The People
May 13, 2011 at 9:33 AM
Listen folks - this one I will try to keep short. We are THIS CLOSE to being done with the external part of the build of this duplex. So, I thought I’d talk with you a bit about the folks who are actually going to inhabit the dwelling.
On one side of the house Monica & Erroi Frater have SIX children. Can you even imagine what that spaghetti dinner looks like? What their sneaker budget is like, their daily milk budget? Are you even kidding me? And what counts most to this family? Moving off of Sumner Avenue where there family was in a high traffic dangerous area to even spend time outside.
On the other side of the house we have The Abdulrahman Family: Shime Bilal & Abdulkadir Abdulrahman and their NINE children. So, college tuition looks like $3.5 million at a bare minimum for that family. Can you even image? And to this family, what counts is being able to be outside, to encourage athleticism without being bullied away from their own sports equipment, or blatantly having it stolen out of their yard.
But I will tell you something…these two families don’t have an iota of bitterness or ‘give me a handout’ mentality about them. And if for some crazy reason they hadn’t been chosen as the recipients, you get the feeling that these folks would have been here after hours to help with their neighbors anyways. They are so grateful for this build they literally (male and female) burst into tears any time you speak to them about it.
And, they ALL happen to be lovely.
So, what number of supports does a build of this magnitude require to sustain in terms of income? Let’s take a look: the average Massachusetts family makes $64,000. We’ve already established that the average combined income in Springfield is about half that. The average cost of sending one child to a Massachusetts private college is $45,000 per year, today. Can you even image what both families’ future financial planning looks like?
Well guess what, with a zero percent mortgage, a solid roof over their heads, jobs spread amongst the family members, financial counselors and advisors from the community who can help with budgeting, financial planning, fiscal responsibility, and a great education system with mentors to predict success—these families are more poised to make it than most of your other average, American families.
So, I challenge you, check in with them in five years and see what’s going on…
Korri Piper
With 10 years of brand building experience, Korri joined The Pecoy Companies in the summer of 2010 to provide strategic direction and implementation of marketing initiatives for the rapidly growing home building and remodeling business. As Marketing Manager, Korri enjoys promoting The Pecoy Companies distinctive ability to create homes perfectly tailored to their owners and is proud of her company’s commitment to corporate philanthropy.
