Hello. My name is Katie. This fundraiser is for my sister Wendy and her family (Leo/her husband, Brenda/her daughter, and Charlie/her son). I received a call from my sister today (7/10/23) and I immediately knew something was wrong. Through her voice cracking she said, “Everyone is okay…but…the house burnt down.” The next several minutes felt like a lifetime as she sobbed to me over the phone. She kept saying “It’s gone, it’s all gone.” While I tried my hardest to reassure her that it will be okay, it is truly heartbreaking to know they have lost everything. Thankfully everyone is safe, and a home can be rebuilt, but the pain that comes with losing a lifetime of memories has now taken over. My sister and brother-in-law adopted my niece and nephew from Guatemala and brought them to that beautiful home. Wendy and Leo would raise them to be kind, smart and loving kids, all the while protected in their dream log cabin that they hand built. This home was their safe place, a special piece of their story from almost the very beginning of their lives as a couple. Their entire lives wrapped up in the hand placed logs. It housed the pitter-patter of small feet, the growth of their children, endless laughs and priceless memories, their firsts and their lasts, and the years that would gracefully age them. It evolved with their family and will always be a part of who they are. -- This was the place my sister wanted to grow old with her husband, on the porches they built together, overlooking their modest pond and their quiet land. Many know this home, their property, and this wonderful family. Of course, it would become a place for family birthday parties, cookouts, outdoor activities and the like, but it was also a fun spot for many others too. With their educational backgrounds, Wendy and Leo ran summer camps for years, hosted boy/girl scout troops, special needs children, and many more that came out to their land to camp and fish, interact with all sorts of animals, and get back to the beauty of nature. All the while that beautiful log home stood as the “anchor” for it all. I’m asking to everyone who is reading this to please help the most selfless family I have the honor of knowing. The amount of giving and helping they have done throughout their years to so many families hold no number. Never once expecting anything in return. In fact, I’m sure they’d be stopping me right now if they knew I created a fundraiser for them because of how little they ask and knowing that someway/somehow, they will bounce back. And they WILL. Anything, at all, that we can do to help them will never be taken for granted. They will bounce back, but I’m asking for your help to have that happen.
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