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River Park woman who lost home can't find
Christmas cheer
Wednesday, December 26,
2001
By DIANNA SMITH, dlsmith@naplesnews.com
The tiny Christmas tree shoved in a corner of Maggie Loyd's living
room was as festive as she was able to get this year.
Loyd had trouble finding that jovial, holiday spirit she usually
has by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. She noticed the decorated
trees and strands of bulbs hanging from bushes that lit up her
street, but the holiday cheer didn't make her happy like before.
Earlier this year, Loyd lost ownership of her home in the River
Park community at 1370 Fifth Ave. N. She owed two mortgages and
nearly $70,000.
Naples attorney Marc Shapiro bought
it during a foreclosure auction in June, but allowed Loyd to remain
in the house, where she's lived for 34 years. An anonymous
donor paid her $540 monthly mortgage payments through October.
Right now, she's living there rent-free with her 55-year-old
disabled son, James Mathis.
Shapiro is offering to sell the three-bedroom
home back to Loyd and forego the profit he could have made.
The River Park Coalition for Justice and Celebration Community
Church of Naples vowed to raise an estimated $55,000 so Loyd,
79, can buy back the house and call it her own again. She thought
that in no time she would be able to get back what was hers.
But that all changed after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
The event affected the entire nation, and Loyd also felt the pain.
Money was coming in steadily until then. Two local businessmen
promised to donate a combined $35,000. People were generous. Loyd
was excited.
Then the terrorist attacks occurred.
Contributions began going to funds created for families of those
who died that day. Other people needed help and they were getting
it. But Loyd wasn't.
Almost four months have passed and Loyd's bank account to save
her house is the same as it was in September, at an estimated
$2,500.
That's why Christmas was difficult for her this year, she said.
Her Christmas wish didn't come true.
"I don't have what I had last year," Loyd said this week as she
fidgeted with a handkerchief and stared out her living room window.
"I hope I will. I've been praying and praying."
Loyd was a full-time housekeeper for 20 years. She not only kept
a local family's house in tip-top shape, but she spent the years
raising their four children, as well as two of her own.
.gif) |
AT A GLANCE
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To donate
to save Loyd's home, call (941) 649-8050 or make checks payable
to: Celebration Community Church/care of Maggie Loyd, 4100
Corporate Square, Suite No. 153, Naples, 34104 or River Park
Coalition for Justice benefit of Maggie Loyd, First National
Bank of Naples, contact James Schultz.
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Loyd now spends her days tending to her flowers. She likes to sit
in front of her bright, pink house on cool days and clear nights.
She says hello to neighbors. They call her Ms. Maggie Loyd, as if
she had one long first name.
The community respects her.
So when River Park residents heard about Loyd's financial problem,
no one hesitated to help. The residents are as close as a blood-related
family, Coalition President Charles Towns said.
Towns, 30, grew up across the street from Loyd. He remembers
playing in her back yard, eating her home-cooked meals that made
his mouth water just by the smell and being scolded by her when
she caught him throwing rocks at alligators in the Gordon River.
"Everyone helped raise everyone here," Towns said. "So when you
see one in need, your heart goes out to that person. For her to
lose her home, that's a tragedy."
The Rev. Joseph Williams of Triumph Church also came to Loyd's
side. If there were a mayor in River Park, he would likely be
voted into office. Most River Park residents go to him for help,
he said, but Loyd didn't have to.
Maggie Loyd, now a widow, married James Loyd in Williams' house
years ago. Williams conducted the service. Since then, they've
been close friends.
"I felt compelled to help," Williams said. "That's the spirit
of Naples."
Unfortunately the help of loved ones still isn't enough to get
back the one thing Loyd so badly wants. Towns and Williams provide
as much financial support as possible. The Celebration Church
paid off $550 in taxes she owed. Friends have paid off water and
electric bills.
Although most members of his congregation are on fixed incomes
as Loyd is, Williams said members still plan to start a collection
for her.
While predatory lending is suspected in Loyd's case, it hasn't
been confirmed. Predatory lenders prey on elderly, infirm residents
with limited education who usually live in economically depressed
areas. Predatory lenders charge exorbitant interest rates and
pile on late charges and other fees until the borrowers can never
pay back the loans. Then they foreclose.
After refinancing her home in 1997 because she needed to pay
for a new roof, Loyd got behind on utility bills. She couldn't
make her mortgage payments on her $600 a month Social Security
check.
Mathis, who cannot read or write, was unable to help his mother.
Fortunately, Shapiro has agreed to help
Loyd and Mathis as much as he can. Williams calls Shapiro a blessing
from God. Most attorneys would have refused to work out a deal
with Loyd, but Shapiro immediately felt compelled to help.
"I don't want to kick someone out on
the street who doesn't deserve to be," Shapiro said. "I know she
was a hard-working woman. I don't really think she knew what was
going on. I would like to see her buy it back."
So would the River Park community. Towns is hoping people will
start donating money so Loyd can spend next Christmas in a home
that is hers once again.
"Christ gave his life for us, so Christmas is about giving,"
Towns said. "I'm doing what I can do. If someone wants to give
to her, that would be a blessing."
To donate to save Loyd's home, call (941) 649-8050 or make checks
payable to: Celebration Community Church/care of Maggie Loyd,
4100 Corporate Square, Suite No. 153, Naples, 34104 or River Park
Coalition for Justice benefit of Maggie Loyd, First National Bank
of Naples, contact James Schultz.
Also in today's
Naples section:
Collier
Sheriff's Office adding new categories to Wanted posters
Community Center
supervisor named Golden Gate's Citizen of the Year
Corrections
East
Naples woman's work has meant dozens of wheelchairs for Latin
America
Joel
Eskovitz: Fuzzy math in manatee regulation responses
Law
requires doctors to write legible prescriptions
Man
found dead in Chokoloskee bay identified
Muddy
shoe prints lead to burglar's downfall
No
stipulations on developers for growth change, PAB says
Photo:
Taking pictures in the neighborhood
Police
Beat: Crime reports for Collier County
Special
education teacher faces child abuse charges
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