GRAMERCY — Friends and admirers of a local Cub Scout troop leader who's losing her home following the death of her husband this summer are rallying to her aid, launching a fundraiser to keep her in the neighborhood.
Maureen Riley, a scoutmaster for the area's children since 1993, is about to lose her home of 37 years after her husband, who worked as live-in manager of their building near Gramercy Park, died of cancer in July.
Charles and Maureen Riley had raised four sons in their Lexington Avenue home, and the apartment was part of her Charles' income. Maureen, 59, volunteers at the Epiphany School on East 22nd Street, and has led the local Cub Scout troop, working with thousands of boys from Stuyvesant Town, Gramercy and surrounding neighborhoods.
Her years of service has earned her recognition from local and national outlets including NY1 and Scouting magazine.
Before Charles died, he worked out a deal with their landlord to let Maureen stay in the apartment through the end of the year, but with her last months in the building running out, she's now deep in her search for an apartment after decades staying in one place.
"I can't complain, because they're letting me stay until the end of the year, and that's a gift," Maureen said. "But they need someone to take care of the building."
Now friends and neighbors are flocking to her at her time of need, starting a GoFundMe campaign that's already raised $16,000 in just over a week.
The campaign was spearheaded by Cindy Kue, a mother of three boys who did Cub Scouts with Riley and worked with Riley's assistant scoutmaster to set it up.
"She's so active in the troop and so much of her life is here in Manhattan, so we're trying to give her enough of a cushion to stay here," Kue said.
The campaign had raised more than $6,000 after just two days after it went live, Kue added.
"Maureen made this her life's work, and people who know her and her work want to acknowledge that," she said. "She's a tenacious and strong person, but [Charles] was her best friend and partner for decades, so we wanted to help her out."
Cub Scout parent Kristi Greges Gannon has also been pushing her fellow Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village residents to donate.
"Maureen Riley is such a wonderful person and has done so much for so many," she said.
For the first week since the campaign went live, Riley said she refused to look at the site because she was so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
"I'm not the type of person who wants to be given something. I always try to be giving back," she said. "I keep saying, 'money doesn't matter, its your love and support that matters.'"
She has been applying for as many affordable housing lotteries as she can, and she's grateful for the help that could help tide her over in a temporary home until she hears back about her applications.
"This is my home, but looking around, it's tough," she said.
The owner of Riley's building could not immediately be reached for comment.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of Riley's children.
