The story of Hank and Helen Kawecki of Thousand Oaks, California, is a testament to both the fragility of trust and the enduring power of community. In their late 80s, Hank and Helen found themselves in a dire situation, facing eviction from their home of 56 years due to a scam perpetrated by their own grandson, Chadd Moore.
Hank and Helen love to dance. In their younger days, the Thousand Oaks couple would trip the light fantastic at glamorous Hollywood night spots. All these years later and with all they have been through, their eyes light up as memory sweeps them back to those bygone ballrooms. But this year, though, fate played an uninvited tune. In October, they were evicted from their home of 55 years through a series of events under investigation by Ventura County Sheriff’s Office detectives.
The Betrayal
The Kaweckis say their grandson Chadd Moore convinced them in April 2014 to sign over to him the deed to the 2,000-squarefoot, midcentury post-and-beam house they bought directly from the builder in 1960. The Kaweckis say Moore convinced them to hand over the deed of their house with the promise of always taking care of them. But Hank and Helen say instead, Moore took out loans on the house, never repaid them and sold the house without their knowledge.
Doug Emerson, a neighbor who’s been helping the elderly couple, says, “He saw a chance to take this house, mortgage it to the hilt and spend the money and that’s what he did.” Hank and Helen say when they confronted their grandson, he disappeared. We tried to get Moore’s side of the story but he never responded to our request for an interview.
Community Rallies to Help
First it was the neighbors. Art Kraft, a one-time Acorn reporter, spread the word to the media. Doug Emerson hopped online to research deeds and loans on the home. His wife, Linda, and other neighbors gave moral support. As word spread, so did the circle of support.
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People from around the globe-3,880 of them-had raised $128,475 as of Wednesday. Home Depot in Oxnard donated flooring. Kennan Plumbing and Pipe Supply in Ventura gave toilets and sinks. PCW Contracting in Costa Mesa offered plumbing, painting and floor installation. Locally, a group from Lifesong Christian Communities Church in Newbury Park ripped out filthy carpet and shelf paper. Members of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Explorer program, who started helping the Kaweckis months ago, showed up early on the morning of Sept.
They bought the coach with money raised on a GoFundMe account set up by their former neighbors Doug and Linda Emerson. A retired chief financial officer for a big school district, Doug Emerson expected they’d raise maybe $10,000 through crowdsourcing. When the Kaweckis’ plight went viral, however, the contributions exploded. More than 3,900 donors pitched in $129,000, so far.
Moving Forward
On Sept. 24, they moved all their worldly possessions-what was left after extreme paring down-into a used double-wide mobile home in Newbury Park. To say the mobile home was rundown when Hank and Helen bought it would be like saying the Titanic got into a little fender bender. Volunteers flooded the home to purge the ugly. Businesses such as Home Depot, Kennan Plumbing and Pipe Supply, SC Coastal Electric - to name a few - supplied labor and materials to upgrade the coach.
On Thursday, volunteer Willie McNally carefully hung in a place of honor a stained-glass artwork created by Helen’s late daughter. Linda Tomela stopped by to drop off a holiday succulent arrangement and to inspect the Kaweckis’ side yard, which she has been landscaping. A recent AT&T retiree, McNally is a former in-law. Tomela only met the couple after reading about their trouble in the papers.
“I feel sorry for people to whom the same thing happened as happened to us,” Helen said, “except they don’t have people like these in their lives.” She says she is almost to the point of being able to let go, maybe even forgive, what happened. But all is not calm and bright. The civil case the Kaweckis filed against Moore still is in the courts.
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Their GoFundMe money will help pay their space rent for another couple of years, and after that, cash could get really tight. And while people like those already mentioned stand by the Kaweckis, some of their family members have cut off communication, the couple says. “You finally find out who your friends are,” Hank observed.
A proud son of blue-collar Detroit, Hank confesses he breaks into unexpected tears these days. The waterworks overwhelm him when he finds himself worrying about Helen’s health and the toll the turmoil has taken on her. She’s been falling as the result of mobility challenges and is under a doctor’s care. To save Hank the worry, Helen might “accidentally” forget to tell him about a spill. Not too long ago, Hank discovered a bruise on Helen’s neck when he was brushing her hair. She confessed she fell against the bathtub. “I’ve got to keep her in good health. I’d be lost without her,” he told me.
Helen, his favorite partner, must sit out dancing for the near future. But word is spreading around the mobile home park about Hank’s smooth moves on the dance floor. He has been asked to teach classes. When I tell him I can’t dance, he assures me I can learn.
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