Let's Rebuild Terry's Home!
Donation protected
On June 11, 2014, my dear friend Terry Ebert's life changed drastically. This is her story:
It was on that June afternoon that Terry was at the library when she received a phone call. Her neighbor was calling to tell her that her house was on fire. Frantic, Terry jumped in her car and raced home. The first thought on her mind was that her three dogs (and only living family members) were in the house. When she arrived home, the front of her yard was full of people, lights, and emergency vehicles. She learned that somehow, something on her stove caught fire which quickly spread throughout her kitchen, dining room, and laundry room area. The rest of the house suffered horrible smoke damage. Perhaps the worst news of all for Terry was that her dog, Amos, did not survive the fire and smoke. He had been trapped in the main part of the house while the other two managed to run to the back.
I met Terry when she was a substitute teacher. I worked at an elementary school where she took one of her first sub jobs. I immediately bonded with her and admired her love for teaching and children. The year of 2014 (the same year as the fire) was the year I decided to leave teaching to open my own small business: a preschool. I asked Terry to join me as a classroom teacher, and she always completely supported my dream. Now, I want to somehow find a way to support her dream: living in her house again.
This was the home that she grew up in with her parents and her brother. Unfortunately, all of them have passed away, but their memories live on in that house. Terry has become like family to me. As soon as I heard about her house fire, I opened my house to her, and she moved in with my family. She longs to be in her home, however, and spends the majority of her time in that half-burnt house. The problem with this is that she has no functioning heat or even electricity, many walls are torn down to the studs, and remnants of smoke cover most of the inside.
Our school has done some fundraising but has only been able to raise a minimal amount of funds. I am hoping that with your help, perhaps we can support Terry's dreams and help her get back into her house permanently. We have a team of people who will help with labor, but we need funds for materials to complete numerous projects.
Terry calls the project of rebuilding her home The Phoenix Project and says, "I dream that, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, my house can be restored enough to once again become my home."
It was on that June afternoon that Terry was at the library when she received a phone call. Her neighbor was calling to tell her that her house was on fire. Frantic, Terry jumped in her car and raced home. The first thought on her mind was that her three dogs (and only living family members) were in the house. When she arrived home, the front of her yard was full of people, lights, and emergency vehicles. She learned that somehow, something on her stove caught fire which quickly spread throughout her kitchen, dining room, and laundry room area. The rest of the house suffered horrible smoke damage. Perhaps the worst news of all for Terry was that her dog, Amos, did not survive the fire and smoke. He had been trapped in the main part of the house while the other two managed to run to the back.
I met Terry when she was a substitute teacher. I worked at an elementary school where she took one of her first sub jobs. I immediately bonded with her and admired her love for teaching and children. The year of 2014 (the same year as the fire) was the year I decided to leave teaching to open my own small business: a preschool. I asked Terry to join me as a classroom teacher, and she always completely supported my dream. Now, I want to somehow find a way to support her dream: living in her house again.
This was the home that she grew up in with her parents and her brother. Unfortunately, all of them have passed away, but their memories live on in that house. Terry has become like family to me. As soon as I heard about her house fire, I opened my house to her, and she moved in with my family. She longs to be in her home, however, and spends the majority of her time in that half-burnt house. The problem with this is that she has no functioning heat or even electricity, many walls are torn down to the studs, and remnants of smoke cover most of the inside.
Our school has done some fundraising but has only been able to raise a minimal amount of funds. I am hoping that with your help, perhaps we can support Terry's dreams and help her get back into her house permanently. We have a team of people who will help with labor, but we need funds for materials to complete numerous projects.
Terry calls the project of rebuilding her home The Phoenix Project and says, "I dream that, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, my house can be restored enough to once again become my home."
Organizer and beneficiary
Mindy Farris
Organizer
Beaufort, SC
Terry Ebert
Beneficiary
