Friday Johnku – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

~ John W. Howell

Today’s Good News story comes from the good news network. Here it is in its entirety.

Woman About to be Evicted Was Saved By Neighbors Who Bought the Home For Her

By Andy Corbley June 14th
ABC 5/KSTP

After being threatened with eviction, a retiree was able to buy the house she had rented for two decades after a quarter-million dollars was raised by the community on her behalf.

Known for having a heart of gold and a pair of green thumbs, Linda Taylor was a beloved neighbor in her Minneapolis community.

After arriving in the area 19 years ago as a volunteer to help the homeless and needy, she began renting a small house on 10th avenue and East 36th street in the Powderhorn Park district. There, the 70-year-old retiree became a “bright star” of the neighborhood.

It seemed though that bright star would be severely darkened, perhaps permanently, when her landlord decided to sell the property, and gave her until the end of January to evict.

Word gets around tight communities, and after she told one neighbor, the greater part of Powderhorn rallied around her, striking a deal with the landlord that if he would give “Miss Linda” until the end of June, they would raise the money to buy the house.

There was no one-size-fits-all approach to the fundraising efforts. Inflation is at a 40 year high driven by previous monetary inflation reaching broader sectors of the economy, while gas just crossed a national average of $5.00 a gallon, yet even in such difficult times, folks were able to open heart, mind, and wallet, to make the project a reality.

It involved an art show, bake sale, pro-bono work by a real estate agent, countless small donations, and other community-fund drives to come up with the dough—which they did, a full month ahead of the June 30th deadline.

“Yesterday I went and did the closing for the house,” Taylor said. “It makes me feel so good, everything that I have given, it’s coming back to me and I want to continue to give. I love this neighborhood.”

The good news here is the Golden Rules is very much in play. (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.) I hope you have a great weekend. Today’s JohnKu is about helping others.

Good works by John W. Howell © 2022

A simple concept,

Treat all those you meet daily . . .

Just like you are they.

83 thoughts on “Friday Johnku – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News”

  11. What a beautiful share, John. In this day and age where so many don’t even know their neighbours, this is particularly potent.
    Happy Friday to you!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I’ve come to rely on these posts to end my week with a smile. What a lovely account of someone getting what they deserve in the positive sense. Thanks, John. Happy weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Oh my, what a heart-filling story of goodwill! Beautiful, John, thank you for sharing. “Just like you are they” — perfect! 💗

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Great story, John — thank you for bringing it to our attention. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we didn’t need forced giving like taxes for people to help each other?

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Wow. That’s so awesome, John. What a generous community, especially with inflation making everyone’s lives harder. Miss Linda Gets a Home would make a great children’s book. And your “golden rule” haiku was perfect.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. This post is one of the best stories I’ve seen all year. We hear so many stories of people being selfish and thoughtless, and it’s nice to remember that most folks are good and decent—sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Pingback: Friday Johnku – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News – ACTIVE NEWS

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