Rebuilding after Santa Rosa Fires

As most of you already know, the city of Santa Rosa and the surrounding areas were (and are still being) ravaged by horrific fires. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and thousands of people have been displaced. One of the hardest hit areas was Coffey Park, the neighboorhood in which I grew up. My family's home, where I grew up and still stay when I go home to visit, was completely destroyed by the fire. There is nothing left. My family is luckier than most in that my parents weren't living in this house at the time, so everyone is safe and still has a home to go to at night. However, we lost everything in the Keoke house--antique furniture inherited from my grandparents, all of our family photos, mementos from my childhood, and memories from so many family events. Much of what was lost is irreplaceable, but we also lost all the basics like clothes, dishes, bedding, appliances, and all the things you never think about until suddenly you don't have them anymore.

This home was where my brothers and I celebrated all our birthdays, where I had my graduation party, where my brother had his rehearsal dinner, and most recently, where I had a beautiful baby shower. This was where we planned to take our soon-to-be-born son for his first Christmas. This home was not only my childhood home, but was also "Hotel Keoke" where my parents constantly opened their doors to family, friends, co-workers, even friends of family members visiting from out of town. My parents have spent years renovating our home in order to make it a beautiful place for our family to enjoy, and now all of that has been lost. 

We are beyond thankful that everyone was able to evacuate safely when needed and that my family all still has somewhere to go. Now, we need to start the process of cleaning up and replacing what we can. We don't know yet what insurance will cover or how long that process will take, or even if rebuilding will be an option, but I would like to humbly ask for whatever contributions you can make to help my family sort through this disaster and replace some of what was lost. Sadly, I'm the only member of the family not living in the area, and because I'm about to give birth to the first grandchild, I can't go up and help my parents, and that breaks my heart. So, my way of helping out is by reaching out to all of you wonderful people and asking for your support. Anything you can donate would be a massive help and a huge blessing. 

Sending so much love,
Katie Mann  aka Guevara/Vleck/Raddatz :-)