Move 4 Less Moving Our Community Program First Recipient – Tyria Smith.
The first recipients of the Moving Our Community program have been chosen, and our first move was for Tyria Smith and her family on July 7. Tyria lives with her grandson Alejandro (9), her mother Roslyn (66) and her daughter Dynisha (29). Tyria applied for the Moving Our Community program to help her family with the expense of moving and the physical aspect due to her having health issues. Roslyn is mentally ill which adds an additional complication.
The family moved to Las Vegas from Atlanta in November of 2018, and their living situation has been more than frustrating. They were promised a three-bedroom apartment but ended up receiving only two bedrooms. This has been a strain on the family due to Roslyn’s condition. She needs and deserves her own space, but unfortunately has been living in a recliner in the living room for over a year and a half. Tyria has been trying to move since last year but has continued to run into challenges.
Tyria and her family are considered low-income. They receive assistance with food stamps; and since the pandemic her hours at a food delivery company were greatly reduced, leaving them only social security and disability to live off of. Tyria’s own health issues, high blood and diabetes put her into the high-risk category for COVID-19. With less work hours already, she now had to choose between already reduced work hours and putting herself at risk or staying safe and staying home.
Tyria was scheduled to have Bariatric surgery to help get her diabetes under control ̶ needed to help save her life ̶ in March but that was rescheduled for June.
Tyria is able to go back to limited work now; she is still in the high-risk category but is taking as many precautions as she can per her employer, doctors, and recommended guidelines. However, another challenge arose when the air conditioning went out in her car. We all know you need air conditioning to survive Vegas summers, especially if you will be in your car for long hours AND are only a month or so out from surgery.
We were happy to be a silver lining among Tyria’s many challenges. One thing that stood out to us when reading her application was her positive attitude, and we just wanted to give Tyria a break!
She has had her surgery and is on the road to recovery. Tyria was able to secure a new three-bedroom apartment for her family to finally move on July 7, and we had the honor of helping them move.
Through her challenges and the pandemic, Tyria has kept a positive outlook. “Be patient and pray” is her motto. She is a truly resilient woman and an inspiration!
When asked how she felt after Eyrick, our general sales manager, called to let her know she was chosen, her response reflected her positive energy. “I was ecstatic. I ran around the house. I was just happy. It was just a blessing. When you apply for something, you just never know. That goes to show you, don’t give up! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart and the bottom of my family’s heart. This move is a blessing for us, being able to go to a new place where my mom now has her own room instead of sleeping in her chair. We are so grateful to Move 4 Less.”
Eyrick was deeply affected by the first cycle of the Moving Our Community program.
“I was truly humbled and felt a sense of responsibility to help as much as possible. My heart was breaking for everyone and wished we could help all of them. I was shocked that so many were struggling to the extent I was reading about. I was also extremely sympathetic to everyone who was dealing with so much.”
The owners of Move 4 Less agreed. “We were overwhelmed by the compelling stories families shared with us and about the pandemic’s effects and complications on them, and are grateful to be able to help,” said Avi Cohen and Moti Perez. “Moving Our Community is a meaningful way for us to give back to our community that has supported us for so many years. We’re also proud of our team for supporting Moving Our Community and our other community initiatives.”
To know that we can help and make a difference not only the lives of the recipients of Moving Our Community, but also in the lives of our Move 4 Less team as well, makes us want to do even more!
More than ever, we must keep our community strong and help where we can. We look forward to doing more to give back.
Eyrick sums up not only his feelings but of all involved from Move 4 Less. “It makes me feel amazingly proud to work for a company that wants to help these families. It also has made me much more grateful in my own life for the blessings I have. Lastly, it makes me want to continue helping families moving forward and even expand this program to grow and bring more awareness to the people who need help.”
#VegasStrong
