GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN - Giving Love, Comfort & Hope to Catherine (Jerris) and Her Girls

I am writing this with a very heavy but hopeful heart, as a close friend to an incredible woman named Catherine – Jerris.

For those who may not have had the privilege of meeting or working with Catherine, she was born in Guyana, South America and raised in the United States and went to school in New York and Michigan before moving to Canada over 20 years ago to pursue her calling as a Social Worker and Counsellor.

For the past 3 years, she has worked with the Vancouver Coastal Health Public Health Nurse Program, dedicating her career to supporting some of the most vulnerable families in Vancouver.

Catherine has always been someone who gives her time, her care, her heart-without ever expecting anything in return.

Catherine is a daughter, sister, aunt, friend and most importantly, an amazing single Mother to her 14-year-old twin daughters, Joann and Gem. Her girls are her world.

About two years ago, Catherine developed a serious illness. Even through intensive treatment, constant pain, and increasing weakness, she continued to work without taking a single day of sick leave. She showed up-for her job, for her clients, and always for her daughters. She attended school functions, sports events, and extracurricular activities, all while navigating the challenges of raising teenage girls. She never complained. She never asked for help. She fought quietly and bravely.

Sadly, despite the tireless efforts of her doctors and medical team, Catherine has recently received the devastating news that her illness has progressed, and she has been told that her time on this earth is limited to months.

This is why we are fundraising.

As her Friend, I am setting up this GoFundMe to help ease some of the burdens Catherine is carrying and to support what matters most to her, her daughters. The funds raised will be used for:

• Food delivery and daily living support, so Catherine can conserve her energy and focus on being present with her girls.

• Creating moments of comfort and joy during this limited time.

• Supporting Joann and Gem’s future, helping provide stability and care after the unthinkable.

Catherine has spent her life helping others. Now, she needs us.

Donations of any size will make a real difference whether it’s ensuring a warm meal arrives at the door, easing financial stress, or helping secure her daughters’ future.

More than anything, this fundraiser is about love, dignity, and community coming together to lift someone who has always lifted others.

If you are able to give, please know that your kindness will directly impact Catherine and her girls in the most meaningful way. If you’re unable to donate, sharing this page and keeping Catherine, Joann, and Gem in your thoughts means just as much.

I know how devastating Catherine’s condition is, and I also know that when Family, Friends, and Community come together, we can make her remaining time on this earth gentler, lighter, and filled with love. I invite you truly, from the bottom of my heart—to join us in doing just that.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for giving if you can.