Help Caitlin Baker recover from robbery!
Donation protected
In August, Caitlin Baker opened her home to a person in need, and was subsequently robbed and had her home violated in a number of ways. She is still dealing with the financial and emotional impacts of this event, including identity theft and destruction of her car. We are calling on people’s holly jolly generosity to help her get back on her feet. This campaign aims to raise $15 000 for Caitlin with extra proceeds going to the Klinic Crisis Line.
What follows are some interesting incentives for your contributions to this campaign. Lower down you can read Caitlin’s story and an explanation of her losses.
Please share as widely as you can! ♥️
The bribes:
The music/fiddle community has rallied around this wonderful person and musician to offer some fun rewards for your participation:
- Every contributor will receive a thank you letter and a button. Whoopie!
- Every contributor is entered into a draw for the chance to win an old-time Kitchen Party. What is a Kitchen Party? It’s a down-home-good time fueled by traditional music (often Irish, often in the kitchen), good friends, fun, and food. At a place and time of your choosing, invite some friends out and a brigade of fiddles, guitars, accordions, and banjos will arrive to provide the fun. Includes organized dancing, games, and food.
- Another draw winner will receive custom sticker design and production by local designer/entrepreneur Amy Jackson of Native Love Notes. Prize includes design and a run of 30 stickers.
- The top four donors will have fiddle tunes written and named for them by legendary Canadian trad musicians Donna Turk, Daniel Koulack, Marcel Hapel, and Tom Brennan.
The Story
Caitlin opened her home to an acquaintance going through a mental health struggle who needed a place to be safe and regain stability. Over the course of two days, while she was away working, her guest opened the apartment to their own friends who proceeded to steal literally anything of value and soil and ransack the place. They engaged in several shocking activities, including smoking crystal meth, wearing and soiling Caitlin’s clothes, and destroying furniture. Her car was stolen and eventually found, destroyed.
The process of engaging the police, trying to track down their things at various pawn shops, cleaning, and dealing with the outcome of this event continues to be excruciating and infuriating. Few answers, less accountability, and a huge amount of stress.
Major items lost include:
• Car
• Banjo
• Amps and effects pedals
• Electronics (laptop, tablet for music charts, photo printer, TV, Nintendo Switch)
• Tools of all sorts
• Camping gear
• Clothes, including winter jacket
• Couch and mattress (soiled and damaged beyond repair)
• Regular household items (blankets, sheets, hamper, garbage bins, dish cloths - on and on, amounting to a significant amount of money.)
Other items/costs:
• Professional cleaning
• Changing locks
• Lost teaching and gigging opportunities
• Important paperwork and in-process applications
• Sentimental items
Above and beyond the theft of 'things' Caitlin has lost her passport, SIN card, and debit card, leading to an ongoing struggle to stop her identity being used to create various accounts. This has led to copious amounts of time spent looking for answers, damage to her credit score, and the continued stress of not knowing how her identity is being used.
Emotionally and psychologically this has been a destabilizing event. It's already tough trying to work as a musician, and now Caitlin is stretched to the max taking work to recover. Your contribution to the cause will make a huge difference easing the burden as this awesome woman gets back on her feet!
Organizer
Murray Jowett
Organizer
Winnipeg, MB