NY Woman's Website Allows Users To Build A New Family
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Think that you can pick your friends but not your family? Think again.
A Queens woman has created a website that allows users to build a new family. Chooseafamily.com lets users search an online database for the family members that they never had.
Creator Kim Parshley grew up in Astoria as part of a close knit, happy family. But when she was 13, her father passed away. Her mother was stressed and overworked, trying to provide for Kim and her sister.
Kim's mother never remarried and much of what was once a large extended family began to move away.
After graduating college Kim worked in sales and eventually real estate. Her goal as a realtor was to take her mother out of her Astoria apartment and move her into a dream home.
But that dream never came true, Kim's mother died of lung cancer in 2007.
Her mother's death became the inspiration for Choose A Family.
"I spent many days feeling very lonely wishing they were still here," she told 1010 WINS reporter John Montone.
The site lets users search for new family members anywhere in the world based on an endless variety of shared values and interests.
"It's very easy, you go on the website and enter your own search criteria based on your own morals and values," she said.
1010 WINS Reporter John Montone with Kim Parshley...
Podcast
The site is for anybody who feels that there is a void in their family life. People who have lost a loved one, are geographically separated from family, or who have never had the brother or sister that they always wanted may benefit from the site, according to Parshley.
"I lost my own Dad when I was just seven years old. It would be nice to have someone to bounce ideas off. Friends are OK but sometimes family is better," said user Denice Jaspers.
Parshley believes that no one should spend Thanksgiving eating dinner alone and hopes that the website will help fill in the empty spaces in other people's lives.
In addition to family members, users may also search for friends and mentors. Interested web surfers can find the site at: www.chooseafamily.com/
What do you think? Will you be choosing a family? Let us know in our comments section below...
