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Courtney Wingate was born in Maryland in the late
1970’s. Her family relocated to Nebraska before she was a
year old and then relocated again to Maine when she was
nine. She recently found her way home again, although
not under the circumstances she would have hoped.
She is now Courtney Parker, who along with her husband,
Kevin, and children, Logan 16, Lindsay 14, Zoey
10, Lauren 8 and Quinn 5, lived in Swanville, Maine.
They are a wonderful family. The kids are well adjusted,
full of energy and doing well in school. Courtney is
your every day mom. She makes sure that the kids are
involved in and shuttled to their activities and that they
keep up with their schoolwork and their weekly bible
studies. She is raising her family.
Kevin has been driving dump trucks, low beds and dump trailers moving excavators, bulldozers, graders,
bucket loaders and more for thirteen years, as well as plowing snow. He works hard and loves to work overtime. With a family of seven, overtime is usually a necessity.
All sounds well but when you dug just a little it was easy to see that the Parkers were battling mounting
problems from all sides that were so overwhelming, getting out from under seemed nearly impossible.
A few years ago, Courtney and Kevin were interested in purchasing a three bedroom home but had no luck finding one that would work. Their realtor sold them on a two bedroom home that included “usable” space in the basement. It also appeared that this home had the potential for an addition so they made the plunge and decided to purchase the smaller home. The home inspection went well. After a period of time, as they were planning the addition, USDA Rural Development determined that the house would need to be totally replaced. Not good news!
The basement was taking on water. The property itself was not supporting the home and was allowing the water in. The structure is bowing and the family has had to replace the front door numerous times just to be able to get in and out. The water had caused major problems as well. Mold has quickly taken over the home. The basement was made off limits as it was growing everywhere. It had even come in to the first floor. Courtney needed to continually clean the furniture and inside of closets. The mold was very dangerous and was causing real health issues and concerns for all of them. This home was not safe for them.
On top of the nearly condemned home and growing illnesses, the family van died with no hope of a replacement. This left the Parkers with only a front seat, small pickup as transportation. Getting around with a family of seven had become quite challenging.
And then the brutal news about Kevin’s job came. Much of the driving he does is seasonal and in fact he
was just laid off on November 21st. Add these problems together—finances, mold that is affecting the health of children, a house that needs to be completely replaced, and real transportation issues—
and this will take their toll on anyone. What are Courtney Parker’s options?
“I decided my only hope was prayer. I know all of heaven is watching and I had a big request…good health, happiness and safety of my children. So, I asked friends to help pray too. Just a few days later, my uncle called me about help getting a van and a home” Courtney’s aunt, Therese and I (her uncle) live here
in Maryland along with a local support system which is growing everyday, have many things in motion in order to help the Parkers and give them hope. My goal was to get them out of the house they were living in and here to Maryland where there is a support system and opportunity for the family to get healthy and eventually flourish.
Members of the support system include Fox Chevrolet of Timonium. They helped with a 7 passenger van
that Courtney is now driving with five smiling kids. The Washington Times newspaper has helped to raise some funds through a subscription drive that has allowed the Parkers the funds to travel back and forth to Maryland over the last couple of months for job interviews and to look at potential living areas.
Another person in the support group is hoping to have one of his rental properties in Monkton available soon. If it comes through, he has agreed on a couple of months rent-free and minimal rent thereafter for a period until they get back on their feet. Others are helping by offering jobs or helping to notify Kevin of job opportunities. There are others in the community who provided donations of clothing, gifts and toys so that the family would have a nice Christmas morning and gifts under the tree. Some are waiting to see what they can do to help once the family settles in.
The Parker clan arrived in Maryland on December 17th and will be staying with us until they get on their
feet. Kevin even has a job already, driving for a local trucking company. Courtney says, “I feel so blessed and know God is listening as we now have a nice van and have arrived in Maryland. I hope to get back on our feet and the kids happy and healthy. The stress of being in this house has been very difficult on them. My husband is a very hard worker and I hope to start work too. I will continue to pray for guidance and thank you to those who have helped and those who have prayed for us“.
— Jack Kelly
The Parker Family
Gets a New Start
