What would you think if your house was called a “eyesore”? That’s exactly what a stranger said to Jimmy Curcuru and Marilyn Curcuru about their Gloucester, Massachusetts, home. “Please paint me!” said the person who left a note on their property overnight. Eyesore.” The couple has had some health issues over the years and has had to put off improvements to their Perkins Street home.
They were offended by the remark, but they knew it didn’t come from anyone in their community. “I know a lot of these neighbors, and I know that wouldn’t come from any of them,” Jimmy explained. When people from all over the world learned about the Curcurus, it sparked a worldwide movement. Over the course of nine months, more than $100,000 was donated to the couple via a GoFundMe page. Jimmy and Marilyn used the donations to get a new roof, siding, windows, and outside staircases for their house.
And whoever left the note had his “request” granted because the Curcurus were also able to repaint their beloved home. The majority of the donors did not know the couple personally, but they chose to donate anyway. And Jimmy realized a few things as a result of his generosity. “You see something on GoFundMe, and I try to give as much to people as I can now,” he explained. “You know, as we go through this, a lot of people give money and they don’t have the money.
It’s amazing to me when you can send dollars out of your pocket that you could really use for yourself.” “People have enough to worry about on their own with the pandemic, but they still do for others,” Jimmy added. “That’s quite a feat.” Speaking of home improvements, a senior woman in Woburn, Massachusetts, received the same generosity from strangers. Gloria has lived on Lillian Street with her dog Choo Choo since 1969.
When sparks started shooting out of her light fixture at home, the power went out throughout the house. Gloria sought assistance from a neighbor, who then referred her to Kinney Electric electrician John McKinney. When John entered the house, he was astounded to discover that the electrical was in disrepair. So he went right to work. “Half of her lights were out, she didn’t have a stove, and her refrigerator was plugged into an extension cord.
“I repaired her immediate electrical hazards and turned on her lights and air conditioning,” he said. When all of the lights turned on, John realized there was still work to be done. Gloria’s house was in shambles, he discovered. The house’s exterior had chipped paint, gutters were falling off the roof, and the inside was filthy. Gloria also had a broken kitchen sink and dangerously low ceilings that appeared to be on the verge of collapsing. Her yard was also littered with debris, junk, and overgrown vegetation.
Gloria had no one to turn to for assistance because she had very little money and no family. John couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning the elderly woman in that situation, so he devised a solution. He reached out to his network of contractors and colleagues to see if anyone could assist Gloria in repairing her home. Fortunately, he was able to gather a group of volunteers who returned to the house with him to clean and do yard work. But they weren’t finished.
John started a Facebook fundraiser with a $75,000 goal. However, just two weeks later, it had collected more than $63,000. The professionals who had agreed to work on this project arrived at Gloria’s house the following weekend. Volunteerism spread throughout the community, with local restaurants sending food to the workers and Gloria’s neighbors donating cash and materials. Some of them even sent Choo Choo gifts.
Gloria is extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to this project. “I couldn’t possibly afford to pay for this kind of assistance,” she explained. “You have no idea how grateful I am.” In the video below, you can learn more about the Gloucester home renovation.