SWFL Irma Relief

This is what parts of Southwest Florida--the villages of Everglades City, Goodland, and Chokoloskee--still look like, almost three weeks AFTER Irma.  Those of us in Naples have our power and our water back; we are back in school and back in air conditioning, while our neighbors to the south are dealing with trying to put their lives back together on the most basic levels.  The need is ENORMOUS.  Even people who still have homes standing--and many do not--have lost everything:  clothes, furniture, appliances.  The goal of this GoFundMe is to help people in all three towns purchase appliances to replace those that were lost to the storm.   People need refrigerators, water heaters, stoves, washers and dryers, window air conditioners.   The families of The Village School, where I work, have enthusiastically supported a campaign to collect cleaning supplies, and we've taken trucks full of bleach and sponges down every day for a week.  Now we need to get serious about raising money to replace some of what was lost.  Friends and family at a distance can help by donating now:  no gift is too small, though bigger is certainly good, too!  My husband, Captain Jerry Kernan, and I have set up a bank account just for these donations, and you have our solemn promise that every penny you give will go directly to a family in dire need of our support.   But please help.  And please share this campaign with your friends and family, on facebook and elsewhere.  We trust you to vouch for our sincerity and integrity.   They say that disasters like Irma bring out the best and the worst in people.  Now is our chance to take care of our neighbors in the best way we know how.  So many people will be so very grateful for anything you can do to help the residents of Everglades City, Goodland, and Chokoloskee return to normal.  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for anything you are able to give.