Matt and Aileen's Lost House Fund
Donation protected
If you're reading this, you can't possibly have missed hearing about the devastating fire that's ravaging Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada. It wasn't immediately apparent how severe the fire would be or what it would take from the residents of that northern city. Although I live in Calgary now, I grew up in Fort McMurray and my brother and sister-in-law have lived there together in their house for the past twelve years.
My brother, Matt, was at his home in the suburb of Abasand when he heard that he'd have to evacuate. His wife, Aileen, was at work. He didn't have much time to pack - he grabbed his three saxophones, two of Aileen's favourite guitars, some of their clothes and their dog, Juno . He ran around the house taking photos and pictures of everything else. At this point he thought he might be gone for a few days - it was only when he went outside and loaded up his work van and started trying to leave that he realized the awful truth - they probably weren't going to have a home to come back to.
The next hours unfolded in a blur for the evacuees. Aileen was stuck up in Gregoire at the other end of the city and needed to evacuate south to Anzac. Matt had to evacuate north and the two were separated. He was able to make it to a friend's house in Ft McKay, but his van was out of diesel. He was safe, and soon Aileen was able to start driving slowly south to Edmonton. It wouldn't be until the next day that he'd be able to join her. At this point, it still wasn't clear how much Fort McMurray had been damaged. Was their house still standing? Abasand was reported as being "severely damaged."
Then someone posted a photo of their house in Abasand at 103 on the same street. Matt and Aileen's house was number 109, to the right of where this photo was taken. They had lost everything except the few things they'd been able to save. Their home was definitely gone.
Now faced with the daunting task of having to rebuild their lives together, I want to tell you that there aren't two people who love Fort McMurray more than Matt and Aileen. Their roots there are deep. Matt grew up in Abasand and has lived in the city for thirty-one years, now owning a small business based there. Aileen immigrated from Australia and has lived in Fort McMurray for sixteen years, choosing to make it truly her home.
Their love for their city is evident to everyone who knows them. Once a month for a good portion of the year they host HomeRoutes concerts in their house, and they're both involved in the local music scene. Matt and Aileen's house was often the gathering place for many friends to have jam sessions , play games together and hang out. They'd remodeled the kitchen, installed a home theatre in the basement, and developed the yard so it was perfect for them. Their doors were always open in welcome.
Since they've been the victims of this horrific natural disaster, Matt and Aileen need our help. They have to start again from nothing and the process of rebuilding will take time. It's hard to enumerate all of the things that they're going to need - what will your donated money be spent on? Everything from clothes and toiletries to all of the household items that were lost. Initially Matt and Aileen didn't want a GoFundMe campaign created for them because they felt that other people would need help more. That's the kind of people they are. Any money donated from this campaign that they don't need for their own rebuilding efforts they will be putting back into the community or donated to the Red Cross relief effort. They love Fort McMurray and will be doing everything they can to help their city get back on its feet.
Anything you can spare to help them will mean so much to them and to their family and loved ones. I know that they'll pay it forward. Just last year Matt co-created a benefit concert and silent auction campaign to raise $8000 for four houses in their area that were destroyed by fires, little knowing that they'd be in the same position themselves. But they're both still staying positive and keeping a brave face. It's hard to imagine two people more deserving of your help. Thank you for your kindness and generosity!
My brother, Matt, was at his home in the suburb of Abasand when he heard that he'd have to evacuate. His wife, Aileen, was at work. He didn't have much time to pack - he grabbed his three saxophones, two of Aileen's favourite guitars, some of their clothes and their dog, Juno . He ran around the house taking photos and pictures of everything else. At this point he thought he might be gone for a few days - it was only when he went outside and loaded up his work van and started trying to leave that he realized the awful truth - they probably weren't going to have a home to come back to.
The next hours unfolded in a blur for the evacuees. Aileen was stuck up in Gregoire at the other end of the city and needed to evacuate south to Anzac. Matt had to evacuate north and the two were separated. He was able to make it to a friend's house in Ft McKay, but his van was out of diesel. He was safe, and soon Aileen was able to start driving slowly south to Edmonton. It wouldn't be until the next day that he'd be able to join her. At this point, it still wasn't clear how much Fort McMurray had been damaged. Was their house still standing? Abasand was reported as being "severely damaged."
Then someone posted a photo of their house in Abasand at 103 on the same street. Matt and Aileen's house was number 109, to the right of where this photo was taken. They had lost everything except the few things they'd been able to save. Their home was definitely gone.
Now faced with the daunting task of having to rebuild their lives together, I want to tell you that there aren't two people who love Fort McMurray more than Matt and Aileen. Their roots there are deep. Matt grew up in Abasand and has lived in the city for thirty-one years, now owning a small business based there. Aileen immigrated from Australia and has lived in Fort McMurray for sixteen years, choosing to make it truly her home.
Their love for their city is evident to everyone who knows them. Once a month for a good portion of the year they host HomeRoutes concerts in their house, and they're both involved in the local music scene. Matt and Aileen's house was often the gathering place for many friends to have jam sessions , play games together and hang out. They'd remodeled the kitchen, installed a home theatre in the basement, and developed the yard so it was perfect for them. Their doors were always open in welcome.
Since they've been the victims of this horrific natural disaster, Matt and Aileen need our help. They have to start again from nothing and the process of rebuilding will take time. It's hard to enumerate all of the things that they're going to need - what will your donated money be spent on? Everything from clothes and toiletries to all of the household items that were lost. Initially Matt and Aileen didn't want a GoFundMe campaign created for them because they felt that other people would need help more. That's the kind of people they are. Any money donated from this campaign that they don't need for their own rebuilding efforts they will be putting back into the community or donated to the Red Cross relief effort. They love Fort McMurray and will be doing everything they can to help their city get back on its feet.
Anything you can spare to help them will mean so much to them and to their family and loved ones. I know that they'll pay it forward. Just last year Matt co-created a benefit concert and silent auction campaign to raise $8000 for four houses in their area that were destroyed by fires, little knowing that they'd be in the same position themselves. But they're both still staying positive and keeping a brave face. It's hard to imagine two people more deserving of your help. Thank you for your kindness and generosity!
Organizer
Stacey Lemire
Organizer
Calgary, AB
