In Kim Turmel’s family, 3:30 is when the girls get home from school. Snacks are quickly distributed, and the girls can play and relax until dinner. Today, Kim’s mother is not there, which is unusual because she is around almost every day to help Kim when her granddaughters get home. Already with two children of her own, Kim did not think twice about taking in her sister’s two little ones when she and her husband died tragically on July 6, 2013. Kim immediately opened her home to her nieces, and made room for them in her own family.
While Kim was ready to take her nieces in, the same could not be said of her home. With just three bedrooms, sharing was inevitable. Living arrangements were less than ideal for the family, and Kim and her partner quickly realized that their home was no longer big enough: they needed an addition. They set about adding an extension that would provide two new bedrooms, and more storage space. The expansion would naturally enable everyone to have their own space, which would make for a better family atmosphere.
The Red Cross helped Kim and her family by providing assistance with the expansion and the reorganization of the home, and
Kim is very grateful for the help she received.
The work is now nearly finished, and a new routine has begun. After the trials and tribulations of the last two years, which have been difficult for everyone, a balance seems to be emerging. Thanks to Kim, and the courage and perseverance of her family, the girls now have a place where they are safe and can feel at home.
Kim has just one wish for the future: “My ultimate goal for now is to have a united family.” Only time will tell, of course, but we have no doubt that her wish will come true.