Hi Friends:

My dear sweet friends Emma and Erica have woken up this morning (Thanksgiving Day) to find their apartment building in Chicago on fire and that they were completely evacuated. They have lost 95% of what they own to water and smoke damage. Their children lost all of their toys, Emma lost a great deal of electronic art equipment, their furniture, food, everything is gone. Fortunately, they were able to get everyone - including their pets put safely. But they have nowhere to go at the moment. They are waiting to hear back from their renters insurance to check into a hotel, and they aren’t sure how much their insurance will cover at the moment. Emma has had quite possibly the worst two years for health I have ever seen anyone go through. She has been struggling with getting an accurate diagnosis and the medical bills have piled up. She works for an emergency response company as a first responder on an ambulance and helps people in her situation every day in spite of being in physical and mental pain. This is the very last thing her family needed.  In the spirit of the season, please consider donating to help them get through the next few months of restoring their whole life.