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Neighbor Helps Financially, Emotionally Distraught Anchorage Grandmother Caring for GrandsonCindy Johnson lost her husband in a tragic accident six years ago—now she’s in danger of losing her home.Related Content
An Anchorage grandmother who says she’s never asked for help before is getting some thanks to a caring neighbor. Cindy Johnson lost her husband in a tragic accident six years ago—now she’s in danger of losing her home.
Johnson’s husband Matt was killed on a Boy Scout camping trip on the Kenai Peninsula when a tree fell on the tent where he and their grandson were sleeping. Johnson was crushed, and died instantly. The young grandson survived but was trapped for hours beneath his grandfather’s body. Cindy Johnson says her grandson, who lives with her, has had a hard time coping. She doesn’t want to have to move out of the only home that he has ever known. It’s also the home that houses her struggling business, The Great Alaska Quilt Company—a business that can’t pay her bills and has left her worried. “I just want to pay my mortgage and my utilities and buy food and it's getting to the point where I can't do all of it,” said Johnson. Enter Johnson’s neighbor, Sarah Short. After she learned about Johnson’s plight, she dove in to help. Her plan was to renovate a small apartment in Johnson’s home so that she could rent it out to a tenant and have a more stable source of income. “Initially I thought it was going to be a simple job that I could do myself and then I realized we can’t just do a simple fix—we have to do it right,” said Short. Since then, Short has been rallying the community calling on businesses and individuals for donations and labor to help with the job. She has a list of items she needs and people who have pledged their help. She’s convinced that she can pull it off. “If she doesn’t have this help and become self sustainable she ends up on welfare and society is going to take care of her anyway;” says Short. She’s convinced that neighbors helping neighbors is the way to go. “If we start taking care of our neighbors in our neighborhoods, if we start taking care of the people around us then they can start taking care of the people around them. That movie Pay It Forward is right on— take care of those around you and it will come back to you,” she said. |
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Peggy S. said on Wednesday, Jul 6 at 12:42 PM
Sarah, why don't you start a "registry" at the stores where you need the supplies and items for this remodel and then people can donate toward or actually purchase the neccessary items. A little bit can really go a long way. Sarah you will be rewarded more than you know.
70253349anonymous said on Wednesday, Jul 6 at 11:48 AM
How can we help??
70250047InTheView said on Wednesday, Jul 6 at 11:14 AM
I know not if Sarah is a Christian or not but she is doing what Jesus has instructed people to do. If we just take time to look around us, we can find others in need. Sometimes just being a friend can fill a need.
70248039Endub said on Wednesday, Jul 6 at 10:53 AM
You are a saint and a true modern day savior sara, if there is anything that I or my family can do to help in this situation please let us all know. And I hope the rest of the community will get invoved as well!
70246767Bill T said on Wednesday, Jul 6 at 10:44 AM
I think this is the way we can survive the upcomming monitary chash. We should find way to help our nighbors. Way to go Sara.
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