It seems that people are given an excuse every day to question the goodness of humanity. However, moments also happen every day that remind us there is still some good to be found. A blind woman in Woodland, California a few miles Northwest of Sacramento, received an incredible gift from neighbors in her community.
Brief history of Woodland, California
A Native American tribe called Patwin settled over 2,000 years ago in a territory that would one day be called Woodland. Prior to that, Grizzly Bears and Elk roamed the woods freely. American, French, and British trappers sailed up the Sacramento River and Cache Creek. They were hunting beavers and otters for their fur. In 1833, they moved on but nearly wiped out the entire Patwin population due to widespread fever.
After 1850, California had become a state and Yolo County was established. Around 20 years later, in 1871, Woodland was established. Many of its buildings and residential homes are old and in need of restoration. As was the case for this blind woman, Faye Abbas.
A Blind Woman with a Heart of Gold
Faye Abbas was born with the condition and has spent her whole life learning to adapt. Despite being a blind woman, her ears work wonderfully. She has a love of music and learned to play the piano early on. She offers lessons to the young people of her community and is a well-loved and respected member of her neighborhood. Due to her condition, she was unaware of how rundown her home was, and neighbors came together to give it a much-needed makeover.
Read: Young woman grabs blind man’s hand not knowing man from stands filming her
Convincing the Community to Help
The remodeling team was led by a neighbor, Paul Bridge. He could clearly see she was in need of help, so he rounded up members of the community and together they fixed up her home for free. They set up a GoFundMe page to get the necessary funds for the project and set to work. The page has raised $6,300 and whatever is leftover will go directly to Abbas.
Several large companies such as Sherwin Williams and Home Depot have made some donations and provided supplies to help with the blind woman’s renovation. “Community is about giving to those in need and that kind of like touched me right there and I said, alright, this is done,” said Bridge. So far, they have replaced panels, siding, and done some painting, with more additions to come.
A Blind Woman Brings Together a Community
One of the most amazing things about this story isn’t just the kindness shown by strangers but the sense of community it created. Through working together, the community has spent weeks getting to know one another and Faye. Several neighbors have weighed in on the heartwarming gesture. “I feel blessed to live in a community where we can put all of our differences aside and help our fellow neighbor,” said Tim Sullivan. Meanwhile, Stuart Kahn said, “It renews my hope because these last two years there was a lot of separation a lot of divisiveness not only in our country but in our neighborhood. We just didn’t know each other.”
The blind woman so full of life and passion had one special request, she wanted a pink door. She stated, “I’m thrilled about those pink doors. I really like pink. I can’t see it, but I like the feel of it. Colors have a feel.” Faye Abbas may not be able to see, but she can certainly feel. She feels deeply and recognizes the intense kindness shown to her by her neighbors. When the remodel is finished the community plans to have a celebratory barbeque. This heartwarming story could just be the event to kick off future gatherings for a tight-knit community.
Keep Reading: Video of blind man marrying woman in tactile dress so he could feel her beauty goes viral
Sources
- “Blind Woodland Woman Living Alone in rundown home gets home makeover from neighbors.” CBS News. Marlee Ginter. October 27, 2022.
- “Woodland neighbors come together to renovate blind woman’s home” Daily Democrat. November 6, 2022.
