Margaret Smith, a delightful, sharp, and agile woman, who turns 90 in April, lives in a manufactured home in East Naples with a non-functioning air conditioning/heating unit. She could not afford repairs or a new one, so she struggled as temperatures fluctuated dramatically.
Margaret was familiar with adversity growing up in Tennessee. Her first job was picking radishes for 35 cents per bushel. Later in life she worked in a clothing factory as a presser. Those working conditions were “mighty” hot too, but as she says, she was much younger then.
CRC collaborated with Collier County’s Services for Seniors to access funds for a new air conditioning/heating unit. The process took three months, but Margaret now has a brand-new unit, ready to “weather” cold winters and hot summers. After receiving the air-conditioning unit Margaret told us, “Collier Resource Center really helped me. I don’t know how I would have made it another summer.”
At age three months, Ja’Ron is the youngest-ever CRC client. He has four older siblings, and his mom works two jobs, but there was no money for Christmas gifts this past year. Aunt Titi, who passed away in October, had always made holidays very special.
Through a partnership with Beverly’s Angels, the younger children received gifts. CRC also received a donation to help those struggling at holiday time, so we provided a gift card for presents for the older children and even had enough funds to supply a festive holiday meal.