On April 1st I woke up to some news I had hoped was just an April Fools joke. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a joke at all. 

Early that morning, Dad decided to start his day just how he liked it. He got dressed, poured himself a cup of coffee and headed out the door to go work on his vintage 1978 Jeep Renegade parked out in his blue pole shed located behind the house. He positioned cardboard under his Jeep on the  dirt floor of the shed for a clean work space. He was working under his Jeep when a good amount of fuel leaked from the fuel line. He had a light down there with him to see what he was doing  and when that cool fuel hit the hot light it caused it to break and pop sending sparks flying.  Those sparks landed on the saturated cardboard he was working on.  Fortunately, dad was able to get out from under the Jeep in time with minor burns. He had a fire extinguisher in his Jeep which he tried to use, but the fire was out of his control. At this point, he had no choice but to grab his dog and take off for the house to get on the phone and dial 911.

The fire department arrived as quickly as they could, but living out in the country, quite a few miles out of town, the fire had already taken over. They did the best they could but it wasn't containable. Eventually the fire was put out but EVERYTHING had burned down. When I say everything, I really mean everything. 

Dad's most cherished vehicle he's probably ever owned, the Jeep, was gone. That jeep had been around for as long as I can remember. We drove it all over the state of Wisconsin cruising backroads as kids. We even took it along on vacations hauling it behind our motorhome. He'd put countless hours of work into it to keep it on the road and adding updates to keep it in tip top shape. Working on the Jeep was his therapy. He loved that thing so much, he rarely stopped talking about it. It truly was his pride and joy. The Jeep was probably his biggest loss but there was so much more in that shed. He had a "parts" jeep also in there. His fishing boat, which we also have had for several years and grew up fishing the Mississippi with.  All his fishing poles & tackle. His canoe. His chainsaws and wood splitter  both of which he relies on to heat his house during the winters. His brand new riding lawnmower. Our go-kart we purchased when we were little kids. All of his tools he used to work on projects. All of his expensive wood working saws. All his antiques he's accumulated over the years. The list goes on and on. ALL of his belongings he worked hard for all his life are gone. 

Unfortunately, the money from his insurance won't even scratch the surface of the amount of damage this fire has consumed. My dad is hurting and it hurts my heart to see him like this. I'm states away from my dad and cannot travel to at least offer my support due to COVID-19. The least I feel I could do is create this Go Fund Me with hopes I can raise a little money to help him out as he is in a dark place and currently laid off (also due to COVID-19). These times are tough, and I know brighter days are ahead but some of us need a helping hand when life REALLY puts you through the ringer especially at such trying times.  Every little bit would help right now. Even if you are unable to donate, sharing this Go Fund Me link would help beyond measures. 

I'm choosing not to tell my Dad about this Go Fund Me, I would like to surprise him. His birthday is in 10 days, it would be amazing to pull a little something together by then.

For those of you choosing to donate, you have no idea how much this means to me and my family. 

God Bless, 
Alora