RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Lindsay Hernandez and Morgan Kinder have shared plenty of hugs, but the one they shared last week was extra special.
Lindsay, Morgan’s former teacher, may have just saved her beloved students and her family from homelessness.
“I love her a lot,” Morgan said.
Just a few weeks ago, Morgan and her family were in trouble.
As Morgan’s mother, Kim Kinder, explains, she fell behind financially during the pandemic, missed some Homeowners Association (HOA) fee payments, and then struggled to pay the mortgage on their Riverview home.
Kim works a full-time job and has multiple side hustles. Her husband, who uses a wheelchair, receives disability checks. However, she says that combined income wasn’t enough to pay the bills and provide for their daughters, including Morgan, who has Down Syndrome.
“For us, it was scary, because I have two handicapped people in the house, taking care of children, and where are we supposed to go?” Kim said.
Luckily, Lindsay Hernandez and her husband, Mike, were compelled to help.
Mike is the principal at Northeast High School in St. Pete. Lindsay was a special education specialist at Spoto High School in Riverview, where she met Morgan.
“I love Morgan,” Lindsay said. “She changed me. And as an educator, the days are tough, right? The days are long, and they are tough. But there is something about being, you know, being Morgan-bombed down the hallway. Hernandez!”
That relationship lasted even after Morgan graduated and after Lindsay left education for a new career in real estate. That relationship likely prevented Morgan and her family from losing their home.
“This decision was — it was — there was no doubt,” Mike said. “It was the right thing to do.”
“It really wasn’t a decision. It was more of a calling. Mike and I are very faithful people, and we felt led to follow what our hearts were being asked to do,” his wife added. “Anybody who is also a person of faith can attest to when you hear it, you can’t unhear it, and it was the right thing.”
According to Lindsay, she and her husband stopped the foreclosure of the Kinders’ home, purchased it, and paid off the debts using some of their own retirement savings to make it happen.
“Yes, we’ve worked really hard. Yes, it’s for retirement, but we’ll just work a few more years and replenish the nest egg,” Lindsay said.
But they share their story not to take a bow but to make a request.
“We wanted to tell the story, because it doesn’t end here,” Lindsay said.
They would like to find an affordable, accessible place for the Kinder family to live, or they need some help renovating the current home so it would pass inspection and make the family eligible for financial assistance.
“Roofing is a big need,” Mike Hernandez said. “There’s some roofing work that needs to be done. Exterior fencing. There’s some electrical and plumbing things that need to be done as well.”
It was a lasting love between the former teacher and her former student that inspired them to act. Now, they hope others will join them in what they’re calling their "kindness mission."
“The opportunities are endless, really,” Lindsay Hernandez said. “It doesn’t always have to be so grandiose. Small things matter too, but we’re hoping that maybe we can inspire others to jump on our kindness mission and keep this train moving.”
If you can help, contact Lindsay and Mike Hernandez at 813-453-6209.
