Acts of Kindness
Elderly woman lost her husband and home on same day then gets 'adopted' by neighbor and home rebuilt
This is what 'community' looks like.
Michael Dabu
08.11.22

Beyond heartbreaking!

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In January 2021, Gean LeVar, an elderly woman from Glendale, Arizona was left with literally nothing when she lost both her husband and their home on the same day!

Gean’s husband of 58 years passed away and the help of Glendale Arizona Police was needed. When the authorities entered the house, they discovered that the elderly couple has been in such terrible living conditions, sadly, they had to condemn the house.

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Making things worse for the widow, she had no children or any other family members to run to.

A neighbor with a pure heart.

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Across the street from Gean’s home are Carmen Silva and her family, when the latter learned about the former’s plight, she immediately knew she had to help her. Although Silva barely knew her elderly neighbors, she didn’t see it as a reason not to lend a helping hand.

“I told her, ‘Don’t worry Gean, we’re going to fix it,’” Carmen told CBS News.

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Technically, the Silvas don’t have that much to offer. Carmen lives in a small three-bedroom house together with her eight children but with their kind heart, they still managed to make room for a new member of their family.

Her sons wholeheartedly gave up their bed so their newly adopted grandmother will have a comfortable place to sleep on. They must’ve inherited their mother’s kindness, to call them kind is actually an understatement.

Gean wasn’t treated as a guest but as a legitimate family member.

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“She looks very happy, and I believe it’s because she has a whole family now,” Carmen Silva said.

Some might even say that Carmen took being neighborly to such an exaggerated level, but to her, it wasn’t like that at all – not even the slightest.

“I’ve always taught my kids to take care of their elders,” she added.

For Gean the Silvas who took her in “means everything” to her. The family let her into their home and treated her with utmost care, love, and respect, things that family members do to one another.

More help came since the community learned Gean’s heart-wrenching story.

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YouTube - 12 News

When the widow thought she would only be blessed with a new family, she was mistaken. A non-profit organization that helps Arizona veterans and their families called “Operating Enduring Gratitude” stepped in to offer help in rebuilding Gean’s house.

Gean’s late husband, Thomas, was a veteran who served in the Navy as a payload specialist.

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YouTube - 12 News

“There are resources in place that help the majority of veterans but there are some that fall through the gap. This one fell through the gap,” said Charlie Ellis, an Army veteran and Founder and CEO of the organization.

It took 18 months and nearly 200 hardworking volunteers to rebuild the house that was built in the 1950s.

“We’re all joining together to do one thing, and that’s to make somebody’s life whole,” said one volunteer.

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YouTube - 12 News

“We’ve modernized the electrical. We’ve got showers she can walk into. Fantastic,” Charlie said. “People that love on our veteran community all here today. To share in the love. Their time. Their generosity.”

Gean plans to share her newly renovated house with the Silvas who will remain as her new family for the rest of her life.

Know more about this touching story by watching the video below.

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