My Mom & Aunt, 72 & 73 now homeless
Donation protected
My Mom just had her 72nd birthday...and days later on 11/8/18 she lost everything in the terrible Camp Fire in Butte County. Every photo, every article of clothing, all her furniture...any shred of evidence of an entire life lived...is now gone. My aunt Yvonne Aiton and my mother Susan Aiton moved back to Paradise, Ca a few months ago, rented two little houses in a senior complex right next door to each other, and barely escaped those houses with their lives Thursday morning. Neither had obtained renters insurance amidst the chaos of moving. My son, ex-husband, and his fiancée and kids also lost their home and pets.
Listening to my mom sob as she drove through a wall of flames all around her, questioning whether she would survive, I thought I might be listening as she died. I was terrified. I can’t even imagine how she and 10,000’s of other Paradise residents felt. Thankfully her and my aunt were able to make it down to my home in the Bay Area, but they arrived with just the clothes on their backs. It sounds cliche, but they were able to grab nothing else...save my grandma’s hand-painted urn that contains my grandpa’s ashes. A small blessing. My son is now safely with me as well.
My mother is on an extremely fixed income, has no home to go back to, and no source of income to replace her belongings. My son grabbed only his clothes...all else was lost. The only home he’s ever known no longer exists. Nor does the elementary school he attended or the hospital he was born in.
As I scrambled to get to the store this afternoon to buy them deodorant, toothbrushes, and at least a pair of pajamas each... I quickly realized that for the first time in my adult life I may need to set aside my pride and ask for help. My family is in crisis. Many people have suffered loss’ in this fire and it will only get worse as the damage is assessed. My old network up there is utterly broken...no one was spared. So I am reaching out to my new network in the Bay Area and beyond. My hometown is gone. Thousands of people need our help, my mother, aunt, and son among them. Anything you can give would be greatly appreciated by myself and my family. I do not have any social media aside from LinkedIn, please share on yours if you see fit.
Your donations have so far been used to buy new clothes, undergarments, toiletries, gas, and food for my aunt and mom. They will be staying with me for the foreseeable future and are incredibly grateful. The funds will be withdrawn out of this campaign under my name on behalf of my family and used for their everyday living expenses, then evenly dispersed to them to use to obtain new housing.
Thank you!
-Kelly Wells
Listening to my mom sob as she drove through a wall of flames all around her, questioning whether she would survive, I thought I might be listening as she died. I was terrified. I can’t even imagine how she and 10,000’s of other Paradise residents felt. Thankfully her and my aunt were able to make it down to my home in the Bay Area, but they arrived with just the clothes on their backs. It sounds cliche, but they were able to grab nothing else...save my grandma’s hand-painted urn that contains my grandpa’s ashes. A small blessing. My son is now safely with me as well.
My mother is on an extremely fixed income, has no home to go back to, and no source of income to replace her belongings. My son grabbed only his clothes...all else was lost. The only home he’s ever known no longer exists. Nor does the elementary school he attended or the hospital he was born in.
As I scrambled to get to the store this afternoon to buy them deodorant, toothbrushes, and at least a pair of pajamas each... I quickly realized that for the first time in my adult life I may need to set aside my pride and ask for help. My family is in crisis. Many people have suffered loss’ in this fire and it will only get worse as the damage is assessed. My old network up there is utterly broken...no one was spared. So I am reaching out to my new network in the Bay Area and beyond. My hometown is gone. Thousands of people need our help, my mother, aunt, and son among them. Anything you can give would be greatly appreciated by myself and my family. I do not have any social media aside from LinkedIn, please share on yours if you see fit.
Your donations have so far been used to buy new clothes, undergarments, toiletries, gas, and food for my aunt and mom. They will be staying with me for the foreseeable future and are incredibly grateful. The funds will be withdrawn out of this campaign under my name on behalf of my family and used for their everyday living expenses, then evenly dispersed to them to use to obtain new housing.
Thank you!
-Kelly Wells
Organizer
Kelly Wells
Organizer
Fairfield, CA
