A Birthday Gathering

Last Saturday, we had a powerhouse team of women put together a home in record time. Thank you to Margaret for having a generous heart and gathering her friends for her birthday to give to those in need. Instead of gifts, Margaret’s friends gave hours of hard work to help a family in need. See what Margaret and her friends did in just a few hours.

The Gathering

Lou and her four children lived in a dangerous neighborhood. When Lou’s oldest son Martin refused to join a gang, the family was targeted and their home was shot at in a drive-by. Lou immediately moved 11-year-old Brian, 14-year-old Kendra, 17-year-old Rachel, and 18-year-old Martin out of their home. The entire family split up, staying with different friends and relatives. When they went back for their things, almost everything had been stolen.

The family was homeless for 6 months before finding housing. Their new apartment provided security and allowed the family to reunite, but they didn’t have beds or furniture to really make it a home.

20180921_before_1 — Before: The living room and Rachel's air mattress.

20180921_before_4 — Before: Lou's bedroom where she slept on an air mattress.

20180921_before_3 — Before: Martin's bedroom where he slept on an air mattress.

20180921_before_2 — Before: Brian and Kendra's bedroom where they slept on the floor.

Then Margaret with the help of Grateful Gatherings entered their lives. For her birthday, Margaret wanted to do something to give back to the community. She invited all of her friends to join her in volunteering at a gathering to celebrate her birthday.

As soon as they arrived, it was apparent they were an incredibly capable group. They immediately split up and headed for their assigned areas. Beds were quickly built, the kitchen was cleaned, and they were ready to unload the Chipman truck when it arrived.

20180921_188 — Unloading the Chipman truck.

20180921_231 — Transporting furniture on the elevator.

There was so much joy on everyone’s face when they saw their new home.

“Is this my house?” asked Brian. “It’s like a hotel!”

20180921_48 — After: Living room and Rachel's bedroom in the back.

The family was most excited to see their new beds. It’s been months since they have been on a real mattress.

20180921_11 — The family seeing Lou's new bedroom.

20180921_20 — After: Brian and Kendra's bedroom.

“I feel blessed,” said Lou.

20180921_27 — Lou testing out her oldest son's new bed.

20180921_12 — Brian shooting hoops in his bedroom.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone for celebrating Margaret’s birthday making this family’s life better. You were truly an amazing gift to Lou and her family and to Grateful Gatherings!

A special thank you to our sponsors, Chipman Relocation and Logistics, for moving every family for us. We help more people every year because of your grace and care for people in need!

With gratitude,

Donna and Chris

Grateful Gatherings, Founders