You can’t prepare for moments like these. It happened so quickly. On July 4, 2024, an explosion of fireworks and gasoline set my daughter Cherie’s house ablaze. It was a helpless, terrifying event to watch unfold, while at the same time trying to make a safe escape with her children, and their newly adopted service pet, Ezra. Within seconds the main structure of the home, and all of its contents was turned into soot and ashes. Very little, if any, is salvageable. Gone in seconds were the cherished keepsakes and the hard work from 20+ years of building a home together. Yet they rejoiced - they still had each other. Cherie, her husband Steven, and their children, Amara 18, Celeste 16, Lucas 14, and Ella 13, live a quiet, humble life in Beebe, Arkansas. They lived on a street in a small suburb and they loved life there. Right now they are desperate to find a rental home, and then comes the task of dealing with all of the tiny, yet important details of putting life back together again. They are not only dealing with the loss of their home and all of its contents, but they are struggling with the trauma of watching their home vanish right before their eyes. I cannot imagine the pain they are feeling right now. The kids miss their bedrooms, their stuffed animals, their music, their comforters, their pillows. They miss the smell of their clothes, the feeling of safety they got living their tiny home which to them was their castle. They miss sitting in the living room together watching a movie. They miss home as they now have to navigate so many uncertainties of “What comes next?", hour by hour and day by day. It’s an unsettling place to be. Many of you have asked what their immediate needs are. Cherie and Steven and kids are in immediate need of the basics: clothes, beds, sheets, towels, a stove, table, pots, pans, dishes. They are beginning from ground zero. All money donated to them will go for the purchase of these necessary items to help them get situated in temporary housing. It will be months before any of the rebuilding process can begin. In the meantime, thank you for helping this family adjust to their new circumstances in life. Any little bit matters deeply, and if you're not able to give financially, a note of encourgement would mean so much as well. Thank you for your love and prayers. Thank you for caring. Thank you for helping Cherie, Steven, and kids get back on their feet. With love, Clara (mother).
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