S., Chardon, OH
Working couple normally able to make ends meet on both incomes have experienced a drastic decrease in household income because of a debilitating illness she is experiencing. She is unable to work and is waiting for her disability to be approved. During this time, however, they have experienced an emergency roof repair that they cannot afford and their ill adult son who is unemployed has had to move in with them temporarily out of necessity. We, along with our partner, Ken's Parkhill Roofing financed the emergency roof repair.
S.J., Warrensville, OH
Single working women living pay check to pay check lost a month of income due to a hospitalization and recovery for a medical problem. Unable to pay her rent for that month, we assisted in this onetime payment.
T.R. Fort Meyers, FL
Single working Mom barely making ends meet experienced several medical bills over a few months period of time that were not covered by her insurance. While she was able and willing to make small payments to pay off the debt, the billing department was unwilling to work with her to develop a payment plan unless at least ¾ of her bill was paid in one lump sum. Unable to afford the large amount at once she applied to Care For Others for help. After intervening with the billing department and collection agency we came up with an agreeable amount that Care For Others would contribute once so this applicant could be placed on an affordable payment plan.
A.A. Burton, OH
Senior citizen on a fixed income was unable to afford the materials for an access ramp that became a necessity after a cancer diagnosis. Working with United Way and the Department on Aging Care For Others shared the cost of the materials to finance the ramp.
October 2011 - Help Hand Grant Receipients
R.R. Chardon, OH
Single working women living on her own lives pay check to paycheck. Unable to find work she started to work for several temp agencies being laid off after a few months at each one putting her one step behind each time. Having used all her savings during the layoff periods she was unable to pay her rent when she finally got a full time job because of the 2 week delay in a paycheck. We helped her with one month back rent.
M.X. Minneapolis, MN
Single young working woman supporting her younger sister was hospitalized 3 different times over the last few months. As a result she lost income and incurred a sizeable out of pocket medical bill. Her medical specialist refused to treat her any more until the bill was paid in full and would not arrange a payment plan with her. We paid her one time medical bill so she could continue her road to recovery.
J.G. Colorado Springs, CO
Single working Mom supporting 2 teenage boys saw her hours decrease at work temporarily and her one son getting into some legal problems. While she was able to pick up a second job and get some hours back she missed some time at work because of court dates and mandated counseling sessions with her son and was responsible for court and attorney fees which really put her behind. We paid one month of back rent.
C.H. Maple Hts., OH
Single working Mom supporting 3 children under the age of 18 lost a week at work because she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Living paycheck to paycheck but normally able to afford the payments the timing of her illness prevented her from having the money to pay her utility bills. We paid her water, gas and electric bill.
D.S. Fouke, AR
Retired grandparents on a fixed social security income have custody of their 8 yr old autistic non verbal grandson. They scrimped and saved to buy him an IPad but could not afford the Proloque2go app that he uses at school and needed at home to facilitate communication and improvement. We bought The Proloque2go app for him.
K.S. Brooklyn, NY
Working couple with 3 children under the age of 18 were responsible for the costs of her mother's funeral because of a foul up in an insurance policy which had unknowingly been cancelled. In addition to missing time at work to negotiate with insurance company her wages are now being garnished until the loan they had to take out is paid off. While they will be able to manage their expenses after some past due bills are paid off they are unable to catch up from the out of pocket deposit they had to put down for funeral expenses. They have already started to work with a debt counselor. We paid a past due rent bill.
T.D. Middlefield, OH
Single working Mom caught in a legal battle over her 2 young children experienced an emergency car repair while on her way to court. This added expense plus her unpaid time off from work to attend court dates and travel expenses have put her behind in her rent payment. We helped her with the portion of her back rent that she was unable to pay herself.
S.M. Thompson, OH
Couple living on his disability income while caring for their 19 year old autistic grandson in their custody experienced some very stressful times when she became seriously ill and was hospitalized several times. Overwhelmed with worry and frequent trips to the hospital he forgot to pay some of his bills, incurring penalties and a court eviction notice. Working with his case worker at the Department of Jobs and Family services we shared the balance of back due rent with United Way once this applicant made a current payment to avoid eviction.
A.F. Warrensville Heights, OH
Single working Mom had her car totaled by a drunk driver. Insurance covered the remaining payments on the totaled car but no additional funding for a down payment to purchase another car. Living pay check to pay check she had to borrow the down payment and pay it back over several months. This chunk out of her income resulted in juggling bills and getting behind in her rent. We helped with one back rent payment.
J.S. Chagrin Falls, OH
Widowed retired gentleman living alone on a fixed income experienced a water main leak. Because of this leak he was incurring water bills upwards of $1000 every month. Unable to pay for the repair and still responsible for the outstanding bills we worked closely with the Department on Aging and United Way to get this repair done for him with a helping hands grant.
September 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
C.C. Cherry Hill, NJ
Single working women lost income because of a hospitalization and 2 month recovery period. After using all available paid sick time she was left without a paycheck for almost 2 months. Now back to work full time she needed help with one rental payment after using all her savings to pay bills during this illness. We paid the one month rent for her.
S.H. Conneaut, OH
Couple use to two full time incomes met financial hardship when she could no longer work because of a chronic debilitating illness. While he is able to maintain normal household expenses until her long term disability is approved, they had no extra for an emergency car repair so he could get to work. We paid for the car repair.
July 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
B.L., Cleveland, OH
This single Mom experienced a job loss that made it hard to stretch the small savings she had. Choosing to pay the rent left her without the resources to pay her electric bill after getting a shut off notice. Able to document a full time job she already started within our allotted time frame we paid her electric bill to avoid disconnect.
S.S. Willoughby Hills, OH
This single working woman with one month left towards a nursing degree experienced a car breakdown. When she found out the car would cost more to get it fixed than what it was worth she panicked and bought a used car from a Pay and Go dealership. Quickly realizing it was a mistake because the car payments became unmanageable on top of her other expenses she returned the car and took public transportation to work and school. However she was not able to recoup her deposit and the several payments she had made. This financial miscalculation caused her to miss a rent payment. We helped with one month rent.
H.M. Tucson, AZ
Working couple got blindsided by his illness that caused him to be unable to work. While he has applied for permanent disability and veteran benefits they may take up to a year to get approved. Their struggle began when his wife who works in the local school system was unable to find summer employment and he lost his medical insurance. After using all their savings they filed bankruptcy just to be able to keep their car. She will be back to work by the end of August at which time they will be able to pay their bills and he has been able to receive medical treatment through a VA program. We paid one month rent.
June 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
B.H. Middlefield, OH
Single women on a fixed income due to a permanent disability needs to drive herself to dialysis several times a week. When her car became undrivable she could not meet the repair expenses as she barely makes ends meet. We paid her car repair bill so she could continue to be independent and make her appointments without putting her health in jeopardy.
A.B. Mentor, OH
A single Mom on a fixed income because of a permanent disability experienced a miscommunication with the insurance company on a medical bill resulting from an emergency room visit for her daughter. Thinking the bill was taken care of she was surprised when a collection agency started sending notices. With another emergency expense looming she was unable to take care of both. We paid the one time medical bill.
R.S., Chardon, OH
Senior citizen on a fixed income was unable to pay for an emergency car repair. In addition to being her only mode of transportation to her doctor's appointments and grocery store this is this applicant's only means of visiting her sick daughter in the next town over. We paid for this car repair.
R.G. Mayfield Heights, OH
Married working couple living paycheck to paycheck experienced a temporary decrease in income when he needed to have emergency open heart surgery. The applicant's family helped as much as they could but could not cover all their expenses for the 2 months he would be out of work. We covered their utility bills and car payment for one month.
L.W. Warrenton, MO
Working couple with one child. She has a permanent disability and is on a fixed income and he was laid off for 2 months. During this time it was imperative for her to pay her medical insurance so she could continue to afford the medical care she needed. During this time they did not have the money for both rent and medical insurance premiums. Now that he is back to work full time they can meet all of their expenses. We helped with one month rent.
L.S. Avon Lake, OH
This working couple with 3 children has one child with special needs. Diagnostic testing and treatment plan development to determine eligibility for special programs during the school year diminished their savings and put them in debt trying to pay it off. Bill had to be paid in full prior to report being released to school for evaluation. This hard working couple trying to do the right thing for their child could not pay that bill. We paid the remainder of this bill so the school could be notified in time to plan an appropriate program for the new school year and assist with all available resources
D.N. Frazyburg, OH
This single working Mom lost time at work because of medical procedures and also incurred additional out of pocket medical expenses for her daughter at the same time. These two circumstances combined put her far behind and made it impossible to catch up on a utility bill in danger of being disconnected. We paid the utility bill in full to avoid disconnection and enable her to catch up on her other bills.
May 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
G.B., Newbury, OH
Senior citizen on a fixed income needed a new well pump when hers broke and she was unable to access any water for her home. We worked with the Department on Aging in making sure she had the finances needed for a new well pump.
T.B., Cocoa, FL
Single deaf mother on a fixed income is caring for her severely autistic child. She requested funding for housing for her and her son while he underwent a much needed proven treatment. The treatment was twice a day for a month and it was 80 miles from their home so driving too and from was not a viable option. We paid for her housing for one month.
April 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
S.F., Colorado Springs CO
Single working gentleman had a family emergency in Florida. Between airfare and living expenses for one week plus an unpaid week off of work he was unable to pay 1 ½ months of rent. We paid his back rent for him.
D.B Chardon, OH
Working father of 5 had documented emergency expenses that did not leave him enough to pay the household electric bill. We paid his electric bill to prevent disconnection.
S.B. Chesterland, OH
Couple with children needing 2 incomes to make ends meet and trying to rebound from a bout of unemployment experienced a loss of income due to emergency surgery and unpaid time off from work. As a result they could not pay their electric bill. We paid their electric bill to prevent shutoff.
J.M., Northfield, OH
Working couple with 2 children experienced a loss of income when she experienced medical problems that ultimately required surgery and unpaid time off from work. We paid a gas bill to prevent disconnection.
J.B. Burton, OH
Working with Geauga County Dept. of Jobs and Family services we were able to help this single working young adult with a hearing disability become current with his rent and find continuous employment. Interruptions between seasonal employment, and the hardship of finding employment because he could not afford hearing aids had caused a loss of income that became too great to make up.
J.C. Chardon, OH
Gentleman, recently widowed, and now trying to survive on one social security check could not afford oil. While he is trying to make significant lifestyle changes that will help him financially he could not afford to pay for his oil in such a short time period. We bought him a tank of oil.
P.M., Madison, WI
Single working gentleman, living pay check to paycheck, lost time at work because of surgery. Having used up all his sick days dealing with his medical problems prior to his surgery he had to take unpaid time off from work to recuperate. He was not able to pay his rent for a month. We made his rent payment for him.
March 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
G.P. Chesterland, OH
Single permanently disabled gentleman on a fixed income experienced a broken sewer line pipe in his front yard resulting in raw sewage leak. He did not have the funds to pay for the repair which left unfixed could have contaminated his well. We paid for this repair.
R.M., Akron, OH
Single male who is blind and on permanent disability was a victim of theft from his personal financial accounts by a roommate. This necessitated his leaving that environment and setting up his own apartment. This cost plus his responsibility for having to take care of resulting overdraft charges left him with no money for food. Working with VocWorks, a vocational rehabilitation service, we provided him with a gift card to a local supermarket.
C.B. LaGrange, NC
Working couple where the wife was diagnosed with Cancer. Her treatment center is over 100 miles away and will require trips 3 times a week every other week for the next two months. While her husband is able to work overtime to pay the regular bills and co pay on some of her meds her temporary loss of income has made paying for gas for these trips very difficult. We purchased a gas card that she could use at a gas station in her area.
February 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
W.G. Hiram, OH
Abrupt pay cut and emergency cost of buying a new hot water heater caused this single working mom to need help with her electric bill to prevent disconnect. We paid her electric bill.
A.H. Middlefield, OH
Single women on workman's comp and awaiting surgery so she can go back to work needed help getting into a new apartment. Working with a county agency that helped with a security deposit, we paid for her first month's rent.
D.M Cleveland,OH
Couple where the husband is out of work and she got injuried on her full time job. There was a month lapse between sick time ending and workman's comp kicking in causing them to be unable to pay one month's rent. We paid the one month rent.
January 2011 - Helping Hand Grant Recipients
K.A. Mt.Dora, FL
Married grandmother with custody of 2 grandchildren lost her job for one month. Husband cannot work because of medical condition and is awaiting Social Security Disability to start. Missed income for one month caused her to need help with one month rent. We paid one month rent.
H.B, Chardon, OH
Working mother of 4 lost her husband and her home to a fire. Working with the community and other volunteer organizations in the area we provided assistance with first and last month’s rent and security deposit on a new house to rent.
Rand B. H. Thompson, OH
Working couple needing incomes from their two jobs to make ends meet. Wife experienced vision loss due to an illness and could no longer see well enough to drive to her part time night time job. Loss of income while finding day time work caused them to get behind in a utility bill. We helped with the utility bill to prevent disconnect.
F.I., Warrensville Hts., OH
Single women on permanent disability and retirement benefits cares for her elderly mother who requires constant medical care. She experienced both a large car repair bill and a decrease in disability benefits in December. This decrease in income on top of the car repair expense is causing her a hardship to meet her rent payment this month. She is in the process of applying for more affordable housing consistent with this decrease in disability income. We paid one month rent.
P.J., Chardon, OH
Single working mother of 4 experiencing several unexpected bills needed help with a propane tank refill. We helped with this gas bill.
T.L., Cleveland, OH
Single working mom not at her job long enough to get paid maternity leave experienced a short term loss of income during this time. Now back to work she will not get paid in time or enough hours to pay her rent this month. We helped with one month rent.
J.M. Newbury, OH
Single working mom had an accident with the only car available for her to drive to work. Barely able to make ends meat on her salary she could not afford the repairs nor could she afford to be without transportation to work. We paid the expense of the car repair.
T.M., Willoughby, OH
Single divorced working mother of 3 experienced a mix up in 3 child support payments which has been recently resolved but cannot be recouped. Living pay check to paycheck this additional money is important to the house hold finances. This decrease in 3 months worth of payments has caused her a hardship paying her rent this month. We paid one month’s rent.
D.T., Chardon, OH
Working mother of 4 going through a divorce experienced 4 major car repairs in December. In addition her job does not pay her during mandatory holiday time off and her child support payments have changed. The combination of all of these factors has caused her to get behind in her rent. We helped with one month’s rent.
C.V. Chardon, OH
Grandmother on a fixed income forced in an emergency situation to gain custody of her 4 grandchildren. Having lost her own home after her husband died she is renting a home while awaiting subsidized housing approval. She has been forced to go back to work part time since her fixed income is not enough to support everyone. Working with United Way and the St. Vincent DePaul Society from a local church we assisted with a one month rent payment so she could stay in this house while awaiting subsidized housing.
