Meet Some of Those We Have Helped

Young family

When their car broke down last spring, a family of five found themselves without the means to buy a replacement.  Shortly after, their newborn baby contracted a virus that led to a serious medical condition requiring frequent visits to specialists at a hospital almost 2 hours away. Without a car, their future was bleak. The McKeryn Bridge Foundation stepped in and was able to buy a car for the family. Obstacle overcome. A path forward.

Recovering from an injury

Another woman required surgery to remove a tumor from her back.  Working in the restaurant business, she needed to take 6 months off to recover from surgery and get physical therapy to get her back on her feet and back to work.  She was covered under the Family Medical Leave Act for the first 3 months, but needed help with monthly expenses for the 2nd half.  The McKeryn Bridge Foundation approved a grant to pay for her mortgage, car payment, insurance, and utilities, allowing her to focus on recuperating without the stress falling behind in her financial commitments.

Sacrificing basic needs

A hard-working man earned a living working in lumberyards and saw mills.  Years of physical labor left him permanently disabled and unable to work.  He moved in with his single-parent daughter and her two grandchildren to share living expenses and help his daughter with her 2 small children.  Even with the combined incomes, there was never enough left over for dental work.  Needing a full set of dentures, but unable to pay for it, he became a recluse, not leaving his house and finding it harder and harder to find foods he could eat.  The McKeryn Bridge Foundation granted the request and paid for a full set of dentures.  He is now happily eating and enjoying family reunions and the Deerfield fair.

Facing foreclosure

Both parents were hard workers, providing as best they could for their 2 children.  The mother, stricken with cancer, had to take time off from work for treatment.  The Family Medical Act helped cover some of their household expenses but did not make up for her lack of income.  One bill they could not pay was their mortgage.  When the mother was able to return to work, they tried making larger mortgage payments to pay down the back money they owed.  The mortgage company refused the payment plan, insisting they pay the entire amount owed or face foreclosure.  The McKeryn Bridge Foundation paid the overdue amount, and the family is back making the payments on their own.

Overwhelmed

A husband and father, diagnosed with a chronic debilitating disease after losing his job had no source of income.  His wife, a stay-at-home mother of 3 (one in college) hadn’t been a part of the work force for almost 20 years went back to work to support the family.  Starting at the bottom of the ladder, she worked tirelessly in multiple part-time positions.  She supported the family this way for 3 years, but was on the verge of losing the house.  Overwhelmed and having trouble getting on top of bills, the McKeryn Bridge Foundation paid the balance of her property tax bill and the balance of her car loan, enabling her to focus on the basic necessities.  Career-wise, she is now being considered for full-time jobs with benefits.

Transportation – a basic need

The mother of a teen-age girl with a rare chromosomal disease needed a specialized wheelchair van to transport her daughter who was getting too big to lift in and out of their 15-year old car.  With help from their community (and spaghetti dinners, auctions, and a Go-fund-me page), they came close to their $49,000 goal.  The McKeryn Bridge foundation was able to pay off the balance due for the car and the family is now mobile again.

Sick child

The youngest of 6 children, a 3-yr old boy, is diagnosed with a life-threatening cancer. While undergoing treatment, he has many planned and unplanned hospital stays of up to 10 days. The majority of the little boy’s care is covered by insurance. Nevertheless, over the past two months the family has incurred many out-of-pocket expenses related to the boy’s care (gas, parking, copayments.) The family’s finances are strained and they are having trouble keeping up with their essential household expenses. A grant for a month’s mortgage payment from the McKeryn Bridge Foundation gave this family some much needed breathing room.

Illness in the family

A self-employed father of 2 young children was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness that prevented him from working. His wife, a teacher, took time off to raise the kids had planned to go back to work in the fall. Finding themselves without an income for 3 months, the McKeryn Bridge Foundation stepped in and was able to cover the 3 months of expenses until the mother went back to work full-time with pay and benefits, enabling the family to focus on the kids and the father’s health.

Home renovations for sick child

After battling leukemia, a teen-aged girl needed a bone-marrow transplant to survive. Both parents are hard-workers with full-time jobs, but the insurmountable medical bills for their daughter’s treatments left them with no money to make modifications to the house to insure it was a healthy place for their daughter to return after months of hospitalization. The McKeryn Bridge Foundation stepped in to pay for wood floors, mold eradication, and a porch so their daughter could have visitors and not bring germs into the house.

Vehicle needs to be adapted for disability

A young woman, paralyzed from the waist-down, used an adapted vehicle for transportation. When that car broke down, she had enough to buy a used vehicle, but not enough to have it adapted so she could drive it. The McKeryn Bridge Foundation paid for the necessary fittings to allow her to continue to be independent.

Breadwinner laid off

The sole breadwinner for her family, a wife and mother of 3 was laid off with 2-weeks notice. She was very actively looking for work, but needed some help with monthly expenses until she found a new job. 2-months later, she was back at work. The Foundation provided a true bridge for the family, keeping them from going into debt until they were back on solid ground.