Couple receives a letter of complaint about the state of their home: the community mobilizes to help them
Many rush to judgement without knowing all the facts. We should never judge a book by its cover and the story of Jimmy and Marilyn Curcuru is an excellent example of this.
The couple lived in the same house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States, for over fifty years. There, they raised three children and were longtime, active members of the community and the owners of a small, local business.
via CNN
Unfortunately, this couple had a lot of problems and were unable to deal with the upkeep of their home. Jimmy, 71, had to close his small business due to health problems and Marilyn was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and confined to bed. One of the couple's three children, Lyanne, therefore decided to quit her job to take care of her parents. Without the money, the Curcuru's home became quite dilapidated.
Of course, the Curcuru's were not happy about the state of their home, but could do nothing about it - then, things got worse. One day, they received an anonymous letter in their mailbox. "Please paint me," read the note that described the their house as "an eyesore."
Jimmy said he was shocked: "Not by the letter, but by the anonymity. They didn't even have the courage to sign such an insult ... It was cowardly of them to write such a letter", he said. When the couple's daughter, Michelle, learned about the letter, she posted about the incident on social media.
“To my concerned neighbor, thank you for letting me know my parent's house needs painting. Guess what? I know. I've been working on this for almost four years. There's a lot going on in their lives. But I don't see how you can judge them, not knowing what they're going through," Michelle wrote in the post. The post immediately went viral and hundreds of people mobilized to help the family: even the mayor of Gloucester, Sefatia Romeo Theken, stopped by in person to see if she could lend a hand.
A man named Rob Cluett even started an online fundraiser to help the family, raising nearly $80,000 in just a few days. "Our reaction to the rude letter was anger, especially considering how many sacrifices my sister has made helping my parents," explained Michelle. "But as the weeks passed, and with the help of the community, we don't care about the letter anymore. We appreciate the love and support of the wonderful residents of this great city we live in. I want to thank everyone for everything they have done,” she added.
Thanks to donations, the house was completely rennovated. This is a splendid example of how showing a little empathy makes this world a better place to live in.
