In a unique delivery, the Alma Randolph Charitable Foundation held a two-day unveiling for Stephen Koonce and his three children as they returned home from Spring Break to a fully furnished home on Easter.
Alma Randolph-Crump said that the family was referred to the Foundation by the Daniel Pitino Shelter. Koonce and his family moved into the home at the end of March and was a part of the program shortly after.
The timing was perfect for Koonce, as he said he usually sends his children to their grandparents outside of Chicago to enjoy Spring Break. He hinted at the chance something would change before they left though.
“I was just like, ‘yeah, I’ll have a couple of things by the time you guys get back’ and I knew they were going be pretty surprised when they see all this,” he said.
When April hit, the children left a home that was completely empty. Upon returning Sunday night, they were surprised to see a fully furnished home with a bed for each of them.
Koonce said that without help he still would’ve pieced everything together, but it would have taken him some time to get the house fully furnished.
Koonce said raising his children on his own following the sudden death of his spouse was taxing as it is, but adding to the challenge was that his eldest child was diagnosed with Stage 2 chronic kidney disease. Twice a month, Koonce travels to Louisville with his son for doctor’s appointments.
So, receiving the blessing from the Foundation couldn’t have come at a better time.
“How do you save for beds for three kids when you’ve got to pay $120 for gas to get to a doctor’s appointment and back, and not only that but you have to miss work that day? So it’s not the easiest, but we do what we have to do to survive,” Koonce said.
Randolph-Crump said that this home furnishing project marked number 63 for the organization, and was one of the few that was fully funded through the Foundation. While they didn’t talk about decoration much, the Foundation found several pieces for each of the rooms that directly aligned with the personality of each family member.
In addition to the home, Koonce received a $100 gift card to Burlington to use for each of the children.
“I feel like I can breathe for the first time,” he said. “…I just feel like I have a sense of relief. Everything’s not on my shoulders anymore. I can rest easy now that some of the things I needed to do are done by people who care very much.”
