For Jeff Meek and his family

His Bonny Doon sanctuary was reduced to ashes. They maybe down, but not defeated. 

The situation: A few days ago, the CZU Lightning Complex fires ravaged through Santa Cruz and its vicinity. The suddenness of this catastrophe forced Jeff and his family to evacuate, leaving behind their home, their sanctuary of 20 years; a place of numerous memorable events, and also where he not only lived and played, but also worked. These fires reduce everything in their paths to ashes, including Jeff Meek's home, and are still burning. (Read more from Jeff below.)

The beneficiary: This campaign is for Jeff Meek (and his family), a beloved member of our Cisco Enterprise Networks Products and Solutions Marketing family. Donations will go directly to Jeff. 

The purpose: Your contributions and well wishes will give Jeff and his family strengths and hopes to begin rebuilding a new life ahead. Thank you for joining the cause and for your generosity. 

A message from Jeff:

***My family has been in Bonny Doon for almost 20 years now – my entire time here at Cisco. I have primarily worked from home sixteen of those twenty years, so it wasn’t only where I lived and played but also where I worked.

Because of that it has become a part of me and who I am. We called it the “Barrel House” or “Big Barrel”.

Coming from Chicago, the giant redwoods called to me like the sirens of the forest. Even after twenty years, I never lost the sense of awe that the trees and the surrounding nature inspired in me. They too are part of my family. And like the rest of my family, they too will survive.

My home came from humble beginnings. It arrived on the property on the back of a truck as a kit home in 1979. When we bought it in 2001 we saw it as a diamond in the rough. Worn but not abused with solid bones from which we could built upon.

As we made our own, it became a labor of love. Admittedly, sometimes that labor of love seemed to feel like just labor. But it was my labor, my sweat and sometimes my tears that turned the house into our home, our sanctuary.

 We added a new kitchen, a new office, a new music room, an expansive new deck, and new hard wood floors. I was carpenter, plumber, electrician, roofer, tiler, and mason all in one.

Yes, I made a crazy amount of mistakes, but I learned so much.  And while the projects seemed endless, after some 20 years, they were in fact coming to a glorious conclusion. In just the last few months I literally was in the “trim stage”, the final polish of all I had done.

The property gave back to us as well. This summer was a bounty of flowers, fruits and vegetable.

We thought we had done all the right things.  We just cut a fire break around the property and cleared the all the underbrush. To no avail.

Sadly our Barrel House was taken from us but not our everlasting memories. And while it is extremely painful to see her go, she will always be part of us.

This is where my children grew up. This where I met and married the love of my life, my beautiful wife Lisa. This is the house that Cisco built.

We are down, but not out. We will rebuild better, stronger and more resistant to the perils of Mother nature.

And we too shall come out stronger. My family is one of the lucky ones.  We are blessed with a renewed sense of what is truly important… our good heath, our family and our friends.

And in this time of crisis we have discovered that we are truly blessed with an abundance of friends and an enormous extended family that is Cisco.

Thank you all for you for your support in these trying time.  The compounding crisis we are all facing should make us all reflect on what we have and what we could lose but that there is hope that the future will be brighter.

Tell those around you that you love them. Take nothing for granted and make every day count. Appreciate what you have as life is fleeting.

Best Regards! Be safe. - Jeff. ***