The deadline for nominatees for Extreme Makeover Home Edition in Fort Wayne is April 2, 2009. I had solicited letters from my daughters. This is what the oldest had to say ( with a little redact from mom). I told you am really a private person, but:
My mom is in need of and most deserving of an extreme home makeover. Allow me to introduce her. My mom, Jacqueline Dowdell, is a woman deeply moved by the needs of the inner city in which she decided to purchase a home. She is always trying to help out. She is willing to give her time, her money, her heart, and her home to those in need. Through the years my mom has had various family members stay with us during their hard times; looking for nothing in return. My mom went from raising one child to becoming a single parent of four when her younger sister suddenly passed away and she became guardian of her two nieces months before giving birth to my sister. She has employed the homeless by paying them to perform odd jobs like cutting grass so they could earn money. She opened a beauty supply shop in her neighborhood. Tragedy struck before the grand opening and the building was destroyed by fire. My mother refused to look outside of her neighborhood and delayed opening her business for months until she found another building a few block from her home. She has lived and worked in the same neighborhood since 1984.
Momma has volunteered her time to various organizations that assist low income families, children, and the elderly. Her community service spans almost 15 years. Here are just some of her affiliations through the years: Fort Wayne NAACP, AARP VITA/TCE, Mayor's Initiative Tax Program, Maple Grove Community Center, Virginia Income Tax assitance for low income clients, Indiana Income Tax assistance for low income clients, Indiana Law School fundraiser AIDS walk (co-chair), Court Appointed Special Advocate for children, Cooper Teen Center, Pontiac Urban League, AmeriCorp, Wayne Township 21st Century Scholars. She is always lending a helping hand even in times when she herself is in need of help. (Even as I write this, Momma has posted the information for others on her blog http://dowdellresearch.blogspot.com/)
A family member that my mom allowed to stay in her home while she was away pursuing her dream of becoming our family's first college graduate left the house unannounced and in a very much degraded shape. The house has been broken into and vandalized several times. I won't dwell on this long for its not what my mom would want me to do. Windows, floors, doors, walls, fixtures, furniture, appliances, the fence, the yard are all in need of repair. The house my mom raised my sister and I looks nothing like it used to. Financially my mom, sister, nor myself have been able to do much to complete the necessary repairs. The end result is a house my mother calls home..
Despite the condition of the house my mom refuses to let it go, because it means letting her neighborhood go. My sister and I cannot bear the thought of Momma living in this condition while Momma cannot bear the thought of leaving her neighborhood behind. We are truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. My sister has temporarily moved Momma in with her while we search for an answer. . .Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is our last prayer. Your help, no matter how small, will make a huge difference and will be forever appreciated.
(Sidebar Mother's note: Hmmm, the two letters have a similar focus.. In a nutshell, mother has fallen on hard times and is unable to maintain her home. But mother believe she still has a lot to give, even it's only her home, a home that is now in need of repair. So Extreme makeover, please make me over, my home that is!!!!!! )
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