Julie is that person who always puts a little sunshine in your day, she is kind, hard working, caring and a mother to two boys and many others including us. When Julie came to us in tears with the story of how her husband had threatened her with her life we felt compelled to act. As Julies' neighbour for six years, we were aware of the arguments and threats with her husband's frustration often targeted at her and their two sons
In response to Julie's desperate situation we offered her a safe place to stay while we discussed her options. This single event was the catalyst to start the UOF Helping Small Program.
We've watched person after person come to Julie asking for help over the years and she has never refused to help in any way she can. We knew that if we did something to empower Julie she'd be able to maintain her helpful, kind and generous nature. Julie has mastered the art of paying it forward and once back on her feet she would be able to continue empowering others. The question was how do we help Julie? After much deliberation it was decided to build Julie and her boys a house that would become a safe place for them to grow up and for Julie to sell her market. Julie used her funds from a Savings and Loan program that she participated in to purchase a piece of land and UOF contributed to the construction costs. This is what an empowering partnership looks like and we are so grateful for the kind generosity of the UOF donors and the hard work and dedication that Julie has put into this project.
Thanks to Kent Bubbs Sr's "Build Julie a House" Go Fund Me campaign and a generous contribution by Kerrie Siemens, a house was built and Julie now has a safe home and a secure future. A special thank you goes out to Kent Sr. for his willingness to take action and learn how to use the Go Fund Me platform!