Carla & Perry - River Fire Everything Lost
Donation protected
UPDATE 8/25/20: Our goal has been revised upwards. Carla and Perry have recently learned that they need more to rebuild than the insurance company will provide them. Please donate and share, if you can. And thank you so much to all the amazing donors who have already contributed to this fund for our dear friends.
On August 16th, a dry-lightning strike ignited a seemingly contained fire in a canyon south of Salinas, California. Fire crews arrived quickly, but the wind had other ideas. It kicked up, changed directions, and swept the fire down the canyon, igniting tinder-dry grass along the way. The devastating River Fire was born. One of the first houses destroyed, burned to the ground, was that of our dear friend Carla and her husband, Perry.
Carla is the devoted, caring, inspiring librarian at an independent school in Monterey. She has shepherded hundreds of students in her career, teaching them to be good critical thinkers, thoughtful consumers of information, and adept researchers. She advises students and faculty alike on reading material for classes and personal enjoyment. She makes us laugh.
Carla and Perry, a former Navy man, spent a lifetime traveling the world, having been stationed in different places in the US and around the globe. They had collected treasures in each of the places they lived. In recent weeks, as we held faculty meetings virtually, we have all gotten used to seeing Carla in her home, beautiful woodwork all around her, the warmth of the decorations reflecting the warmth of her personality.
Carla and Perry have each other, thankfully, and their son is well, though devastated that his childhood home is gone. Other than that, everything is gone.
Carla's friends and colleagues have created this Go Fund Me page out of love and deep respect for her and her family. Insurance will go a long way towards helping her recover, but there will be so many unexpected costs along the way, not to mention the million pangs of grief that are to come as she realizes the loss of something that hadn't registered before, the unsettled feeling of starting again from scratch.
Please share your love for Carla, Perry, and Collin by donating to this Go Fund Me campaign. Anything and everything helps and reminds the McDowells that they have a community of supporters who hold them dearly and have their backs, no matter what.
On August 16th, a dry-lightning strike ignited a seemingly contained fire in a canyon south of Salinas, California. Fire crews arrived quickly, but the wind had other ideas. It kicked up, changed directions, and swept the fire down the canyon, igniting tinder-dry grass along the way. The devastating River Fire was born. One of the first houses destroyed, burned to the ground, was that of our dear friend Carla and her husband, Perry.
Carla is the devoted, caring, inspiring librarian at an independent school in Monterey. She has shepherded hundreds of students in her career, teaching them to be good critical thinkers, thoughtful consumers of information, and adept researchers. She advises students and faculty alike on reading material for classes and personal enjoyment. She makes us laugh.
Carla and Perry, a former Navy man, spent a lifetime traveling the world, having been stationed in different places in the US and around the globe. They had collected treasures in each of the places they lived. In recent weeks, as we held faculty meetings virtually, we have all gotten used to seeing Carla in her home, beautiful woodwork all around her, the warmth of the decorations reflecting the warmth of her personality.
Carla and Perry have each other, thankfully, and their son is well, though devastated that his childhood home is gone. Other than that, everything is gone.
Carla's friends and colleagues have created this Go Fund Me page out of love and deep respect for her and her family. Insurance will go a long way towards helping her recover, but there will be so many unexpected costs along the way, not to mention the million pangs of grief that are to come as she realizes the loss of something that hadn't registered before, the unsettled feeling of starting again from scratch.
Please share your love for Carla, Perry, and Collin by donating to this Go Fund Me campaign. Anything and everything helps and reminds the McDowells that they have a community of supporters who hold them dearly and have their backs, no matter what.
Organizer and beneficiary
Joyce Sherry
Organizer
Salinas, CA
Carla McDowell
Beneficiary
