Nominated by a therapist from United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), the Johnson Family is one of our extraordinary 2021 Adopted Families
UPDATE: We would like to thank our friends and colleagues who have donated and helped The Johnson family. Through the funds raised, CMM Cares has been able to relieve some of her financial burdens as they focus on creating a new routine for their family. We were able to replace some of the family’s lost necessities, provided the Johnson children with new clothes for school and we supplied an iPad to allow Zarayah Johnson to attend virtual doctor visits.
Luckily, the Johnsons were able to move out of a crowded homeless shelter and into an apartment. We furnished the apartment with a new air-conditioning unit and provided Ms. Johnson with gift cards to cover her travel expenses to the children’s school and Zarayah’s doctor appointments. Thanks to our supporters, we’ve helped Ms. Johnson and her children get back on their feet and back to making memories as a family after this tragic, unforeseen event.
Could you have survived the COVID-19 pandemic without a home? The Johnson family was suddenly faced with this question when their home was destroyed in an electrical fire on Christmas day. Ms. Johnson and her three young children were forced to relocate to a crowded shelter mid-pandemic.
On top of feeling the devastating loss of their home, furniture, and personal belongings, Ms. Johnson struggled with helping her seven-year-old daughter, Zarayah, cope with her Cerebral Palsy symptoms. Having been suddenly uprooted and thrown into an unfamiliar living space posed a set of unique challenges for Zarayah and her siblings.
Ms. Johnson and her children now live in a one-bedroom apartment in Brentwood, but their troubles are far from gone. A single mother, she is tasked with travelling across Long Island for her children’s daycare and her daughter’s medical services. On top of this, she has been attempting to guide her children through the unexpected transition to online learning over the course of the pandemic.
How CMM Cares is Helping
While we can never replace the memories that the Johnson’s made in their family home, at CMM Cares we have pledged to devote our efforts to ease their burden. First, we want to supply them with the basic necessities that they lost. Thanks to our donors, we’ve purchased new summer clothing for the three Johnson children, a portable air conditioner for their rental home, and a new iPad to help Zarayah work with her Cerebral Palsy therapist remotely. We’ve covered the costs of bills and provided Ms. Johnson with gas gift cards to help her stay afloat. At CMM Cares, we’re hoping to get Ms. Johnson back on her feet after these traumatic events, and back to making memories with her three doting children.
If you’re interested in helping us support the Johnson family with in-kind donations, financial support of our plans or if you know local businesses that may be interested in participating in our bringing our Wishlist plans to life, please contact Victoria at vtringone@cmmcares.org.
