“I’m Good Here”: Meet Ms. Cynthia
“I’m Good Here”: Meet Ms. Cynthia
A Florida native who is now a Greenville resident, Ms. Cynthia has lived in the Upstate since 2005. Ms. Cynthia loves volunteering for the City of Greenville more than anything. From Artisphere to beer festivals, you name it and she’s there, helping out wherever she is needed. For Ms. Cynthia, new people often become familiar faces, and she cherishes the relationships that she has made. Ms. Cynthia has even been invited to the weddings of people she’s met while volunteering for a vendor!
Ms. Cynthia has lived in her current home for 13 years. That’s a lot of memories! She loves opening up her home and welcomed one of her sisters, who is disabled, into her home for three and a half years after her parents passed. With a son in the Air Force stationed in Ohio, a sister in New Jersey, and a sister in Florida, Ms. Cynthia enjoys having a central location where her family can come and gather.
Over time, a home will inevitably begin to show its age and weathering can take a toll. Mold was building up in Ms. Cynthia’s basement. It began to smell and was seriously affecting her sinuses. “The smell was seeping up through the hardwood floors. When I first moved here it didn’t rain much and now we’ve been getting hit with more rain so the mold was getting worse and worse.” The doctor told her that she should try and fix the insulation and the ducts in her home to attempt to alleviate the problem. On top of that, Ms. Cynthia was losing money with escaping air conditioning and heat due to the wear and tear on her ventilation. Health and financial limitations prevented Ms. Cynthia from fixing these issues herself. The longer the repairs were put on hold, the more they affected her.
Ms. Cynthia was concerned that her home repairs would never happen.
She heard about Rebuild Upstate from a friend and reached out to find help to fix these problems. Rebuild Upstate then connected her with caring and skilled volunteers from Brasfield & Gorrie to make the repairs needed to make her home safe again. The volunteers not only reinsulated Ms. Cynthia’s whole basement but also installed a vapor barrier to help eliminate the smell and prevent further spread of mold. “They reinsulated my whole basement. The less water and humidity in the basement, the better. The vapor barrier has eliminated the smell.”
Ms. Cynthia was so happy with the work that was done to her home. She said that even though she thanked the people multiple times on the day of repairs, she doesn’t think it’s enough to express how she feels. “I cannot thank them enough for allowing me to stay in my house. Now that I’m retired I want to stay out here and not leave. I’m good here.” Ms. Cynthia normally gets sinus infections around this time of year but she hasn’t had one yet. The ventilation repairs have saved her money and kept her warm and cool during the different seasons.
Ms. Cynthia described home as love. “It’s where people get together and are friendly towards each other. It’s just a pleasant atmosphere.” She is looking forward to when people can gather together again and staying in her home so that she can continue to volunteer for the City of Greenville. She is also excited to share the news of Rebuild Upstate with her neighbors so that they can reach out and they too can get the help they need!
To learn more about weatherizing your home, check out these tips & tricks.