TAMPA, Fla.–Branches of GTE Financial Credit Union have adopted more than 20 families and others in the Tampa Bay region and will be providing help and assistance during the holiday season.
According to GTE Financial, those who will be receiving help include single parents with sick children; widows left to care for their families; individuals who have fallen on hard times and can’t pay their normal bills, let alone think of buying holiday gifts; victims of domestic violence, and others needing help.
One family being helped, the credit union said, has been identified as Monica and her daughter, Heaven. Heaven has Leigh’s disease, a rare inherited neurometabolic disorder that affects the central nervous system. “She has survived more than 11 years past the life expectancy of those who suffer from the disease; unfortunately, Monica lost another daughter to the same disease at the age of 6,” GTE Financial said. “Monica works long hours at a local 7-Eleven to provide for Heaven, and her income is often not enough.”
The credit union said it is working to ensure Monica, Heaven and many other families will be able to open gifts this Christmas. GTE Financial is making special deliveries to their homes, with each branch location selecting one special family to adopt.